Along with sections on Sense (the state or the Big Island?) and Pronunciation (only people actually living there can get away with using a v), there is one called “Spelled Hawai’i” that features the Hawaiian diacritic called the okina (discussed here). – So “Pā” is said just like it is spelled, and “ia” is said like “e-ah.I was flipping through Garner’s Modern American Usage when my eye caught on the surprisingly long entry on Hawaii. – Next, the macron over ā tells us this is a long a. It tells us this is two sounds stuck together. Let’s break it down, because if you can do this one, you’re well on your way to doing the rest: Here are some loose guidelines:įake it ’till you make it: When in doubt, you can split it down the middle and use a softer “w” sound somewhere between the two.Īn often mispronounced town name that is a great example because it shows all the above rules (except W) is Pā’ia. This is the only tricky rule that requires experience to get it right. If that’s too easy, here’s a nuance: p and k typically have a softer sound with less aspiration. All consonents, (with some W exceptions below) are as in English. (The macron is also very frequently omitted.)
Note: A macron ( ¯ ) over a vowel extends the sound.
U makes an “oo” sound like the oo in “moo” O makes a short “oh” sound like the o in “pole” I makes an “e” sound like the e in “easy” Vowels are pronounced the same way every time.Ī makes a short “ah” sound like the a in “above”Į makes an “eh” sound like the e in “let” Make a note when you see a word that contains one, it will help you later when you see it again without. Note: the ‘okina can be, and often is, omitted. Example: A’a, a type of lava, is said “Ah-Ah.” The stop also breaks the words up for you. The glottol stop ( ‘ ) is your friend.Ĭalled the ‘okina in Hawaiian, this is simply the symbol of a short sound break in the word. A great resource is the University Of Hawaii’s online dictionary.
0 kommentar(er)
