NCEA L1 Gagana Tokelau flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Tokelauan alphabet size

Fifteen letters: five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and ten consonants (f, g, k, l, m, n, p, t, v, h). Letters such as r, s, w and y do not occur in native Tokelauan words.

Macron function

A macron marks a long vowel, and length distinguishes meaning: toe means 'all' while tō means 'to plant' or 'sugarcane'. Misreading length changes the word, not just the sound.

Articles te and nā

Te is the singular definite article and nā is the plural, as in te tamaiti ('the child') and nā tamaiti ('the children'). Te also appears before personal names.

Predicate-first word order

Tokelauan clauses normally begin with the verb phrase, then the subject, then objects or locations: Kua fano te tamaiti ki te fale, 'The child has gone to the house'.

Prepositions i and ki

I marks position or time ('in, at, on'), while ki marks direction or goal ('to, towards'). Compare i te fale ('at the house') with ki te fale ('to the house').

a-class and o-class possession

Possessives fall into two classes. A-class forms like taku/toku pair with certain nouns, o-class forms like aku/oku with others; the choice depends on the relationship between possessor and thing.

Verbal markers E, Kua, Ka

E marks present or habitual action, Kua marks completed action, and Ka marks future or intended action. These particles sit at the start of the predicate phrase.

Formal greeting mālō

Mālō is the general greeting. Mālō ni addresses one person, while a fuller form such as mālō te ma’uli suits a group; the reply echoes the same register.

Informal farewell fā

Fā is a short, informal goodbye used with peers and friends. More formal leave-takings are expected when addressing elders, hosts or a whole audience.

Level 1 writing text types

Common assessed text types are personal letters, simple narratives, notices, invitations and descriptions. Each has a conventional opening, a body carrying the message, and a closing.

Direct speech in writing

Quoted speech is introduced before the spoken words, and pronouns shift inside the quotation: au ('I') becomes koe ('you') when the words are reported to another person.

Presentation outline

A short Tokelauan presentation opens with a greeting, states the topic, gives two or three supporting points, then closes with thanks. Short sentences and familiar vocabulary are preferred.

Vowel sequences

Adjacent vowels are pronounced as separate vowel sounds rather than merged diphthongs, and each carries its own weight. This affects syllable count and where stress falls.

Stress placement

Stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable of a word. A macron on a later vowel can shift the stressed syllable, so length marking and stress are linked.

Three atolls of Tokelau

Tokelau consists of three atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo. Each has its own village community, and local identity is closely tied to the home atoll.

Kaiga and nuku

Kaiga refers to the extended family and nuku to the village community. These two social units shape obligations, forms of address and who speaks in formal settings.

Respect to elders

Elders (toeaina) and the village council hold authority in Tokelauan communities. Deferential language, seating order and turn-taking signal respect during formal occasions.

Church in Tokelauan life

Christianity is central to community life, and church services, hymns and notices form a major domain of Tokelauan literacy and oratory. Much formal language is learned there.

Polynesian language family

Tokelauan is a Polynesian language closely related to Samoan and Tuvaluan. Shared cognates help comprehension, but forms are not identical, so Samoan words cannot be assumed correct.

Diaspora communities

Large Tokelauan communities live in Aotearoa New Zealand, especially Wellington and Auckland. Language use there spans church, radio, family and community events alongside homeland ties.

Code-switching

Speakers in diaspora settings often alternate between Tokelauan and English within a conversation. The switch may mark a change of topic, audience or formality rather than a gap in knowledge.

Community respect protocols

In Tokelauan community settings, remove shoes indoors, avoid walking in front of seated speakers, and acknowledge hosts before speaking. These observances are part of expected cultural knowledge.

Authentic Level 1 texts

Typical authentic texts include family letters, church and shipping notices, radio announcements, weather reports, songs and short news items. Each carries a recognisable purpose and layout.

Text-type first strategy

Identify what kind of text it is and what it is for before translating. The purpose narrows the likely vocabulary and tells you which details, such as time or place, matter.

Polynesian cognate strategy

Shared roots such as fale ('house'), vai ('water') and ika ('fish') let you infer unfamiliar words. Use the known root plus the sentence context to guess the meaning.

Using articles to classify nouns

An unfamiliar noun can often be classified by its article: te signals singular and nā plural. The following preposition then shows whether it is a location, a goal or an agent.

Numbers with classifiers

Counting uses a numeral together with a classifier that depends on what is counted, with different forms for people and for ordinary things. Check which category the question asks about.

Building sentences from markers

Start with a verb marker (E, Kua, Ka, Koi), add a known subject, then a location or object phrase. This produces grammatical Tokelauan instead of English word order translated literally.

Domain-based vocabulary

Level 1 vocabulary clusters around household, school, church, fishing and voyaging, and village life. Grouping new words by topic supports recall better than alphabetical lists.

Negation particles

Negative meaning is carried by particles such as hē, often with hēki in verbal contexts. In listening, catching the negative particle reverses the meaning of the whole statement.

Location versus direction

Where a phrase answers 'where?' it takes i; where it answers 'to where?' it takes ki. Checking the preposition tells you whether motion or rest is being described.

Responding in full phrases

Productive tasks expect complete phrases or sentences, not isolated words. Answer using the verb marker, subject and detail that the question asked for.