Week 7 2/20
Introduction
The Hawaiian language belongs to a larger family of languages called Austronesian. The Austronesian family of languages includes all languages (and people) of the Pacific with only two exceptions - Australia and Papua. It extends from Rapa Nui, across the Pacific, through Indonesia and as far as Madagascar.
The Hawaiian language is most closely related to Marquesan and Tahitian. The language also has many regional variations within the Hawaiian Islands. The written Hawaiian language was created in the 19th century when the Hawaiian people embraced literacy. By the mid 19th century there were several Hawaiian newspapers that are important sources of information today. These newspapers were a means to preserve Hawaiian literature and traditions and many Hawaiian traditions published today were collected from the serials printed in these newspapers.
In 1896, three years after the dethroning of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the language was banned in the school system and the number of Hawaiian speakers declined rapidly. In the late 20th century, language was an instrumental part of the Hawaiian renaissance and the number of speakers, and publications grew. In this unit we will learn the current standardized Hawaiian alphabet, basic pronunciation, vocabulary and phrases. We will also discuss the revival of the Hawaiian language today.
Throughout the 19th century, Hawaiian was the national language of the Kingdom. All business, government and education was conducted in the Hawaiian language. However, towards the end of the 19th century English established a foothold as a language of government and high-office. The banning of Hawaiian as a language of instruction in the school system is cited as the beginning of the decline of Hawaiian language.
Although the Hawaiian language came close to extinction by the mid-20th century, the Hawaiian renaissance of the 1970s and 80s revived interest among Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. As a part of this renaissance, the Hawaiian language was once again recognized as an official language of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian language immersion schools, which mirrored the Maori language immersion schools in Aotearoa called Kohanga Reo, were established.
The Hawaiian language belongs to a larger family of languages called Austronesian. The Austronesian family of languages includes all languages (and people) of the Pacific with only two exceptions - Australia and Papua. It extends from Rapa Nui, across the Pacific, through Indonesia and as far as Madagascar.
The Hawaiian language is most closely related to Marquesan and Tahitian. The language also has many regional variations within the Hawaiian Islands. The written Hawaiian language was created in the 19th century when the Hawaiian people embraced literacy. By the mid 19th century there were several Hawaiian newspapers that are important sources of information today. These newspapers were a means to preserve Hawaiian literature and traditions and many Hawaiian traditions published today were collected from the serials printed in these newspapers.
In 1896, three years after the dethroning of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the language was banned in the school system and the number of Hawaiian speakers declined rapidly. In the late 20th century, language was an instrumental part of the Hawaiian renaissance and the number of speakers, and publications grew. In this unit we will learn the current standardized Hawaiian alphabet, basic pronunciation, vocabulary and phrases. We will also discuss the revival of the Hawaiian language today.
Throughout the 19th century, Hawaiian was the national language of the Kingdom. All business, government and education was conducted in the Hawaiian language. However, towards the end of the 19th century English established a foothold as a language of government and high-office. The banning of Hawaiian as a language of instruction in the school system is cited as the beginning of the decline of Hawaiian language.
Although the Hawaiian language came close to extinction by the mid-20th century, the Hawaiian renaissance of the 1970s and 80s revived interest among Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. As a part of this renaissance, the Hawaiian language was once again recognized as an official language of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian language immersion schools, which mirrored the Maori language immersion schools in Aotearoa called Kohanga Reo, were established.
Ka Leo ʻŌiwi
Your introduction to the Hawaiian language, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, will be viewed through an episode of the language instruction show, Ka Leo ʻŌiwi and and the essay, "Native Hawaiian Culture" found in the HWST 107 Textbook. This first episode of Ka Leo ʻŌiwi includes an introduction to the Pīʻāpā Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian alphabet); ʻOkina and Kahakō; Ka and Ke; and Kāhulu (descriptive words). You can also practice what you learned by discovering the meanings behind some of Oʻahu’s most well-known street names. The show's first musical guest, Kama Hopkins, also stops by for a few mele. View the episode and download a support worksheet here. |
PBS: Language Matters
There are over 6,000 languages in the world. We lose one every two weeks. Hundreds will be lost within the next generation. By the end of this century, half of the world’s languages will have vanished. Language Matters with Bob Holman is a two hour documentary that asks: What do we lose when a language dies? What does it take to save a language? Language Matters includes interviews with songmen, linguists and poets, and features original music and songs in Welsh, Hawaiian and Aboriginal languages. With languages all over the world in danger of extinction, linguist David Crystal summarizes: Each language is a vision of the world. And every language that is lost is a loss of a fragment of that vision. When we lose a language, we lose part of ourselves. Watch the video at the link here. |
Activities
1. Read Larry Kimura's "Native Hawaiian Culture" pgs. 96-110 found in the Hawaiians Studies 107 textbook.
2. View the Ka Leo ʻŌiwi and PBS videos found at the links above.
3. Complete the activities posted in the week 7 folder in the Discussions tool.
4. Complete the reading quiz located in the tests and quizzes tool titled, Unit2-RQ_NativeHWNCulture
Due Dates
1. Read Larry Kimura's "Native Hawaiian Culture" pgs. 96-110 found in the Hawaiians Studies 107 textbook.
2. View the Ka Leo ʻŌiwi and PBS videos found at the links above.
3. Complete the activities posted in the week 7 folder in the Discussions tool.
4. Complete the reading quiz located in the tests and quizzes tool titled, Unit2-RQ_NativeHWNCulture
Due Dates
- Read the discussion directions in the discussions tool for Week 7 due dates.
- Answers to the Unit2-RQ_NativeHWNCulture quiz are due by Sunday, February 26 at 11:55 pm.