7. Long vowels

Ko e lea faka-Tonga’ ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e vauele ‘ikai fakau’a mo e vauele fakau’a. ‘Oku mau ngāue’aki heni ‘a e vauele ‘ikai fakau’a’ ko ha toe hingoa ia ‘e taha ‘o e vauele angamaheni’. ‘Oku ‘i ai mo e vauele lōloa pea ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ki he taimi ‘oku tu’u ai ‘i ‘olunga ‘i he vauele angamaheni’ ‘a e faka’ilonga toloi’. Fakatātā: Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū , ā ē ī ō ū. ‘Oku toe ‘i ai mo e vauele lōlōa fakau’a ‘o hangē ko ‘eni:  ‘Ā ‘Ē ‘Ī ‘Ō ‘Ū , ‘ā ‘ē ‘ī ‘ō ‘ū. Ko e kehekehe ‘o ha vauele lōloa ‘ikai fakau’a’ mo ha vauele angamaheni hangē ko a mo ā, ‘i ha  ongo fo’i lea kehekehe kae mei sipela tatau, ko hona ‘uhinga’. Hangē ko ‘eni: kaka ‘oku ‘uhinga ki he ‘alu’aki ‘a e va’e’ ‘i ha me’a ‘oku mā’olunga. Kapau ‘e toloi ‘a e ongo vauele ‘o kākā, ‘e ‘uhinga ia ki he ‘ikai faitotonu. Kiliki ‘i he hokonga ‘i lalo’ ki ha toe ‘ekisasaisi lahi ange ‘i he tōpiki ko ‘eni’ mo ha toe ngaahi fakamatala mahu’inga kau ki he ngaahi koosi ‘a e Akoola’.

Kiliki heni ki he fakiikiiki: Lea faka’ilonga taimi, Veape, ‘Etiveape, Etisekitivi, ‘Ātikolo, Nauna   Peleposisini

The Tongan language has non-glottal-stopped and glottal-stopped vowels. We use the phrase non glottal-stopped vowels here to refer to the normal vowels.  Long vowels refer to when the non glottal-stopped vowels have the symbol of the macron on top of them. For example: Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū , ā ē ī ō ū. Long vowels also refer to when the glottal-stopped vowels, ‘A’a ‘E’e ‘I’i ‘O’o ‘U’u have the macron symbol on top of each of them. For example:  ‘Ā ‘Ē ‘Ī ‘Ō ‘Ū , ‘ā ‘ē ‘ī ‘ō ‘ū. The difference between the long vowels and normal vowels, Ae Ee Ii Oo Uu, is due largely to differences of meaning. Here are some examples: Ngaue with no macrons on top of the vowels means to move, while ngāue with  a macron on top of the vowel ā means to work. Click the links above for more exercises on this topic and some important information about the Akoola courses.