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Letters

The Samoan alphabet proper consists of only fourteen letters:— a, e, i, o, u; f, g, I, m, n, p, s, t, v. The word uuu, a shout of triumph, has something, very nearly approaching to the aspirate, as if, uhuhu. K is found only in puke ! catch you; and its compound, puketa! Recently, as in the Sandwich Islands, the t has come to be pronounced as k in common conversation. In set speches the proper pronun ciation is still, for the most part, observed.

A is pronounced—

• 1st, long, as in father; pa, a wall.

• 2nd, rather short, as in mat; patilima, to clap hands.

• 3rd, very short, nearly like u in smut; as mate, dead; maliu, dead; vave, be quick.

The difference between long and short a is very observable in a great many words, spelt in the same way, but having widely different meanings; as tama, father; táma, child; faʻamoega, a sheath; faʻamoega, a war feast; manu, a bird; manu, to rise above.

The learner must pay special attention to the quantity of a. The meaning is often dependent on the quantity; as, papa, a rock; papa, to burst; papa, to miscarry; tuafafine, a sister; tuafafine, sisters.

The third quantity is limited to a very few words.

E, i, o, u are pronounced as in Continental languages. Each of them has both a long and short quantity; as pepe, dead; tiga, pain; titi, girdle of ti; popo, to pat; popo, dry; pupu, ironbound coast.

G (nga) is always nasal, as ng in sing.

L (la) the same as in English, except when preceded by either a, o, or u, and followed by i, when it is pronounced by most natives as soft r, almost approaching to a d sound, for which it is substituted, in similar situations, in the pronunciation of New Zealand words: as kirikiri, pronounced kidikidi; so in Samoan aliali is pronounced ariari; olioli is pronounced oriori; uliuli as uriuri.

S is not quite so sibilant as in English. It is called sa. The other letters, f, m, n, p, t, v, called fa, mo, nu, pi, ti, vi, are pronounced as in English. In foreign introduced words k and r are retained, as Keriso, page 2 karite, barley; but d becomes t, as Tavita, David; ph becomes f, as Ferukia, Phrygia; g and c hard become k, as Kerika, Greek; Kanana, Canaan; h is also retained at the beginning of some proper names; as Herota, Herod; z becomes s, Sakaria; w becomes u, Uiliamu, William; b becomes p, Patania, Bethany.

In addition to these, there is a sound something between h and k, and used in the place of the latter letter, as found in words in kindred dialects; as, uʻa, paper-mulberry, in Niue, uka. This is represented by an inverted comma, and is called a “break.”

Two similar vowels cannot occur together without a break between, except in a few cases of compound words; as mataala, to watch; mataali, to fall blighted; mataafi, a large fire, etc,; on the contrary, agaaga is written, and pronounced agaga; so alaala is alala.. When two such vowels come together in forming new words, or in commencing a word with the vowel which terminates the preceding word, and with which it stands in close connection, they are pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, as one long vowel; as mata alofa (matalofa), benevolent-looking; alofa atu, to love, pronounced alofatu.

A few cases occur of the coalescence of different vowels; as ma ona, for him, pronounced mona; ave atu, to take, contracted to avatu; tosina, drawn, contracted from tosoina.

Every letter is distinctly sounded, so that there are no improper diphthongs. The proper diphthongs are au, as in sau, to come; ai, as in fai, to do; ae, as in mae, to be stale; ei, as in lelei, good; ou, as in outou, you; ue, as in aue, alas!

No two consonants can come together without a vowel between. All syllables are open, i.e., must end in a vowel.

Many natives are exceedingly careless and incorrect in the pronunciation of consonants, and even exchange or transpose them without confusion, and almost unnoticed by their hearers; as manu, for namu, a scent; lagoga for lagouna, to understand; lavaʻau for valaʻau, to call; but they are very particular about the pronunciation of the vowels.

In some foreign names h is changed into s; as Sapai for Hapai.