A Pocket Guide to the Hawaiian Language (Things Hawaiian)

by Albert J. Schütz, Edmund M. K. Enomoto

This concise mini book serves as a friendly introduction to the Hawaiian language, helping newcomers learn the native alphabet, proper pronunciation, and some commonly used words and phrases.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Language, Reference, History, Writing

60 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Ella Kasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a haole out here learning

[Monica Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully insightful, intriguing, and knowledgeable. Great introduction into Hawaiian culture and their language. Very easy to follow break down of the alphabet, vowels, and consonants.

[Aneesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We learned in Colonization of Hawaiʻi how important it is to learn to pronounce other languages.

I’m still struggling to grasp:
- An ʻokina at the beginning of a word
- How to pronounce diphthongs
- How to tell if you should pronounce vowels separately or as a diphthong
- Long vowels and stressed syllables (also had trouble with this in poetry class)

The author seems to be struggling to grasp:
- Colonialism

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've set a goal to read 50 books this year, so I cheated and started the shortest book I had on my to-read list. This is a nice and interesting guide to the Hawaiian language. Mahalo nui loa, Cindy Lum.

[Kristie J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small, handy beginner's guide to the Hawaiian language. I liked that there was a brief explanation about the history of the Hawaiian language in the beginning and the future of the language at the end. The author explains how to pronounce the various Hawaiian vowels and consonants and then presents many handy words to know. Of course this book was designed for beginners, but I felt there was a large gap in the book. The author presents a list of diphthongs (two vowels that are often seen together), but does not explain how to pronounce these diphthongs (e.g. I believe "au" should be pronounced "ow" but I'm not really sure because this is not covered in the book and this letter combination is frequently seen in Hawaiian words). Also, there is no pronunciation guidance for the lists of words that are presented, so it is up to the reader to sound them out just by knowing how to pronounce the individual letters. If more pronunciation guidance or phonetics were added to this book, it would make it a lot better.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in Kailua on Hawaii, and it was a great introduction to the culture and language around me. Even though there is very little of traditional culture (food, music, language) and nature in the tourist areas, I found the information in this little book enhanced my enjoyment of the big island, and increased my understanding when we took trips to see more natural and traditional sites. Mahalo for your kokua, Kumu Schutz!

[Raphael Varela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short and easy read, perfect to pick up and start learning. Has a lot of insight of Hawaiian history and language. Some pages are interactive, making the reader try and figure out what the words mean. Highly recommend and gives you a page for supplemental reading to learn more about the language or how to speak it.

[Jon Thysell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little introduction to Hawaiian with basic word lists, the inclusion of a vs o possesives was a nice standout that more Hawaiian language books would do better to emulate earlier in their curriculums.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pocket book—leaves me wanting to learn more

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read about language. About as entertaining as you'd expect reading a phrasebook to be. But language reflects culture, as does a foreigner writing about language, so worth the read.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has just enough information to grab the interest of linguists and laymen alike.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast easy guide to understanding the Hawaiian language.