10. Definitive accent vowels

Ko e fakamamafa pau’ ko ha fakamamafa ‘i he vauele faka’osi ‘o e fo’i lea ‘oku hiki e le’o’ ‘o mā’olunga ange, ke fakamahino ko e me’a ‘oku ‘uhinga ki ai ‘a e taha lea’ ‘oku pau. Hangē ko ‘eni: to’o mai e hele’. ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ‘oku ‘ilo’i pau ‘a e hele na’e fiema’u ke to’o mai’.  ‘I he tohinima’ ‘oku ngāue’aki ‘a e faka’ilonga ‘ ki he fakamamafa pau’. Ko e fakamamafa pau’ ‘oku lava ke tu’u ‘i mui ‘i ha vauele ‘ikai fakau’a hangē ko e a ‘i he lea ko e mata’. ‘E lava foki ke tu’u ‘i mui ‘i ha vauele tāpolo hangē ko e aa’. Pea ‘oku toe lava ke tu’u ‘i mui hili ha vauele fakau’a hangē ko e lea ko e a’a’.

Kiliki heni:

Lea faka’ilonga taimi, Veape, ‘Etiveape, Etisekitivi, ‘Ātikolo, Nauna   Peleposisini

The definitive accent is a stress on the final vowel of a word where the voice has to be shifted higher, indicating that the thing to which the speaker referred is definite. When the speaker says to’o mai e hele’ (get the knife) it means he is talking about a knife that is known to him or definite. When the speaker says ha hele (a knife) it means the knife is general or its identity is not known.  In writing, the definitive accent is marked by the symbol ’.  The definitive accent can be used after a non-glottal-stopped vowel like a’ in mata’ (face). It can also be used after a stand alone double vowel word like aa’ (to heat leaves over a fire in order to make them soft). It can also be used after a glottal-stopped vowel like in a’a’  (to wade through water). Click the links above for more exercises on this topic and some important information about the Akoola courses.