Different language - different world view
In the previous column some attention was given to how different concepts of “ownership” or “possession” are marked in the grammar of te reo Māori by the use of particular vowel-sounds which differentiate between two types of ownership.
Possessive words which feature the vowel-sound “ā” are used in relation to small and portable things – things over which the “owner” is regarded as having “dominant” possession.
For things in relation to which the owner is “subordinate to” however (rather than “dominant over”) the possessive words feature the vowel-sound “ō”.
Thus, “tāku kete” means “my kitbag”, and “tōku whenua” means “my land” – but in the te reo versions of these two phrases a distinction is made which simply isn’t shown in the word-for-word English versions of each.
In the first phrase the sense may be “this bag belongs to me”. In the second phrase the sense is “this is the land to which I belong”. There is obviously quite a difference between “tāku” and “tōku” in the information which each supplies.
One reason for focusing on this particular feature of te reo Māori is that it provides a good illustration of how certain “world-view” perspectives are embedded in the grammar of te reo, but which may not always be acknowledged in basic translation.
This “ā” / “ō” distinction is found throughout all the possessive words, and word-pairs, in te reo – and the list of these is certainly quite extensive.
There are three different sets of possessives: the t-class using the possessive particles “tā” and “tō”, or their plural forms “ā” and “ō”; the n-class using the prepositions “na” and “no”; and the m-class using the prepositions “ma” and “mo”.
The basic principle involves placing one of these eight words to precede a personal pronoun.
With dual and plural pronouns, the possessive word is normally written separately, preceding the pronoun. Thus: “ā rātou kete” = “their kits”; “tō mātou matua” = “our parent”.
For some reason, however, when the possessor is only one person, the possessive word precedes (and is joined to) “-ku” (1st person); “-u” (2nd person) and “-na” (3rd person). Thus: “tāku kete” = “my kitbag”; “Nāu / tēnei kete.” = “Yours / this kitbag.”; “Māna / tēnei kete.” = “For her or him / this kitbag.”
Eight possessive words and 11 pronouns means a total of eighty-eight possessive terms.
But a thorough familiarity with Māori pronouns, and some understanding of the principle involved in the “ā” / “ō” distinction can reduce the scheme to manageable proportions and allow proper and full appreciation of this intriguing feature of te reo Māori.
David Kārena-Holmes is a published author, living in Dunedin. A tutor of grammar since the 1980s, his third book on the subject is Te Reo Māori - the Basics Explained (Oratia Books 2020). He is examining te reo grammar in a series of fortnightly articles.