Firstly, I’m not talking about macaroons. Or macarons for that matter.

I’m talking about macrons. The flat “hats” that you see about vowels from time to time.

ā, ē, ī, ō and ū.

They also show up as capitals.

Ā, Ē, Ī, Ō and Ū.

For a language with only fifteen different letters, having being able to double the number of vowels makes a big difference.

Here’s a good guide on how to literally use them

And if you’re new to this, here’s a webpage with audio samples for you to compare the normal vowels with the macron-used versions.

Ngā mihi nui.

Te Reo Project | Day 86

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

I believe that place matters.

Our connection to whatever little corner of the planet we find ourselves in, or choose to place ourselves on, matters.

I'm relentlessly curious and continually learning.

My interests are scattered across topics including property, strategy, acoustics, psychology, theology, systems theory, quantum physics and leadership. I read, listen, watch, and learn about whatever grabs my attention in the moment.

This is a learning experiment.

I come here to try to make sense of something I’ve come across, by writing about it.

I’m immersing myself in a new language.

I’m learning to speak Te Reo Māori, the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand and one of our official languages. After spending 2020 studying, I’m figuring out how to keep the journey going outside the classroom.

You’re welcome to follow along.