this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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It's eight syllables, but I think most minds would chunk it out as three or four units of short term memory ("papa", "kanga", "horo" or even "horohoro") which isn't too unreasonable to me compared to some more ...western sounding? place names.
(Though I am not the person you were responding to nor do I have experience with Maori. Just sharing my take)
If we want to pronounce it properly we do it "Papa" - "ka" - "nga" - "horo" "horo".
I'd predict people who want to mangle it will probably go for something like "Paper" "kanga" "hoaro" (with a hard g like in kangaroo, argh) and leave the last bit off.
Paraparaumu gets called "Parrer Pram" by people who don't pronounce their reo. Not all of whom are pakeha I might add.
I mean, it's certainly possible to remember, but to describe it as an easy to remember word just seems so elitist.
If literacy standards have sunk so low that that's elitism, these are troubling times indeed.
You don't work in the trades, I take it?
I'm elitist? F me.
It truly is one of the eiser [longer] te reo names that are in our good green [or not so] country.
Seriously? Just as easy as Taupo, for example?
Surely you can't think that in good faith.