NCEA L1 Vagahau Niue flashcards

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

Fakaalofa atu

A common greeting in Vagahau Niue meaning 'hello' or 'greetings'; used in both formal and informal contexts.

Kia monuina

A farewell or well-wishing phrase meaning 'may you be blessed' or 'best wishes'; often used at the end of conversations or letters.

Vowel length

In Vagahau Niue, long vowels are held about twice as long as short vowels and are marked with a macron; length distinguishes meaning, e.g., 'tāne' (man) vs 'tane' (to cry).

Glottal stop

A consonant sound produced by a brief catch in the throat, written with an apostrophe (') in Vagahau Niue; its presence changes word meaning, e.g., 'kai' (food) vs 'ka'i' (to call).

Pronoun taua

First person dual inclusive pronoun meaning 'we two' (including the person spoken to); used when referring to yourself and one other person including the listener.

Pronoun maua

First person dual exclusive pronoun meaning 'we two' (excluding the person spoken to); used when referring to yourself and one other person but not the listener.

Possessive a and o

Vagahau Niue has two possessive classifiers: 'a' for dominant possession (things you control or own) and 'o' for subordinate possession (things you don't control, like relatives or body parts).

Negation nākai

'Nākai' is a negative particle placed before the verb to form negative statements, e.g., 'Nākai au e fia inu' means 'I do not want to drink'.

Question word ko hai

'Ko hai' means 'who' in Vagahau Niue; used to ask about a person's identity, e.g., 'Ko hai a koe?' means 'Who are you?'.

Question word ko e hā

'Ko e hā' means 'what' in Vagahau Niue; used to ask for information about something, e.g., 'Ko e hā e igoa o te fale?' means 'What is the name of the house?'.

Numbers 1-5

The numbers one to five in Vagahau Niue are: taha (1), ua (2), tolu (3), fā (4), lima (5).

Numbers 6-10

The numbers six to ten in Vagahau Niue are: ono (6), fitu (7), valu (8), hiva (9), hogofulu (10).

Prefix faka-

A causative prefix in Vagahau Niue that means 'to make' or 'to cause', e.g., 'fakamālie' means 'to make good' from 'mālie' (good).

Suffix -ga

A suffix that forms nouns from verbs, often indicating the result or place of the action, e.g., 'hū' (to enter) becomes 'hūga' (entrance).

Verb particle kua

'Kua' is a verbal particle indicating perfective aspect, used for completed actions, e.g., 'Kua oti' means 'It is finished'.

Verb particle ka

'Ka' is a verbal particle indicating future tense, e.g., 'Ka o au' means 'I will go'.

Verb particle ne

'Ne' is a verbal particle indicating past tense, e.g., 'Ne o au' means 'I went'.

Verb particle e

'E' is a verbal particle indicating progressive aspect, e.g., 'E o au' means 'I am going'.

Word fale

'Fale' means 'house' or 'building' in Vagahau Niue; it is a common noun used in everyday conversation.

Word vaka

'Vaka' means 'canoe' or 'boat' in Vagahau Niue; traditionally used for ocean-going vessels.

Word moana

'Moana' means 'sea' or 'ocean' in Vagahau Niue; it is a common word in everyday language and cultural contexts.

Word tapu

'Tapu' means 'sacred' or 'forbidden' in Vagahau Niue; it refers to something set apart with spiritual restrictions.

Word aroha

'Aroha' means 'love' or 'compassion' in Vagahau Niue; it is used to express affection and care.

Formal letter opening

In formal letters, start with 'Fakaalofa atu' as a greeting, followed by the recipient's name and a comma.

Formal letter closing

End formal letters with 'Kia monuina' as a closing wish, followed by your name.

Stress pattern

Stress in Vagahau Niue typically falls on the penultimate syllable, but long vowels attract stress; listen for vowel length to identify stressed syllables.

Consonant clusters

Vagahau Niue has limited consonant clusters; words usually alternate consonants and vowels, so listen for single consonants rather than clusters.

Greeting formula

'Fakaalofa atu' is a fixed greeting formula used for hello; respond with 'Fakaalofa atu' or 'Kia monuina' depending on context.

Question intonation

Yes/no questions in Vagahau Niue often use rising intonation at the end, while wh-questions may use different intonation patterns.

Polite pronoun koe

'Koe' is the singular pronoun for 'you' in Vagahau Niue; used in both formal and informal contexts.

Pronoun tatou

'Tatou' is the first person plural inclusive pronoun meaning 'we all' (including the listener); used when addressing a group that includes the speaker and listener.

Pronoun mautolu

'Mautolu' is the first person plural exclusive pronoun meaning 'we all' (excluding the listener); used when referring to a group that includes the speaker but not the listener.