Ko e Liliu mo e Lea (Change and Language) ^Featured

‘Oku liliu ta‘engata ‘ae fuo moe uho ‘oe me‘a kotoa he ‘iai, ‘o hange koe liliu ta‘engata ‘ae fuo moe uho ‘oe lea. ‘Oku fepikipiki fakataha ma‘u ‘ae ‘ilo, fonua, moe lea, ‘o hange koe me‘a kotoa he ‘iai. ‘Oku fa‘oaki, fakafonuaki, ‘ae ‘ilo he fonua mo talaki, fetu‘utaki, he lea, koe ongo me‘angaue fa‘u ‘ehe tangata.

 ‘Oku kau heni ‘ae ‘ilo ‘oe mahaki faka‘auha penitemic koe ‘fuluu’ ‘oe 1918 moe ‘koveti’ ‘oe 2019 ‘oku ‘iloa faka‘Ingilisi koe ‘influenza’ moe ‘coronavirus’ kae fakanounou koe flud-1918 moe covid-2019 ‘oku liliulea fakaTonga koe ‘fluu’ moe ‘koveti’ ‘oku ‘asi ai ‘ae liliu ta‘engata ‘ae lea ‘Ingilisi moe lea Tonga.

 Na‘e toe ‘asi ‘eni hono liliu malie mo fakaoli ‘ehe punake kakato ‘iloa ko Semisi ‘Iongi ‘ae ongo lea ‘Ingilisi koe ‘syllabus’ moe ‘curriculum’ koe ‘silapusi’ moe ‘kulikalamu,’ ‘aia ‘oku toe liliu koe ‘silapa.’ ‘Oku toe liliu fakaTonga ‘ae lea ‘Ingilisi koe ‘syllable’ koe ‘silapa,’ ‘o ngaue‘aki koe ‘silapa’ he lea ‘oe hiva.

 ‘Oku toe ‘asi ‘eni he mafola ‘ae kakai Moana ‘i moana ‘o hange koe lea ‘eiki, ‘aliki, ‘ali‘i, ariki, moe ari‘i, moe honua, hanua, vanua, fonua, fanua, fenua, enua, moe whenua, pea pehē kihe ngaahi lea Tonga ‘o hange koe motu, mutu, putu, potu, poko moe popo, moe vaka, vakavaka, kava, moe kavakava, moe so, soso, moe osooso.

 ‘Oku malie lahi ‘ae motu‘a, fua, lea koe ‘motu’ ‘oku ‘uhinga hono hanga ‘ehe tahi, vai, ‘o fakahoko moe fakamavae pe fakafelavai ‘ae fonua, ‘o hange koe ‘Otumotu Lalo (‘Otumotu Tonga, ‘Southern Islands’) ‘i Vava‘u) ‘o kau ‘a Hunga, Kapa (‘Otea mo Falevai), Taunga,, ‘Euakafa, Vaka‘eitu mo fe fua.

 ‘Oku ‘ikai mapule ‘ae liliu he ‘iai ‘o hange koe lea, ‘aia ‘oku toe ‘iloa koe tala, ‘o toe ‘uhinga koe hala, ‘aia ‘oku na fakatou ‘uhinga koe ma‘unga ‘ilo (moe poto), ‘o hoko ‘ae fonua moe lea koe vaka (tala, hala), ‘medium,’ ‘vessel,’ pe ‘vehicle,’ ‘aia ‘oku fa‘oaki, fakafonuaki, mo talaki, fetu‘utaki, ai ‘ae ‘ilo ‘oe ‘iai.

 Neongo ai ‘ae pipiki fakataha ‘ae 3 ni kotoa – ‘ae ‘ilo, fonua, moe tala – ‘oku ma’uhinga taha pe he 3 ni ‘ae ‘’ILO – ‘o ma‘uhinga pe ‘ae FONUA moe TALA koe ‘ME‘ANGAUE’ ‘oku ‘tala,’ ‘hala,’ mo ‘vaka’ ai ‘ae ‘ILO ‘oe ‘IAI – ‘o ‘uhinga leva ‘ae fonua fakaTonga moe tala fakaTonga koe ILO fakaTonga!

 Nongo ai ‘ae liliu ta‘engata ‘ae ‘ilo, fonua moe tala, ‘oku ma‘uhinga fau ke mahino ‘ae liliu ‘oe motu‘a, fua, lea koe motu kihe lea fo‘ou koe mutu, putu, potu, poko, moe poko, pea moe motu‘a, fua, lea koe vaka kihe lea fo‘ou koe vakavaka, kava, moe kavakava, moe motu‘a, fua, lea koe so kihe lea fo‘ou koe soso moe osooso moe ha fua.

Hufanga He Ako Moe Lotu, Dr ‘Okusitino Mahina
Professor of Tongan Philosophy, Anthropology, and Art
Vava‘u Academy for Critical Inquiry and Applied Research, Vava‘u Lahi, Kingdom of Tonga &
Va Moana: Space and Relationality in Pacific Thought and Identity, Marsden Inquiry and Research Cluster, AUT University, Auckland, Aoteroa NZ