Cook Islands Māori L6: Example 3
Example 3: Invitation
Kia orāna e Mā ‘ine Māria.
Ko Tioni tōku ingoa. Nō te āpi ‘i tuarua ō Otahuhu mai au.
‘Aere mai au ‘i teia rā ‘i te pati atu ki ā koe, kia aere mai koe ki tā mātou api ‘i nō te tuatua atu ki te au tamariki ‘i roto ‘i tōku pupu. Te tumu manako, kai ‘ava ‘ava.
Te kite nei au, te ma ‘ata nei te au tamariki ‘e kai ‘ava ‘ava nei. Tōku manako, me ‘aere mai koe, kā riro tē rēira ‘ei tauturu atu ‘ia mātou ‘i te tākore atu ‘i tēia peu. Pāpū iāku, ka mataōra te au tamariki, ‘e tōku au ‘oa nō tā ‘au ka āpi ‘i mai.
Meitaki ma ‘ata nō tō ‘ou taime.
Kia orāna ē kia manuia.
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Context and text type
A student invites a health representative to come and speak to his class about issues related to smoking.
Text type
Oral invitation. Productive.
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Examples showing how the student is:
Communicating information, ideas, and opinions beyond the immediate context
Tioni uses an appropriate and formal form of address:
- Kia orāna ‘e Mā ‘ine Māria.
He communicates his worries and concerns about student smoking:
- Te kite nei au, te ma ‘ata nei te au tamariki ‘e kai ‘ava ‘ava nei.
He states the importance of having an expert’s point of view on the matter:
- Tōku manako, me ‘aere mai koe, kā riro tē rēira ‘ei tauturu atu ‘ia mātou ‘i te tākore atu ‘i tēia peu.
Expressing and responding to personal ideas and opinions
Tioni gives a personal opinion:
- Pāpū iāku, ka mataora te au tamariki, e tōku au ‘oa nō tā ‘au ka āpi ‘i mai.
The phrase 'Tōku manako' … is used at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that Tioni is about to give a personal opinion.
He clearly states that he is writing in response to a health need he recognises in his peers:
- Te kite nei au, te ma ‘ata nei te au tamariki ‘e kai ‘ava ‘ava nei.
Tioni expresses certainty about the reaction of his fellow students:
- Pāpū iāku, ka mataora te au tamariki, e tōku au ‘oa nō tā ‘au ka āpi ‘i mai.
Communicating appropriately in different situations
Tioni greets the health representative respectfully, using 'Mā ‘ine' (equivalent to 'Miss') in front of her name:
- Kia orāna e Mā ‘ine Māria.
He uses polite language to convey his message and ensure a positive response:
He uses the formal conventions associated with this text type, for example, the formulaic expression:
- Meitaki ma ‘ata nō tō ‘ou taime.
Tione shows humility when he states that the reason for the invitation is his concern for the well being of his classmates:
- ‘Aere mai au ‘i teia rā ‘i te pati atu ki ā koe, kia aere mai koe ki tā mātou ‘api ‘i nō te tuatua atu ki te au tamariki ‘i roto ‘i tōku pupu.
Understanding how language is organised for different purposes
Tioni uses the term 'Mā ‘ine' before the health representative’s first name:
- Kia orāna ē Mā ‘ine Māria.
In Cook Islands Māori, this is a respectful form of address (directed towards a young woman). In other cultures, use of the family (rather than given) name or some other form of address may be more respectful.
The invitation begins with the formal greeting:
- Kia orāna e Mā ‘ine Māria,
and ends with a formal goodbye:
- Meitaki ma ‘ata nō tō ‘ou taime; Kia orāna ‘ē kia manuia.
These formulaic expressions are consistently used in such contexts.
The invitation demonstrates 'tā ‘aka ‘aka' (respect). The use of respectful language (for example, Kia orāna e Mā ‘ine Māria) gives it a formal tone.
Tioni shows his respect for the person by standing to deliver the invitation. In this way he acknowledges age and status; the person is older than him and has expert knowledge.
In its written form, the oral invitation has long sentences. Commas separate the ideas. A speaker would normally pause where the commas are placed. In that sense, the delivery of the speech would be in shorter 'sentences'.
The word 'āpi ‘i' is used in the text in different ways. In one place it refers to the school Tione attends:
- Nō te ‘āpi ‘i tuarua ‘o Otahuhu mai au.
In another place, it has the sense of 'teach', 'instruct':
- … kia ‘aere mai koe ki tā mātou ‘āpi ‘i nō te tuatua atu ki te au tamariki ‘i roto ‘i tōku pupu. Students could explore the uses of 'api ‘i' in different texts.
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Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence
Discuss the forms of respect, including body language, that are considered appropriate in Cook Islands Māori culture when requesting assistance. Students can compare how respect is expressed in similar situations in their own cultures.
Compare and contrast different ways of inviting people for different purposes in the Cook Islands and New Zealand cultures. Would the invitations normally be in the form of oral, written, or visual texts? Investigate when invitations are appropriate; for example, do people need invitations or do they just know that they are welcome? Depending on the purpose, how is language (oral, written, visual) used in invitations?ꞌ How could students use these understandings to convey invitations in Cook Islands Māori?
Last updated March 27, 2013
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