NCEA Level 3 Lea Faka-Tonga cheat sheet

Ko e register ʻe tolu ʻi he lea faka-Tonga: fakaʻeiki (formal/respectful), lea fakamatāpule (everyday/neutral), mo e lea fakavaʻe (casual/intimate) - choose per audience, not per topic.

Ko e fakaʻilonga ʻo e fakaʻeiki: use of "ʻeiki", "tamai", "faʻē", "houʻeiki" address forms and passive/respectful verbs (e.g. "ʻalu mai" vs "haʻu").

Ko e tuʻa mo e kau ʻeiki: in traditional contexts, vocabulary differs by rank; a lower-status speaker uses respectful terms for a higher-status listener.

Ko e fatongia ʻo e text: persuasive, informative, narrative, or instructional purpose determines whether imperatives, statistics, or past-tense markers dominate.

Ko e kau lau: when addressing children, prefer short clauses, repetition, and concrete nouns; when addressing elders, prefer fakaʻeiki forms and indirect requests.

Ko e fakangofua: formal letters and speeches open with "Mālō e lelei" or "Fakamālō atu" and close with "ʻOfa ke…" blessings; casual texts may omit both.

Ko e lea fakangalingali: reported speech uses "pehē" (said) plus quotation; register of the quote is preserved, not shifted to match the reporter.

Decision rule: identify audience first (rank, age, relationship), then select register, then select vocabulary and sentence length - reversing the order produces register errors.

Word order is predicate-initial: VSO (verb–subject–object) is default; "Naʻe kai ʻe Sione e mei" = Sione ate the mango.

Tense/aspect markers precede the verb: "naʻe" (past), "ʻoku" (present), "ʻe" (future), "kuo" (perfect), "ke" (subjunctive/purpose).

The ergative preposition "ʻe" marks the agent of transitive verbs; the absolutive (unmarked) marks the object - do not swap them.

Possessive classes: ʻa-class (alienable, active, controllable) vs ʻo-class (inalienable, passive, inherited); e.g. "ʻeku tohi" but "hoku fale" depends on relationship, not just ownership.

Pronoun system is singular/dual/plural × inclusive/exclusive: "māua" (we two, exclusive) vs "tāua" (we two, inclusive) - inclusivity changes meaning.

Definite articles: "e" (common), "he" (indefinite/locative), "ʻa" (personal names); "ki he" = to the, "ʻi he" = in/at the.

Negation: "ʻikai" negates predicates; "ʻoua" negates imperatives ("ʻoua ʻe ʻalu" = don't go); "teʻeki" marks 'not yet'.

Reduplication signals plurality, intensity, or diminution ("lahi" → "lalahi"; "kumi" → "kumikumi"); identify which function from context.

For unseen-text questions, locate the evidence sentence first, then paraphrase - quoting verbatim without explanation earns partial credit only.

Inference questions require a stated link: claim + textual evidence + explanation of how the evidence supports the claim.

Summary tasks: state the main idea in one sentence, then group supporting details; omit examples and repetition.

Narrative structure in Tongan tala: setting (fonua/kāinga), complication (fepaki), resolution (fakalelei) - identify each before analysing theme.

Formal writing conventions: "Mālō e lelei" opening, body paragraphs with one idea each, "Fakaʻau ke…" or "ʻOfa ke…" closing.

Persuasive writing: use "ko e ʻuhinga" (reason), "fakatātā" (example), and "fakamatala" (explanation) - a claim without all three is underdeveloped.

Vocabulary range is assessed: vary verbs ("lele", "holo", "ʻoho") and use connectives ("kae", "he", "koia") rather than repeating "pea".

Editing checklist: check tense marker agreement, ergative "ʻe" placement, possessive class, and macron/ʻokina accuracy before submitting.

Core values: "fakaʻapaʻapa" (respect), "fetokoniʻaki" (mutual help), "ʻofa" (love/compassion), "mateaki" (loyalty to kin) - analyse texts through these lenses.

The kāinga (extended kin group) governs obligations: faikava, kava, and koloa (valuable goods: ngatu, mats, tapa) circulate through kin networks.

Koloa vs ngāue: koloa are traditional wealth (women's woven goods), ngāue is work/commodity wealth (men's labour) - exchanges link the two.

Migration and remittances: diaspora remittances sustain households and church; evaluate both economic benefit and dependency critiques.

Language shift: English dominance in schooling, media, and employment pressures Tongan use among youth; note code-switching as both adaptation and loss.

Church and tradition: lotu (church) and anga faka-Tonga (custom) are often presented as complementary, but conflicts arise over dress, dance, and Sunday observance.

Land tenure: land is held communally under noble/estate structures and rarely sold; this shapes migration, inheritance, and economic strategy.

Evaluate change claims by asking: who benefits, who bears the cost, and is the source insider (Tongan) or outsider (researcher)?