Talk:Tīrau

Image needs replacement

Hello all...

An image used in the article, specifically Image:1852517-Tiraus main road-Tirau.jpg, has a little bit of a licensing issue. The image was uploaded back when the rules around image uploading were less restrictive. It is presumed that the uploaded was willing to license the picture under the GFDL license but was not clear in that regard. As such, the image, while not at risk of deletion, is likely not clearly licensed to allow for free use in any future use of this article. If anyone has an image that can replace this, or can go take one and upload it, it would be best.

You have your mission, take your camera and start clicking.--Jordan 1972 (talk) 00:12, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

"Commonly used"

The recent addition of the statement that Tīrau is "commonly used in English spelling" this and this as references would seem at the very least to be disruptive. Neither citation uses Tīrau or mention that Tīrau is used at all, let alone commonly. Unless there is a proper reference supporting this statement it has no place in this article. DerbyCountyinNZ ^{(Talk Contribs)} 05:16, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

[1] "the original Maori language spelling of this Maori language placename"? Seriously??? DerbyCountyinNZ ^{(Talk Contribs)} 10:14, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

Ah yes that was perhaps poorly worded! The point is that using a macron enables the word to be represented accurately in a written form so that people saying the word can pronounce it correctly i.e. the way that it is said in the Maori language. With and without a macron makes a difference to the way the word is pronounced. Of course I recognise that the original language was oral only. MurielMary (talk) 10:35, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

One should be careful using words like "correctly" when describing English (remember, we're talking about the English-language Wikipedia here), as English usage is generally descriptive, rather than prescriptive. Quite often, a word's common pronunciation (and/or spelling) in English is different from that of its language of origin. In this case, though, it seems like a moot point, as I've never heard "Tirau" pronounced any way other than with emphasis on the first syllable. People usually have an issue with how the second syllable often gets pronounced :-) Ross Finlayson (talk) 14:13, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

@DerbyCountyinNZ: Did you not look closely at this and this? Indeed both of them mention (tho not exclusively) the spelling with a macron, contrary to your assertion "neither citation uses Tīrau". Tayste (edits) 12:38, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

Nope, missed the macrons. D'oh. DerbyCountyinNZ ^{(Talk Contribs)} 22:44, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

Ross, as you can see, I clearly paraphrased "correct pronunciation" as "the way that it is said in the Maori language". This placename is a Maori language placename so it should be pronounced by everyone in the way it is pronounced in Maori. Non-Maori speakers who do not pronounce it in the way Maori do are indeed pronouncing it incorrectly. MurielMary (talk) 22:32, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

"Non-Maori speakers who do not pronounce it in the way Maori do are indeed pronouncing it incorrectly." Wow, that's being awfully prescriptive. As I noted above - that's an approach that doesn't tend to work well with a language like English; people with that attitude are going to frequently find themselves disappointed. I guess we just disagree here.

(As an aside, I find it amusing that people who are sticklers about Maori-origin words being pronounced "correctly" in English are often the same kind of people who are very permissive about how people should conduct their lives otherwise. Strange :-) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rsfinlayson (talk • contribs) 23:05, 14 July 2018 (UTC)