Mispronunciations

Re the letter from Warwick Smith ( June 29) regarding the pronunciation of Ma¯ ori place names, it is interesting to note that the examples cited (with the exception of Porirua) were actually transliterations of English place names.

It is not a question of which is right for Atene, for example, when Atene is a Ma¯ ori transliteration of Athens. As Hiruharama is a transliteration for Jerusalem, and so on.

Where care must be taken though is when the place name has a meaning, more than just a name, a feature that is quite common in Ma¯ ori and less so in English. One example in English might be Invercargill, where ‘‘inver’’ comes from the Scottish word ‘‘inbhir’’ for a rivermouth and Cargill is a name. To pronounce it as ‘‘InVERcargill’’ would immediately sound wrong.

Closer to home is Paraparaumu, which is often called ‘‘Paraparam’’.

These are not the English pronunciations as your correspondent would suggest. They are simply wrong, and disrespectful as well.

They also miss the opportunity for further conversations as well. The correct pronunciation leads to further conversations about it being ‘‘Para-paraumu’’ or ‘‘Parapa-rau-mu’’, with quite different meanings.

I don’t think we need a stronger argument. Respect for our place names and the traditions and stories behind them is plenty.

Ken Wilson, Wellington