Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Volume XXXIII, Number 52, 26 April 1939 — The Hawaiian Language [ARTICLE]

The Hawaiian Language

(M'um Uuwauan Tou.r£ax Anaual)

jusi 311 aiiy oiher part of tlie 1 su»u'&, i> tlit lauuuauo -i>oiani in tho Territory of H<>\vt'vcr, an imderstu!id-

Mihu' antl of llk iiawāiiaii i'«ngu;»ge is of inter-

esi. 'ilK.' liiiuuiKiii luiiguage a uiaieei or iho lViyuf»iau. lius ex-

l.jju.* Miiuiunu to otlier south . ti , i.iaial u>nsiies. At the tiiue the missioiiaries arri\e«l -iu IS2O Haw aiiaii was oral -ouly. They are the Who l'Ul tiie lauguage iuw wruiug. ii nutiuaUj a iuusical iiiuiuu«t;e 'wnn vowol values yredoiu.iu4ung āinl a uoaiili of cousouant M.nt)ds. , ; . . iui' iiiplial>et has just twelve lctiii*- ;;il ilu' vowels aud the fOlj,.vviuii- consoin.i-utsj: li, K i. n > P» Ui .1 u i-.\fry every syljai.it' *>iuls wnli a vmvel, aud two i-ullSOliaiitS «111 UOVtT oeeui- Wlthuui a vo\vei bet\vei'U Uioui. Some uoius iiave inpie \ j\vel loimatious auu «iui \ o\vt'i iuost be prououuced . as "Kaaawa.'' That is uuy u'e'nuigUagc is umsical. lt is jiUi,.ossil>ie to say some of tlie Ha\vuiian iunyue t\visters without al--uiguig liieui. S.oiue vvords ,-aa' ".iH'a are ati vowels. i īh' iauguajre is spoken just as u is s it . ued an«i ihe irieks of proiiLiin iai i«'ii aie lew. iiierefore tlie apiiaiemii uni>roiuueable uative w oi'vls and naiueii -uiaiij of thei» \ery luug —ī'all u'iyi>ingly froui the iougue wnli ,<>uii>arat»ve ease onee U ,u -ei li.e knaek. There is uever

u sileuL letlei* iu Huwaiiau words.

il«.n e are som« pronuociatiou tips. Wiih ihe vxwpiu'U o£ the letter v., ull ihe c-oiisuuaiiīs liave the same iiiiaii\y Uu'v have iu-Buglish. t sed as the hrst letter iu a word, as m.Waikiki, tUe ielier w is giveu ilie MHUid ot the Euylish w, as in • wu>, lu ihe iulddle of a word lt

Js usuaily .pro«tmneēd as a V. io? e-Kaiuiiie, ;is prouounced •'eva," la eunil>ouiu*ed woni: l . however, the w. i'etaii!S its Euglish "w" sound. Au exaiupie—kaalawai. The voweio have the same sOund quaiity that they have iu Latin. a—is "ah" as in father. e—is 'a"as in nite. i—is -e r ' as in feet. o—is • ou'' as in old. u -» "u" as in mute. These soiuetimes have a short s.ound. llowever, the differeuee betweeu the long vo\vel and short vowel souuds is sō slight that it necd i>ot be cousidered b.v the casual studeut of \vords a»d phrases. There are uo true diphtltongs iu tlie lauguage, luii f«uie eomhlnaVions, sucli a* ai, au, eau be proi,.«un<«-.! ;is stifh is some cases. Thns the combiuatiou "āi" often j'oruis tlie sound of "eye" like the u»uer "i" iu hjgh. Tiie awm in aluio§t every case 0!l tiie penult—the next to last «syllable. Souie proper names are iie«:eiiteii ou the fiual syllable.

•rher ( > oiit* souud iu Hawaiiuu whieh does not have an English e<iuivalent. Tbīs a gutteral break, whieh is indicated by an apostrolilie. as In the word ko'ū (mine). words ean be used as nouns. verl»s. a(l,lertives. or adverbs. The juii-t of spiHHh is determined by the looalīon of the word in tho senten< % e aml bv the purßdes used wlth lt. fl«āider is uniialiy diBtinguished I,v use of th«' aii3»M-tives kane (m&k) and wahine (female). nuraber n<" :i nf<un fs generally denoted h\ the (tctlnitc Rrti'*le» tluit iin* The um? of the deflnite urtīctes ke or ka Ind!cates n)njrul!tr nuniher. The deftnlte artlele na ii!tlicnte< the p!ural. The pred!ciitP usunlly preoeeds the stihJoet !u it sentence. H;:\v;iiiiitf r«Ki! \M>rds of two .syMn. hk»s ttr<> .«(ir»etitnes <lYip)l<\nted 1n i>tlier \\<>vd>- ov proper mnties Th!« trlveji enipha!Bls to the i»ri.ciii;tl liK'iiniua t«f tlu> nwii worrt. An t\:ii!!!'k Unleninuini'Mi (housf of ni!ii!y ferns). The ohl HnW!tlliins. ln iiddlt!on (ī 1 th«' of evervdnv ltfe hnd a siv!e npproprt!ite To ornlory. ;md ;in>itli«'r h- !ind po«»!r) SUil «not!ter, witli «■lithorutc flgnros of «pee.'h, w:is h-iihl in <v.ur! .'iroles The Haw.'illan hw£ti«£e lcis heen o*i»d i>> ev,ve«-» thr iou-i <>r of Kll|tl!sh Iww nn<l of theiMosy W. !> A!e*«Utler. p!illohn>tctt! »»mhorlty. t»nce i«nld. M the īluwnli <in ls one ot llie ni<>!»t Ooploi» *nd e\|iressi v«- >ll;i'er>s -.>f ih»' !*!>!) ne>l «n a». we!! or>e of Ihe rh!iest S„ nßltvi" frHd!th»ti.i! !H> <->r\ sh<! "l! i» n p!«-tf>Hitl i ( n<! exj«re»«t\e l*ttjgu«ge ĪT -.»Mt h.i<- fhe fn< i.!īties« iif <"W!dt»i»»'Hl 1t- w i>r>!- ;ire jd»* mres r»lher llum . ■ l »t>.»rh'«>< nnd :t!» «>f situl «r«« }>?Ht!4*nl of lhe imonnmlu, t!>"

au<l the surf. It was cou»pletely adapted to the touutry and the cirele ol' ideas iu whieh the people live."