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Hawaiian language

Hawaiian language

1 7.3
A language spoken by the native people of Hawaii
  • noun
  • /həˈwaɪ.i.ən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
translation icon : idioma hawaiano
  • We will spend the rest of our sabbath in the main cabin, where keoki will continue his instructions in the Hawaiian language.

Examples

  • In the Hawaiian language, the word 'aloha' means 'love' and is often used as a greeting.

  • These events include the 1978 Hawai'i State Constitutional Convention that laid the groundwork for the return of federal lands (such as the island of Kaho'olawe, which had been confiscated by the U.S. military for target practice), the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the instruction of Hawaiian language in public schools.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Next, they researched the best ways to teach the Native Hawaiian language to their children.

    Academic text (2004)
  • We are university-level secondary school teachers in the Hawaiian language from different islands.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In the Hawaiian language, puna can mean a spring (of water).

    Blog text (23)
  • The Hawaiian language does not have the noun "writer" in our 'lelo (speech, utterance).

    Fiction book (2002)
  • For example, the movement of Polynesian people from the Marquesas to the Hawaiian Islands approximately 1000 years ago led to the relative isolation of the Hawaiian population and the development of the Hawaiian language.

    Academic text (2013)
  • (n23) Kauanoe Kamana, a leader in Hawaiian language revitalization, said, "We are really aggressive, especially in the area of Hawaiian word development."

    Academic text (2004)
  • Many students are enrolling in courses to learn the Hawaiian language at local universities.

  • The Hawaiian language has a unique structure with only eight consonants and thirteen vowels.

Synonyms

Hawaiian
vsHawaiian language
3 7.1

The native Polynesian language of Hawaii

is the same language but expressed as a two-word phrase

Surface Forms

Morphology

Hawaiian + language

The phrase is a direct adjective + noun composition: 'Hawaiian' (relating to Hawaii or its people) + 'language' (a tongue), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer it means the language spoken by Hawaiians. This is a regular, cross-linguistically common naming pattern (e.g., 'idioma hawaiano') and therefore fully transparent.

Etymology

Hawaiian language comes from the words of the people who long ago sailed to the Hawaiian islands from other Pacific islands and kept their songs and speech. That's why Hawaiian language means the original 'native' tongue of Hawaii.