A Hawaiian Language Thread?

[matapule]

Ku'e kanawai o ka 'o-lelo ana i ke kelepona lawe lima oiai kalaiwa ana. He kanawai maika'i, pono maliu i ke kalaiwa ana o na mea kanaiwa.

Lopeti, kouia, ihe pongipongia okuma lea 'he kelepona. Okuou pehe teou fe'iloaki moe te ihe monite.

['i'iwipolena]

Yes, I would be.

I'll start with this. In Captain Cook's journal, he mentioned Kamehameha. But the words he used was something like Tama'a ma'a.

Which makes me wonder, which one is more correct?

We like to say Kamehameha is correct, but we can list other examples of how Missionaries or people during the plantation days chop up and translate the words pretty bad. Like last names Ah-Soon, Ah Sing, Ah Mok Sang. Maybe not good examples, but anyhow.

The word Ka and Ta sounds different. Most part of Polynesia uses the words T instead of K. So could some of the Hawaii words be "wrong?"

Any comments to add?

Captain Cook and his recorders were not fluent in Hawaiian. Moreover, at the time, there was no written language, so the alphabet inventories would differ from recorder to recorder. What you would have, then, were recorders who were unfamiliar with the language improvising their own systems. Voices of Eden by Dr. Schutz is an excellent resource if you are interested in learning about the development of the Hawaiian writing system.

Kamehameha is most likely correct. Captain Cook may have written the name as Tama maa, or something of that nature, but he also wrote the name of Hawaiʻi as Owyhee, and Kauaʻi as Atooi. Meaning, his recordings of Hawaiian names were not accurate. However, several of Kamehameha's successors who were supremely fluent in the language maintained that name. If we were to decide which is more correct, we would be better served by abiding by a more venerable selection.

All Polynesian languages have undergone sound changes. I will list below some general changes from Proto-Polynesian to Hawaiian.

F - H
H - Ø
K - ʻ
L - L
M- M
N - N
Ng - N
P - P
R - L
S - H
T - K
W - W
ʻ - Ø

Because sound changes are natural, this means that Hawaiian names and words are not incorrect, but rather the natural product of sound changes that occur in languages.

['i'iwipolena]

Would anybody be interested in trying a thread in the Hawaiian language? Or about the Hawaiian language? It could be anything at all, from asking questions about the language to writing on any topic in it. E oluolu, kou mana'o, which I hope means please, your opinion.

Aloha mai kaua, e Kalalau.

Mahalo ia oe no ka hoomaka ana i keia kukai kamailio ana ma ka olelo makuahine. Aohe paha e nui na mea e komo pu ana i ke kukai olelo. He mau kanaka olelo Hawaii helu wale ko keia kahua paa punaewele. He mau makahiki aku nei, ua wehe au i kahi lopi no ke kalailai ana i ka pilinaolelo o kauwahi mapuna olelo mai na moolelo a kaao paha o ka wa ma mua, aka, he elua wale no maua i kukakuka e pili ana i ia mea, oia hoi o maua o Puai Manao. O ka nui o na mea i waiho i ko lakou mau manao ma ia lopi, he poe olelo haole wale no e hoike ana i ko lakou kakoo i ka lawelawe ia ana o ke kukakuka e pili ana i ka olelo Hawaii, ma ka olelo Hawaii io no.


Pehea ka loihi o kau hoopaahaawina ana i ka olelo Hawaii? Kakaikahi ka ike ana i na haumana e kakau nei me ka okina a me ke kahako ole. He eono oʻu mau makahiki i ao ai i ka olelo. O ka heluhelu ana i na moolelo Hawaii like ole koʻu hana punahele, a me ke kamailio pu ana me na manaleo.

[Kalalau]

Mahalo no kau kakau hoihoi. No'eau nui kau 'o-lelo! Manaolana au maopopo ia kau kakau. Ua ho'opaa ha'awina au i na- ekolu puke "Na Kai Ewalu" a me "E Kamailio Hawai'i Kakou" mai ke ku-ai hale puke o ke Kulanui Hawai'i i Hilo. I "Facebook" he mau hoaloha a me hui i ka 'o-lelo. I Kea'au noho ka'u hoaloha o "Facebook", he kumu 'o-lelo Hawai'i oia. E kala mai ko'u kakau, 'a'ole a'u no'eau, aka- kulia au.

[Kalalau]

I nehinei ua hele maua i ke kia ho'omana'o la-hui i ka lae. Ua auinala nani, ua ike maua i ka hale ipu kukui, a ike i ho'okahi mokulu'u nukelea ha'alele o ke awa! I ka'u makahiki apau, 'a'ole i ike i ka ho'okele ana o ho'okahi mokulu'u nukelea, ikaika nui la-kou! Ua kakau au i ka'u blog 'Kaonamakekai' me kekahi mau ki'i o ka- maua la- ma laila.