Ko e Liliu ‘a e Lea Tonga ^Featured

‘Oku liliu tu‘uma‘u mo ta‘engata ‘ae me‘a kotoa pē he ‘iai, ‘o tatau ‘a natula / mamani, ‘atamai moe fonua / sōsaieti, ‘o kau ai ‘ae kalatua / fonua moe tala / lea. ‘Oku tupu ‘ae liliu ‘oe ngaahi lea lahi mei he vāofi hono pu‘aki (pronouncing) moe sipela (spelling), ‘aia ‘oku toe ui koe silapa (syllable) ‘oe lea, ‘o hangē koe ongo lea koe halafakakavakava (bridge) moe oso / osooso (excitement), ‘aia koe tupu mei he ongo fua lea halafakavakavaka moe sō / sōsō.

‘Oku ‘uhinga ‘ae halafakavakavaka (‘oku toe ‘iloa koe hala‘āhanga; bridge) koe hoko ‘ae hala koe vaka ‘oku tau ‘alu ai mei he motu ‘e taha kihe motu ‘e taha, ‘o hangē ko ‘etau heka he vaka mei he motu ‘e taha kihe motu ‘e taha. ‘Oku ma‘u ‘ae lea koe sōsō mei he motu‘a lea koe sō, ‘o hangē koe tau hotau sō, ‘aia ‘oku toe ‘uhinga koe tau hotau hua, ‘o ‘uhinga kihe vetengata‘a ‘etau feohi koe tupu mei he māfana ‘ae loto moe fiefia ‘ae ‘atamai he funga ‘oe maheni.

‘Oku tupu mei he vāofi ‘ae ongo / le‘o hono pu‘aki, sipela moe silapa ‘ae mafuli ko ‘eni mei he vaka / vakavaka kihe kava / kavakava moe sō / sōsō kihe oso / ososo. ‘Oku ‘ikai ha lea Tonga koe kava / kavakava (‘o tukukehe ange ‘ae ika koe kavakava, kakava koe pupuha moe fa‘ahinga kava koe kavakava‘ulie) ka koe vaka / vakavaka pē (‘aia koe palalulu koe vakavaka, vakavaka ‘a Hina he uma, fakavaka koe ‘esia (vaka) moe oso / osooso ka koe sō / sōsō pē.

‘Oku toe ‘asi lelei ‘ae liliu ko ‘eni mei he lea koe ma‘uhinga kihe lea koe mahu‘inga, ‘aia koe tupu mei he vāofi ‘ae pu‘aki, sipela moe silapa. ‘Oku ‘ikai ha lea Tonga koe hu‘inga ka koe lea Tonga pē koe ‘uhinga (meaning; mahino; maama; koloa). ‘Oku pipiki-mei-mu‘a (prefix) ‘ae lea ma pea toki pipiki-mei-mui (suffix) ‘ae ngaahi lea feliuliuaki, ‘o kau ai lea koe malava, mafeia, makupusi, matu‘uaki. ‘Oku mataua ‘ae lea koe mahu‘inga kae matataha ‘ae lea ma‘uhinga.

Tau toki hoko atu.

ANFF leva e malanga kae tau,
‘Ofa ma‘u moe na‘una‘u,

Hūfanga, Professor Dr ‘Ōkusitino Māhina
Vava‘u Academy for Critical Inquiry & Applied Research (VACIA) &
Auckland University of Technology (AUT)