Tongan L6: Example 2
Example 2: Student blog
Mau toki foki mai mei Tonga. Tōtōatu ‘a Tonga ia he fakalata! Faka ‘ofo ‘ofa e matātahi! ‘Ohovale au he hinehina pehē ‘a e ‘one ‘one.
Fakalata atu e ma ‘a ‘a e tahi´ mo e ‘ikai ke makamaka´! Na ‘a mau kaukau pe ki he pāhia he ‘aho kotoa! Na ‘e māfana ‘aupito e ‘ea mo e tahi´. Anga fakakaume ‘a e kakai´ mo e malimali´! ‘Ikai ha fakavavevave ki ha feitu ‘u.
Ko e taimi fiefia mo fakangalongata ‘a. Te u toe ‘eva pe ki Tonga he kaha ‘u´. Ne fakalakalaka foki ‘eku lea´ he lahi ‘eku lea faka-Tonga´. Tokolahi e kakai ‘oku nau talanoa faka-Tonga pē.
‘Oku ou palani te u ‘alu ki Vava ‘u ‘o kakau mo e tofua ‘a´ mo sio ‘i hono ngaahi mātanga faka ‘ofo ‘ofa´.
Toki hoko atu.
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Context and text type
Samuel, a learner of the Tongan language, describes his recent trip to Tonga.
Text type
Internet blog, personal opinion. Productive.
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Examples showing how the student is:
Communicating information, ideas, and opinions beyond the immediate context
Samuel describes what he thought of his holiday:
- Tōtōatu ‘a Tonga ia he fakalata.
He enriches his account with descriptive words:
- Faka ‘ofo ‘ofa e matātahi.
He uses a range of tenses to communicate information:
- He uses the past tense particle na ‘e:
- Na ‘e māfana ‘aupito e ‘ea mo e tahi´.
- He uses the past tense particle ne:
- Ne fakalakalaka foki ‘eku lea´ he lahi ‘eku lea faka-Tonga´.
- He talks about his future plans using the future tense particle te:
- ‘Oku ou palani te u ‘alu ki Vava ‘u ‘o kakau mo e tofua ‘a´ mo sio ‘i hono ngaahi mātanga faka ‘ofo ‘ofa´.
- He expresses certainty about a future visit:
- Te u to e ‘eva pe ki Tonga he kaha ‘u.
The definitive accent is used to mark certainty:
- ‘Oku ou palani te u ‘alu ki Vava ‘u ‘o kakau mo e tofua ‘a´ mo sio ‘i hono ngaahi mātanga faka ‘ofo ‘ofa´.
Expressing and responding to personal ideas and opinions
Samuel provides reasons to justify his opinions and observations; for example:
- … ma ‘a ‘a e tahi´ mo e ‘ikai ke makamaka´.
He expresses his feelings:
- Anga fakakaume ‘a e kakai´ mo e malimali´!
He also expresses his appreciation of local conditions and lack of time pressures:
- ‘Ikai ha fakavavevave ki ha feitu ‘u.
Samuel sums up his holiday experience:
- Ko e taimi fiefia mo fakangalongata ‘a.
Communicating appropriately in different situations
Samuel uses appropriate formulaic expressions; for example, ending his blog with 'Toki hoko atu'.
Samuel uses emotive and descriptive words to arouse feelings and create images in readers’ minds of the places he visited; for example:
- fakalata, faka ‘ofo ‘ofa, tōtōatu, ‘ohovale, fakangalongata ‘a.
Understanding how language is organised for different purposes
Samuel uses chat style sentences:
- Mau toki foki mai mei Tonga. Faka ‘ofo ‘ofa e matātahi.
He uses 'lea tavale' ('everyday language'), as is appropriate in this context and for this purpose. For example, he uses 'kaukau' in the sentence:
- Na ‘a mau kaukau pe ki he pāhia he ‘aho kotoa!
This word has different forms; for example, in 'lea fakatu ‘i' ('regal language') 'tākele' is used.
Another example of 'lea tavale' is Samuel’s use of the word 'foki' as in 'Mau toki foki mai mei Tonga'. In 'lea fakamatāpule' ('polite language') the equivalent would be 'toki lava mai'. In 'lea fakahouhou ‘eiki' ('chiefly language') the same idea would be expressed as 'toki me ‘a mai', and in 'lea fakatu ‘i' ('regal language') as 'toki liuaki mai'.
Samuel uses the word 'palani' (a transliteration of 'plan'), which has been accepted into lea faka-Tonga vocabulary.
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Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence
Explore personal experiences of going on holiday. What does the concept 'holiday' mean to students?
Consider the importance of holidays, both to the individual and nationally. What holidays do Tonga and New Zealand celebrate? What values do these holidays represent?
Explore how you would write in lea faka-Tonga to a Tongan (Internet) friend about a holiday you have had. What kinds of language would you use (for example, polite or everyday, formulaic expressions)? What aspects of life could your talk about? What links could you make to Tongan life and culture? What comparisons could you make with your own life and culture?
Last updated January 16, 2013
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