I know this is an old thread, but I’m gonna respond anyway.
My experience has been that beyond a few dozen words, learning the Hawaiian language has not been necessary or especially useful. However I do find that learning Hawaiian pronunciation is quite handy. Many, many place names are Hawaiian and it’s easy for those of us who grew up elsewhere to butcher them.
Fortunately, in the aloha spirit, folks are pretty tolerant of my faux pas. Still, it’s more courteous to at least try to learn proper pronunciation. Also fortunately, I have gotten to know a Hawaiian lady who has been a wealth of information.
One example I’d like to share: King Kamehmeha should not be shortened to King Kam (disrespectful) and the h’s in the name should be pronounced (to do otherwise is a bit disrespectful, but not as bad as Kam).
I’m still learning when to pronounce w’s as v’s, and trying to tell the difference in pronunciation between ono and ʻono.
It’s a journey.
My experience has been that beyond a few dozen words, learning the Hawaiian language has not been necessary or especially useful. However I do find that learning Hawaiian pronunciation is quite handy. Many, many place names are Hawaiian and it’s easy for those of us who grew up elsewhere to butcher them.
Fortunately, in the aloha spirit, folks are pretty tolerant of my faux pas. Still, it’s more courteous to at least try to learn proper pronunciation. Also fortunately, I have gotten to know a Hawaiian lady who has been a wealth of information.
One example I’d like to share: King Kamehmeha should not be shortened to King Kam (disrespectful) and the h’s in the name should be pronounced (to do otherwise is a bit disrespectful, but not as bad as Kam).
I’m still learning when to pronounce w’s as v’s, and trying to tell the difference in pronunciation between ono and ʻono.
It’s a journey.
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