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  • Hawaiian Language: This is a...

    Can someone explain the difference between the following two forms of saying "This is a..."

    'O keia he moa makuahine.

    ... and ...

    He moa makuahine keia.

    Is it improper to use the "He ... keia" form in this situation because of the word makuakine? Or are both versions valid, and if so, what would be the difference between them?

    Thanks,
    Nathan

  • #2
    Re: This is a...

    E Nathan e,

    I'm not a kumu as you may already know, but I'm pretty sure that "'o keia he ..." means "a ... is this," and "he ... keia" means "this is a ...". However, I'd like some input from Pua'i, Kahikina, Mokihana and others, ke 'olu'olu.

    Mahalo,
    Na 'Alika
    'Alika

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: This is a...

      This here is a female chicken.
      This is a female chicken we have here.

      They are both the same, which is how you should regard your two examples. When you move onto much heavier sentence patterns it will make a difference what goes where and how. What book are you using?

      pax

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: This is a...

        Thanks for the reply Pua'i Mana'o, I truly am appreciative of you helping me. These two threads were questions I've had for a while, so I don't expect to bombard the board every day with a new question.

        As far as learning, I'm using "Spoken Hawaiian" which although older, was recommended to me as a good source for someone learning the language on their own. I looked at several books, and it's the one that clicked with me. I plan on getting "Na Kai 'Ewalu" from UH Hilo as well.

        I'm also using "Ho'omalamalama" (which is where my question came from), the "Hawaiian Word Book" with CD, a book on Queen Liliʻuokalani, and a small Dictionary.

        Any thoughts, recommendations?

        There seem to be two products that come with CDs. "Instant Immersion Hawaiian" and "Learn Hawaiian at Home". Does anyone have any experience with these? Are either of them worth getting?

        Thanks again,
        Nathan

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: This is a...

          E Nathan e,

          "Instant Immersion Hawaiian" and "Learn Hawaiian at Home" are the same resources I use to learn 'olelo. I would recommend them highly! I forget, did I mention them to you online? Haha!

          Also, please be sure to pick up some Hawaiian music. Most of the traditional and contemporary Hawaiian CD's you'll find have the Hawaiian lyrics, English translations, and information about each of the songs in the liner notes. I especially recommend Keali'i Reichel and Bruddah Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, the one who did the vocal and 'ukulele version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in Fifty First Dates.

          Hope I've helped you out! Let's talk again soon.

          A hui hou,
          Na 'Alika
          'Alika

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Hawaiian Language: This is a...

            Hawaiian language.

            I don't understand it, and I'm too damn old to start trying to figure it out now; besides, I barely passed highschool spanish and I've already forgotten all of it.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Hawaiian Language: This is a...

              I learned over 15 years ago through the UH and NK'E was that book for the first year (from 2nd on, it was a total immersion method--translating old newspaper columns and learning new patterns as a result). I know there are online courses now that use it, and it would be my only recommendation, as to learn a language towards fluency one has to let go their root language's grammar rules. NK'E does that--no nouns, verbs, etc. For this same reason however, I would never recommend it for the self-learner. With no teacher, you cannot get it.

              go here: http://www.ahapunanaleo.org/eng/lear..._niu_faqs.html

              pax

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Hawaiian Language: This is a...

                ^^ Mahalo for that, Pua'i.
                I'm disgusted and repulsed, and I can't look away.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Hawaiian Language: This is a...

                  Originally posted by Pua'i Mana'o View Post
                  Already signed up for the January term

                  Thanks for the insight. I guess that's why I went with "Spoken Hawaiian" for now. There's no mention of any parts of speech. No mention of nouns, verbs, definite articles, etc. It seems to be revealing and building on sentence patterns.

                  I guess we all have our things that we get into and one of mine is learning what you can about a culture via its language. Hawaiian captured my interest very strongly very quickly. I don't know how sustainable it is considering I live in the Sonoran Desert. It'd be nice to actually have a shot at conversing.

                  Thanks again for your advice.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Hawaiian Language: This is a...

                    Originally posted by woodman View Post
                    Hawaiian language.

                    I don't understand it, and I'm too damn old to start trying to figure it out now; besides, I barely passed highschool spanish and I've already forgotten all of it.
                    'A'ole [pilikia! (No problem!) For some people, languages just aren't their forte, and there's nothing wrong with that. We all have our strengths and weaknesses which makes us all unique.
                    'Alika

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