knowledge of the language and how to communicate with the
Natives. Not only did I get a background of the Hawaiian
language, but I also learned to speak and spell it as well.
Unfortunately, there are only around 2,000 native speakers
left on the chain of islands. It is important for this
language to not fade away and disappear for there is much to
be learned of the past traditions. Emerging schools have
been set up to keep the language alive for future
generations. These schools consist of about 2,000 students
and as time progresses there is hope that more will dedicate
their time to learning such a significant language.
To ease our way into the lecture today, our professor Kawehi
Lucas had us repeat the eight islands of Hawaii in the
Hawaiian language. It was cool to see that even Natives who
live in this state pronounce island names wrong.
The Hawaiian alphabet consists of 13 letters arranging from five vowels (a,e,i,o,u) and eight consonants (p,k,h,m,l,n,w,'). From these 13 syllables, an entire language is established. A few of the basic rules are: Hawaiian words must end in vowels, there are no consonant clusters, and all vowels are pronounced.
After today's lecture, if I had to choose a language to learn and speak, the Hawaiian language would be at the top of my list. It is an exciting language to understand and others to try learn it as well.
1 comment:
Wow...you sound like you have some special abilities when it comes to learning a language. If you like learning about language, sometimes at the University of Hartford an Introduction to Linguistics course is offered through the consortium. Consider taking it.
All the best,
Dr. Horwitz
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