Aho Whakamahuki - Relative Clauses - What is it and how does it work?

Episode Details

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A Maori Podcast


Kia ora e hoa ma! I wanted to look at relative clauses as I still need to work on gaining a better understanding of them and how they work. Hopefully what I share today is somewhat help. Explaining technical terms is always difficult but it's a good way to improve my speaking ability.


Whakatauki - Haere i muri o te tira parāoa. [Maori Sayings and Proverbs, Murdoch Riley, 26-10]


Wetenga reo: [Ray Harlow, A Maori Reference Grammar, pg. 241]

"Recall that there are some types of predicate in Maori which contain a noun. In particular, nouns occur in the predicate phrases of ownership and location. When such a clause is used as a relative clause, and the position within it to which the head is related is the place name or personal name in the predicate phrase, then a pronoun is used to stand for a person, and the word reira 'there, the previously mentioned place' for a place."


I a ia e moe ana, ka hoki mai nga pea no ratou te whare. - While she was sleeping, the bears whose house it was returned.


Ko wai te iwi nona te whenua? - Who is the tribe to whom the land belongs?


E pai ai te whakaako i te reo, me whakatu ko nga tangata kei a ratou te reo hei kaiako. - To improve the teaching of the language, it is people who have the language who should be appointed as teachers.


Kaore ia i mohio me pewhea e tae atu ai ki te marae kei reira te hui. - He didnt know how to get to the marae where the meeting was.