Ua Kuluma Ke Kanaka I Ke Aloha.It Is Natural For People To Behave In a Loving Way.– Hawaiian Proverb Aloha is one of the world’s most famous words, derived from an enchantingly beautiful language with only 13 characters. Most people on Earth have had at least a passing glimpse of Hawai’i thanks to the magic of movies, television, and music. But, in order to grasp the true meaning of the word aloha, let us try to slow down to the…
Hawaiian language belongs to the Polynesian language family. The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 13 letters: 5 vowels and 8 consonants. This Hawaiian Pronunciation Guide is a simplified overview for English speakers with recorded examples kindly provided by Hawaiian language specialist Kamalani Johnson. Our Use of Transcription Words in square brackets [ ] show the pronunciation of Hawaiian words. Such notation is called transcription in linguistics. For the purposes of this article, we use our own very simple transcription system,…
You smile as a Hawaiian girl puts a plumeria lei around your neck. It’s your first Hawaiian Luau and you’re excited. Wearing your new lei, you walk onto the wide lawn where a 100 people, mostly in flowery shirts, are sitting at tables waiting for the Kalua Pig and the big hula show. There’s the Polynesian Stage, with the wide, silver ocean behind it and the big red sun hanging above the water. You step into the bustling dinner grounds…