The Hawatian Language | HE original Hawaiian alphabet, adopted by the first missionaries, about 1820-1822, contained but twelve letters, five of which were vowels and seven consonants, viz: a, e, i, 0, u, h, k, 1, m,n, pandw. The number of distinct sounds is about sixteen. No distinction was formerly made be- The accent of about five-sixths of the words in the language is on the penult. A few of the proper names are accented on the final syllable as Paki, Kiwalao, and Namakeha. Albert Pierce Taylor, Librarian, Archives of Hawaii, Honolulu. en a Pronunciation of Hawaiian Words those of | and r. In poetry, however, the sound of t was preferred to that of k. The letter w generally sounds like v between the penult and the final syllable of a word. ‘There are three simple rules which practically control Hawaiian pronunciation: A is sounded as in father; e as in they; i as in marine; o as in note; u as in rule, or as oo in moon. allow a consonant to close a syllable. Give the vowels the following values: Ai when sounded as a diphthong resembles the English ay, and au, the English ou in loud. Besides the common sounds mentioned above, there is in many words a guttural break between two vowels, which is represented by an apostrophe in a few common words, to distinguish their meaning, as Kina’u. Every word and every syllable must end in a vowel, and no two consonants occur without a vowel sound between them. There are words with a triple vowel formation within, such as Kaaawa, which is the name of a village on the windward side of the island of Oahu, along the Kamehameha Highway, seen by all tourists who motor around the island. Each a is sounded -separately—Ka-a-a-wa (Kah-a-a-vah). Pronounce each vowel. (2) Never (3) ~a—a in father e—ey in they i—i in mdchine o—o in note u—oo in toot.’’ lulu. Generally used in place oe Gidea aMebee extinct volcano. of the Sun; Hale-mau-mau—Fern Kilauea Volcano. Hale-pule—Church. house; Hana—Work; tween the sounds of k and t, or between (1) Ewa—Toward Ewa Plantation from Hono- west.’ Maui’s firepit of effort. Ha-o-le—White man, foreigner. Hapa-haole—Half-white. Ha-pai—To carry or lift. He-i-au—Old native temple. Hele aku—Go. Hele mai—Come. Hiamoe—Sleep. Holo-ku—Old Hawaiian ‘‘Mother Hubbard’’ type dress. Ho-o-mali-mali—To attempt to secure one’s favor by flattery. Hu-hu—To be angry. Huki—Pull. Hula—Native Hawaiian dance. —Padraic Colum. Ka-huna—Native man. witch doctor, medicine Kai—Sea. List of Everyday Hawaiian Words Kaikamahine—A daughter: female descendant, girl. Kathi nee edge; Honolulu suburb. Ae—yes. A-o-l Aka-mai—Smart, clever. Ala—Path, way, road; Alanui (great road). Ka-ne—Man; A-lo-ha—Love, affection, regard, good wishes, Good Morning and. Good- bye. Kapa-kahi—Crooked. Ka-pu—Keep out; tabu. Ka-ma-ai-na—Old resident; native. Kanaka—People in general; the community. husband.