A Preliminary Study on the Vowel Length Contrast in te reo Māori

Abstract

Te reo Maori (the M ¯ aori language of New Zealand) has a long- ¯ short vowel contrast. Previous studies have shown some of the long vowels have been shortened, resulting in a reduction in durational distinction between short and long vowels. Present-day elders’ vowel duration was compared with younger speakers, and we found that younger speakers have shortened their short vowels, resulting in an increased vowel distinction for certain vowels. An identification perception test was carried out to examine the categorical boundary of the long-short vowel contrast for Maori learners and advanced listeners, where the advanced ¯ listeners responded more ambiguously, suggesting they may be using cues beyond duration