March 07, 2024
Pronunciation guide in league of its own
A Māori app designer living in Australia has developed a guide to help NRL commentating teams with the pronunciation of reo Māori and Pasifika names.
Stephen Gallagher, from Ngāti Porou, spelled out the names of all 510 players in the National Rugby League phonetically and added audio clips of him saying the names.
He says the NRL Pronunciation Guide was made for commentators and fans alike who are interested in getting their pronunciation correct, out of respect for the players.
“Because we’re putting more of an emphasis on getting it right, when you hear it said wrong, a lot of people go, ‘oh is that right? I’m not too sure if that’s right, how do I say that?’ So, there are a lot more questions being asked now than 10 to 15 years ago where it’s like ‘well this was how I think it’s said so this is how I’m going to say it,'” Mr Gallagher says.
Stephen Gallagher says the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with Fox Sports and radio stations across Australia asking for the guide.