Basic Hawaiian Language Lessons
Nâ Ha`awina o Ka `Ike Kumu o Ka `Ôlelo Hawai`i 

~ Aunty D:  http://hawaiianlanguage.com  ||  http://oocities.com/dhc2020/
Basic Hawaiian Language Workshop at the The Southern California `Ukulele Festival 

There is only a limited amount of knowledge that one can impart at a workshop. The following lessons are presented with extended learning aids, including links to enhance and further your Hawaiian language learning experience:

I.  Greetings :: Nâ Aloha:

To further your learning:
  More Hawaiian greetings - The Meaning of Aloha - The Aloha Spirit
  More Hawaiian greetings and sentiments

II.  A Brief History ::  He Mo`olelo Pôkole

Origins: ? - Marquesas / Tahiti ---> Hawai`i. Post contact: Hawaiian population was decimated from 1,000,000 to 40,000. Missionaries from New England converted Hawaiian into a written language. Hawaiians soon became the most literate in the world; at one time, up to 90% of the Hawaiian population read and wrote their once oral-only language.  

Over time, English usage dominated and the Hawaiian language receded;  25 years ago, the number of native Hawaiian speakers was down to ~2000. Like the nênê, the endangered Hawaiian goose, the Hawaiian language was on the brink of extinction. Pidgin (a.k.a. Hawai`i Creole English), an amalgam of Hawaiian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese words, among others, has helped to preserve its words, as well as its grammatical and intonation patterns. In the 1980's, the Hawaiian language (a.k.a. ka `ôlelo Hawai`i) was revived with the Hawaiian Renaissance. 

Today, there are more than 10,000 speakers and the number is growing. Hawaiian and English are now the two official languages of Hawai`i. 

`O Ka `Ōlelo Ke Ka`ā; O Ka Mauli"
"Language is the fiber that binds us to our cultural identity"

We honor our kûpuna by heeding them: "If you kill the language, you kill the culture."   Keep the culture alive by learning Hawaiian.  It is never too late.

E ola mau ka `ôlelo Hawai`i!  
[eh-(y)oh lah mau kah OH leh loh hah vai ee!" 
May the Hawaiian language live on! 

To enhance your learning:
  Why Learn Hawaiian? 20 Pono Reasons
  He Kono - An Invitation to Give Back to Hawai`i, Hawaiian Culture, and Aloha

III.  Hawaiian Words of Wisdom ::  Ka `Ôlelo No`eau:  On learning

Thus one learns.

To further your learning:
  Nâ `Ôlelo No`eau:  Hawaiian Words of Wisdom / Proverbs
  Hawaiian Proverbs and Wise Sayings for Seniors

IV.  Hawaiian Alphabet :: Ka Pî`âpâ Hawai`i: 

The Hawaiian alphabet uses 12 Roman letters ( a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w), five (5) Roman letters (a, e, i, o, u) with a diacritical mark called a kahakô, and a diacritical mark called `okina.

Number of letters in the Hawaiian alphabet:  10 vowels +  8 consonants = 18 letters.  Here's the breakdown:

10 Hawaiian Vowels:      5 vowels:      a  e  i  o  u        [pronounced: ah eh ee oh oo]  5 vowels with kahakô:       â  ê  î  ô  û        [pronounced with elongated sounds: AH EH  EE OH OO] What's a kahakô?  (kaha = mark) +  ( kô = elongate). It is a diacritical mark that is a horizontal line over a vowel to signify elongation of its sound.  Instead of one beat of sound, give it two.   In English, this mark is called the macron. Because â  ê  î  ô  û  are recognized as vowels in addition to a  e  i  o  u, there are ten (10) vowels in the Hawaiian language.

 

8 Hawaiian Consonants:         h,  k,  l,  m,  n,  p,  w,  `       [pronounced: heh, peh, keh, lah, moo, noo, peh, veh, `oh kee nah] What's an `okina?  (`oki = cut) +  na (a suffix that makes a word a noun). It is a diacritical mark that looks like " a tiny  "6" with the hole filled in." Known in English as a "glottal stop," it signifies a break in the breath, as in "oh-oh."  Because `okina is recognized as a consonant, in and of its self, there are eight (8) consonants in the Hawaiian language.

Thus, there are 18 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet, and NOT the frequently erroneously reported 12 letters.  

Here is a graphic that depicts the exact representations of the kahakô and the `okina:

Graphic, courtesy of The Royal Hawaiian Band

Unfortunately, to date, the Internet does not support the faithful rendering of these diacritical marks, although efforts to rectify this situation are underway. The closest renderings of the diacritical marks necessary for the proper pronunciation, spelling, and comprehension of Hawaiian words employ the caret (^)  to represent the kahakô and the backward quote mark (`) to represent the `okina, as used on this page. 

