Mamaka Kaiao adds to the 1998 edition more than 1,000 new and contemporary words that are essential to the continuation and growth of ka 'olelo Hawai'i--the Hawaiian language. The title, which in English means "carrying forward into the dawning of a new era," emphasizes the role of this work in providing today's speakers and students of Hawaiian with a modern vocabulary.
This dictionary opens with a detailed description of how words are created by the Hawaiian Lexicon Committee with Puku'i and Elbert's Hawaiian Dictionary serving as the primary written source and native speakers of Hawaiian as the primary spoken resource. The first main section contains more than 6,000 Hawaiian entries (alphabetized according to the Hawaiian alphabet) followed by their English equivalents; the second contains English language entries followed by their Hawaiian translation. Teachers and students in Hawaiian language immersion schools and high school, college, and continuing education language courses, as well as those looking for an introduction to contemporary Hawaiian, will find Mamaka Kaiao a truly invaluable resource.
