A is pronounced as in "father"
example: la, a, ala, apa, tama, lataE is pronounced as in "they"
example: le, se, sese, ene, tele, peseI is pronounced as in "ski"
example: ni, si, isi, ili, pili, lisiO is pronounced as in "hope"
example: po, to, olo, oso, polo, lotoU is pronounced as in "flu"
example: pu, mu, umu, ulu, fusu, suluWhen a macron (-)(a line) is placed over a vowel, that vowel is held twice as long, or as if there were two consecutive identical vowels together.
Ā ā Ē ē Ī ī Ō ō Ū ūA diphthongs is when one vowel sound glides into another within a single syllable. For example when you say "ah" (as in father) and "ee" (as in sleep) and put them together you get a diphthong that sounds like the English word "eye". In Samoan the equivalent would be A and I into "ai" (which coincidentally can be a verb to eat, among other uses.)
There are 12 Samoan consonants, most are pronounced in Samoan the same as they are in English.
F, H, L, M, N, R, S, VH and R are found in words that have been adopted into Samoan from foreign words.
K, P, and T - In English when these consonants are pronounced they are accompanied by a small puff of air known as aspiration. You can feel this puff of air by putting your hand in front of your mouth and saying the following words:
kim, pit, tick, kill, pat, topNo aspiration occurs, however, when these letters follow an s. For example, hold your hand to your mouth again and say the following words:
skim, spit, stick, skill, spat, stopEnglish speakers do not normally notice any difference, but because none of these letters are aspirated in Samoan, the Samoans notice it as being distinctively non-native. Furthermore, this difference makes the Samoan version of these consonants sound a little different to an English speaker:
To an English speaker, the Samoan K sounds like a cross between a G and a K.The consonants K, P, and T are not aspirated in Samoan. In formal Samoan the letter K occurs mainly in words of foreign origin.
To an English speaker, the Samoan P sounds like a cross between a B and a P.
To an English speaker, the Samoan T sounds like a cross between a D and a T.
The consonant G is pronounced like the NG in "singer". Unlike in the English sound, however, the "NG" sound occurs at the beginning of syllables in Samoan.
The apostrophe ( ' ) in Samoan writing represents the glottal stop, performed by momentarily stopping the flow of breath through the throat. English speakers do this in the words "button" and "oh-oh". Try putting your hand on your throat while saying "oh-oh". You should feel the tissues of your voice box close momentarily.
examples: a'a, pa'a, nu'u, fe'e, va'a, va'ai, la'auAs you can see it often (though not always) separates two of the same vowels.
The glottal stop is crucial in Samoan pronunciation. See the difference in the following words:
nei ne'iThe term "accent" refers to the particular stress given to a syllable in a word. Accent is very easy to determine in Samoan. To determine where to place the accent in a Samoan word, follow these steps:
tau ta'u
sao sa'o
paepae pa'epa'e
1. Find the second-to-last vowel in the word. Vowels with a macron over them count as two vowels. For example:
tala - T A L A talai - T A L A I talā - T A L Ā
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1
2. The stress falls on the syllable of which this vowel is a part. (Sometimes the vowel will be the whole syllable, as in ulu). For example, the accented syllable (Shown in capitals) for the above words would be:
TAla taLAI taLA
When a Samoan word has more than one syllable, the accent falls on the syllable of which the second-to-last vowel is a part.
Samoan syllables may be: as in:
1. One vowel (v) tusi, tala
2. A diphthong (v + v) talai, talā,
3. One consonant followed by one vowel (c + v) 'upu, tofu, agaga
4. One consonant followed by a diphthong (c + v + v) mae'a, moega
Keep checking back here for updates and new lessons! Please feel free to email me with any questions or if you notice any errors.
Faafetai, lau uō
ulavale1
