While these symbols appear to have minor effects on the way a word is spoken, not including them can not only change the way the word sounds, but also it’s meaning. You have a much better chance of pronouncing Waikīkī correctly if you hold the i sounds which are stressed, longer. The stress mark is helpful in correctly pronouncing the Hawaiian language. While the basic sound of the vowel is the same, the Kahak ō tells you to hold the sound slightly longer. In the Hawaiian language, the Kahak ō is a stress mark or “macron” that appears only over vowels. An ‘Okina will never be the last letter in a word, will appear in front of a vowel but never before a consonant. In the Hawaiian language, the ‘Okina is an official consonant. This subtle sound comes from the vocal chords and the best reference to the sound in English is the sound made between the first oh and the second oh when you say “oh-oh”. It is hard to describe the sound as it is not made with the tongue or lips. The glottal stop is a brief break in a word and features a sound that really isn’t a consonant in English. The ‘Okina looks similar to an apostrophe and is known as a glottal stop. ‘ – ‘Okina – a glottal stop which will be covered shortly at the start of a word or after a, pronounced like w or v The written language they developed featured 8 consonants, 5 vowels and several special symbols. In 1820, western missionaries began to develop and standardize a written version of the language. When Captain Cook first arrived in the Hawaiian islands in 1778, he discovered that the Hawaiians had no written version of their language. In order to speak Hawaiian, it is helpful to understand the alphabet first. You will certainly pick some of it up while you are in Hawaii. While charming and a lot of fun, Pidgin is not an official language and thus will not be covered going forward. There is a 3 rd offshoot language which is widely spoken in Hawaii commonly referred to as Pidgin. Hawaii is the only state in America to have two official languages – English and Hawaiian. This would make the Hawaiian language approximately ten centuries old.
These settlers were the original Hawaiians and their language over time, grew into the Hawaiian language we know today. Generally speaking, it appears that foreign immigrants (perhaps Marquesans or Tahitians) colonized the archipelago around AD 1000.
There are many theories on how exactly the Hawaiian language came to be. It is closely related to other Polynesian languages which are spread over a large, triangular area of the Pacific Ocean with Hawaii at the northern most point, New Zealand (where Maori is spoken) to the southwest and Easter Island (where Rapa Nui is spoken) marking the southeastern point. Hawaiian is a very old language which belongs to the Polynesian language family. One way to better experience this rich culture, and to keep the “Aloha Spirit” alive, is by learning some of the language. At the airport, someone will say Aloha (hello) to you, then, you will hop on a wikiwiki (quick) bus to get to the main terminal where you may purchase a lei (flower garland).
While the Hawaiian language is no longer widely spoken, you will immediately be surrounded by it. You find an inviting and rich culture much different than the one you may experience on the mainland. Once you arrive in Hawaii, you find out that it is much more. Hawaii is well known for it’s splendid climate, great beaches and beautiful scenery.