Just my own personal rant. I've been noticing for about a couple of years now maybe, that Maoli is becoming Ma`oli. I dunno why it is turning that way.I guess it's like with Molokai to Moloka'i, or worse, Hawai'i to Ha(v)a'i. Yes, omitting one "i". But if I were to look at it more from a linguistic perspective, I guess I could compare with others such as la'ua vs. laua or ka'ua vs. kaua. In the case of KA'UA, that's how I was taught in the late 70s or actually early 80s. And then in the 90s I heard a kumu using kaua, w/o an 'okina and it isn't spelled with one either. But a few yrs. ago I read about the colloquial way of saying it, so I accepted that. Same as I did with other grammatical features of the language.But now that I think about it, I remember the word POINA pronounced distinctly, I mean the O from the I, not as a strong diphthong, yet w/o an 'okina inserted. Maybe the pronunciation of maoli being similar to that of the OI in poina made it that way? I dunno. I still find it annoying for me personally, but for all I know, maybe 10 yrs. from now someone will write about how that is now (then) the norm when before it wasn't. If that's the case, let's be careless with more words in the Hawaiian language.
I've asked my own classmates about MOLOKAI. 2 of them, Hawaiian, said it w/ the 'okina, but I KNOW for a fact in high schol they didn't pronounce it that way. lol I grew up w/ Molokai, and was taught that the 'okina was the more correct way, but hardly anyone said it. I'll have to verify w/ Aunty Kauwila, of whom taught us Hawaiian & is my cousins' grandma. Her family has been on Molokai for generations and in fact, the Bishop Museum have recordings of interviews on her parents.
But MA'OLI is the first I've actually seen it. It's one thing to see people write it but when I hear it, then that makes a diff.
Thanks Kalani,
I don't know my own language or rules, so sad. What do I teach my grand children? Molo...kai, as in four current chanels, or Moloka'i and loose the original translation? I hear you
on the Maoli, can you give me the origin of this word, it's translation, and meaning. Thanks for being sticky on details, I want to preserve first language as oppose to L2s.
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I've asked my own classmates about MOLOKAI. 2 of them, Hawaiian, said it w/ the 'okina, but I KNOW for a fact in high schol they didn't pronounce it that way. lol I grew up w/ Molokai, and was taught that the 'okina was the more correct way, but hardly anyone said it. I'll have to verify w/ Aunty Kauwila, of whom taught us Hawaiian & is my cousins' grandma. Her family has been on Molokai for generations and in fact, the Bishop Museum have recordings of interviews on her parents.
But MA'OLI is the first I've actually seen it. It's one thing to see people write it but when I hear it, then that makes a diff.
I don't know my own language or rules, so sad. What do I teach my grand children? Molo...kai, as in four current chanels, or Moloka'i and loose the original translation? I hear you
on the Maoli, can you give me the origin of this word, it's translation, and meaning. Thanks for being sticky on details, I want to preserve first language as oppose to L2s.