Diacritical marks are important to pronunciation. Use them where they are required. You CAN make them on your word-processor.  Here's how.

To further your learning:
  Ka Pî`âpâ Hawai`i ::  The Hawaiian Alphabet
  Why is Hawaii spelled Hawai`i?
  A List of Common Mispronunciations of Hawaiian Words
  Common Mispronunciations of Hawaiian Place Names 

V.  Colors & Numbers :: Nâ Waiho`olu`u & Nâ Huahelu:

Further your learning:
  Colors :: Nâ Waiho`olu`u
  More on Colors

Learn to count in Hawaiian: 0 =`ole, 1= ho`okahi, 2 = `elua, 3 = `ekolu, 4 = `ehâ, 5 = `elima, 6 = `eono, 7 = `ehiku, 8 = `ewalu, 9 = `eiwa, 10 = `umi Phonetic pronunciation: [oh' leh, hoh oh kah' hee, eh loo-(w)ah, eh koh' loo, eh HAH', eh lee' mah, eh-(w)oh noh, eh hee' koo, eh vah loo, ei' vah, oo' mee]

Further your learning:
  Numbers :: Nâ Huahelu
  More on Numbers

VI.  Pronunciation :: Ka Hopuna: 

Uncorrected, gross mispronunciations go mainstream and become virtually impossible to correct.  Check out these gross mispronunciations of common Japanese words by English speakers:

Words:                         karaoke                ||  sake           ||   karate 
Mispronunciations:        "carry oh' key"       ||  "sack' kee"  ||  "kah rah' tee" 
Actual pronunciation:     [ kah rah' oh keh]   ||  [sah keh]    ||  [kah rah teh']   

Learn to pronounce the words correctly.  Hawaiian is too beautiful for it to be trashed with mispronunciations which distort and obscure the intended meanings.

Rules of Thumb:

• All letters are sounded.  There are NO silent letters in Hawaiian.

• Vowels are sounded separately EXCEPT when two vowels are next to each other and the sound is then blended as diphthongs.  

• Stress the "next-to-the-last" sound. Sounds with kahakô and diphthongs are stressed.

"The Nuts and Bolts" of Pronunciating Hawaiian Words:

Diphthong [dip' thong] = a blended sound from two vowels in a row, as in "ou" in house or "oi" in noise.  In Hawaiian the two vowels are not so tightly joined as in English and BOTH must be "completely executed." The first vowel of the blended pair is stressed more. 

W-Sounds:

• "W" sounds like "V" or "W" when it starts a word or follows "a".  
  Examples: Welina! [weh lee' nah] or [veh lee' nah] = Greeting;  
  Hawai`i  [hah wai' ee] or [hah vai' ee]

• "W" sounds like "V" when it follows "e" or "i. ".   Mnemonic:"Vei"
  Examples: iwi [ee' vee] = bone;  `Ewa [eh' vah]

• "W" sounds like "W" when it follows "o" or "u."  Mnemonic: "Wou"
  Examples:  wôwô [WOH WOH] = roar; kûwili [KOO wee' lee] = spin

Y-Glides and W-Glides:
These glide sounds are automatically produced with certain vowel combinations. Hawaiian is not spoken in staccato fashion. When two vowels are next to each other (in the same word and with adjacent words), smooth out the sounds with these glides.  

  Practice saying the eight major Hawaiian islands correctly: 

      Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lâna`i, Kaho`olawe, Maui, Hawai`i.  

      Pronounced: [nee ee hau'], [kau-(w)ah' ee], oh ah' hoo], [moh loh kah' ee], [LAH' nah ee], 
      [kah hoh oh lah' veh], [mau'-(w)ee], [hah vai' ee] or [hah wai' ee].  

    Honolulu is pronounced [hoh noh loo' loo].

  Practice singing this beloved Hawaiian song: HAWAI`I ALOHA.  

• Listen: The Kawaiahao Church Choir

VII:  Simple Sentences ::  Adjective + Noun/Pronoun Pattern

As with the Spanish language, the adjective (word that describes) come before the noun (the subject).  But first, here are some words to help you begin to speak in a sentence.

 Using the sentence pattern of adjective + noun/pronoun:

VII:  Commonly used Hawaiian words and expressions:

Further your learning:
  The Hawaiian Language Web Site - Speak Hawaiian Like a Local ;-)
Links to Hawaiian Language Classes
Kamehameha Schools: Distance Learning: Kulâiwi Streaming Videos
University-level Online Hawaiian Language Classes  - University of Hawai`i at Hilo:  HAW 101 Online