Virtual Vacation

Aloha everyone! Mahalo for the response. I told myself that I needed to have at least 15 comments in order to start my Hawaiian posts.  Well here goes!

Before I get started, I need a few more pictures, I wanted to give you a little geography and language lesson so you know exactly where I am and how to pronounce some of the Hawaiian names.

Hawaii consists of 8 islands:


I live on O'ahu (Oh-ah-hoo)

We live on the North Shore which is called the Country, Honolulu is considered Town.  There is some what of a rivalry between Town and Country people, lol.

 


Sounds like the Town Mouse and Country Mouse.  Anyway if you live in Town it's because you have a job there, like the night life and are a busy body in general.  It's much harder to live out in the country because you need to make a living and a drive to town takes about an hour.  So the people that live out here on North shore are usually, surfers, employees in a restaurant or shop, shop owners , artists, teachers, retired and generally pretty laid back:)





In Hawaii today, only about 8,000 people speak Hawaiian. In 1899 the Hawaiian language was banned when it was annexed to the United States, and it declined rapidly.  In 1978 Hawaiian was made an official language of the state and a revival was made.  Some schools teach and speak only in Hawaiian, and the state provides funds for all students to receive Hawaiian Studies (culture and language).

Now if you've been to Hawaii (Hah-vy-ee) then you know that most towns and streets have Hawaiian names and often are hard to pronounce.




So here is your language lesson for today.

The Hawaiian alphabet consists of 13 letters:

 A  E  I  O  U

H  K  L  M  N  P  W   '(okina)

Now the vowels are pronounced just like they would be in Spanish :

a - ah   as in awful
e- eh    as in hey
i- ee    as in police
o- oh   as in over
u- oo   as in food

The only other tricky letter is W. It can be pronounced as a W or a soft V

Waikiki- easy right Why-key-key

If W is after A it can be pronounced W or V

Wahiawa- Wah-hee-wah
Kawika- Kah-vee-kah

If  W is after i or e it is pronounced V

Haleiwa- Hah-lay-ee-vah

If W is after o or u it is pronounced W

I had to learn the hard way and stumble through especially when I started teaching.  The kids would laugh and correct me, mainly on their names!!  One year I had so many kids who's name started with K I could not get them straight...

Kalani, Kalea, Keoni, Kai, Kaimana, Kyla, Keira, Kela, Kealoha.....I could go on and on.

Okay, so there you have it. 

Our next stop will be the the little town we live in of Waialua/Haleiwa.

19 comments

  1. Looking forward to the rest of the Hawaiian posts! Thanks for sharing!

    Heather (heathernnance@yahoo.com)

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  2. Loving this! Now I'll just have to visit to learn more :)
    Blessings,

    Jessica Stanford
    Mrs. Stanford's Class Blog

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  3. That is SO interesting! It would be hard to learn that....but then so would ANY new language. I feel smarter now after your mini session on a Sunday afternoon. I'm coming back to find out more about your culture.
    Patty
    href=”http://2ndinline.blogspot.com/”>Second In Line

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    1. oops! My blog title didn't copy correctly.

      Second In Line

      And I blogged about your blog and your tour. . . I hope you get some more visitors and that the island doesn't get too full from all of us sharing your space. Aloha!
      Patty

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  4. this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see more pictures!!!

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  5. Love it!

    We had a heck of a time pronouncing street names in Oahu when we were there earlier this year and had fun with it :)

    Can't wait for your other lessons, especially your next one since I was in those towns!


    Journey of a Substitute Teacher

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  6. I already feel more cultured! I can't wait to read more!


    Aimee
    Primarily Speaking

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  7. Thank you! I can't wait to visit Oahu this summer!

    Sara :)
    Smiling In Second Grade

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  8. This is so fun!! I am learning a lot!! I can't wait to read more. :)

    Lisa
    Learning Is Something to Treasure

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  9. Corinna, this is awesome! Can't wait to learn about Hawaii with you this summer! Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  10. Thank you for sharing about Hawaii, Corinna! I have such fond memories of summer living in Hawaii. My father always had summer assignments there and he would always bring the family along. I loved it, especially the shaved ice! I cannot wait to learn more!

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  11. Thanks for the virtual vacation! I feel relaxed already.

    Michelle
    Teach123

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  12. Love to read and daydream....thanks for sharing, especially those of us still teaching and needing some fun relief :)

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  13. Love your blog design! Thanks for checking out my new blog!

    Greg
    Smedley's Smorgasboard of Kindergarten

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  14. ahhhh so excited!!! love. love. love. I am a paradise girl at heart. I do live in the south so I could enjoy the sun and recently planted my first plam tree :) One day, I will live in Hawaii! Until then... I will enjoy your posts! Thanks so much!!

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  15. Fun, I like your island "lessons." On names, one year I had a bunch of kids that started with J. This last year, it was A, I think it was 8 out of 22. I sure stumbled around with their names on those afternoons I was tired out!

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Mahalo Nui Loa For Commenting!!

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