13. Double vowels contracted to long a vowel

Ko e taimi ‘e tō ai ‘a e fakamamafa pau’ ‘i mui ‘i ha lea vauele tu’u lōua ‘e mingi ‘a e lōua ko ia ‘o vauele lōloa. Hangē ko ‘eni: Fo’i lea ko e maama ‘o ka tō ai ‘a e fakamamafa pau’ ‘e sipela ia ‘o peheni: māma’. Ka ‘okapau ko e vauele lōua’ ko ‘ena ha’u mei ha ongo lea kehekehe ‘e ua ‘o mātu’aki mahino pe ‘a e ongo makehekehe ‘a hono pu’aki, hangē ko e fo’i lea ko e ongoongo (ongo mo e ongo ‘o ma’u ai ‘a e ongoongo), ‘e ‘ikai ngāue’aki ‘a e tu’utu’uni ‘i ‘olunga’. ‘E kei tohi pe ia ko e ongoongo’ kae ‘ikai ko e ongōngo’.

Kiliki heni:

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

When a double vowel word has the definitive accent after its last vowel, the double vowels contract into a long vowel. For example: maama is a double vowel word. When the definitive accent falls after the last vowel a, the word maama would become māma’. When the double vowels come together from two normal vowels belonging to two different parts of a composite word the rule above cannot apply. For example: In ongoongo or news, the double vowel does not turn into a long vowel, but remains as it was when the stress is shifted, indicated by a definitive accent at the end. Click the links above for more exercises on this topic and some important information about the Akoola courses.