Customer Reviews

Olelo Oiwi Ke Kahua: He Puke A'O 'Olelo Hawai'I

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an extremely detailed and slow-paced introduction to the Hawaiian language aimed, apparently, at high school students. The book consists of thirty-five lessons, each of which has sections covering vocabulary, pronunciation, word usage, and grammar. The exercises consist entirely of Hawaiian sentences that the student is to transform following a given grammatical pattern, along the lines of "I/go" --> "Must I go?". No reading selections or conversations are given, which makes this text rather dry for the student studying on his own. Also, the author in his (or her?) discourses on usage or pronunciation assumes an audience of inexperienced and bewildered language learners and makes great efforts to be reassuring -- sometimes to the point of talking down or even preaching to the reader. This passage came from a discussion of negative imperative sentences: "So, in learning Hawaiian, for now we should concentrate on being able to communicate our ideas clearly and accurately in Hawaiian, and not worry about being able to provide a perfect translation into English or any other language for every sentence. Besides, if we waste time and effort in worrying about having a perfect translation of everything we say, it will take us just that much longer to become fluent speakers of Hawaiian." Nonetheless, I recommend this book as a most comprehensive and well-planned introduction to the Hawaiian language.

I noted the other reviews described this book as tedious. It might be difficult to work through for a beginning Hawaiian student, but for intermediate and advanced students it is invaluable because it gives the why's for sentence patterns and word choices. The cultural notes are invaluable not only for speaking the language, but for thinking in Hawaiian. An excellent book, highly recommended for serious students.

I speak Hawaiian and use this book as an occasional 'refresher'.

This book was written as, and is being used as a textbook, in Hawaii schools; therefore, it is very logical, methodical and organized, as a textbook should be. Some may consider it tedious; however, if you treat it as the textbook it is, it will help you learn. It is the most comprehensive textbook available on the language.

The only thing that could make it better is if it were accompanied by CD's so the learner could also hear the language.