Reid Ginoza at 21:49, 9 April 2006

2006-04-09T21:49:49Z

Jennifer Wada at 10:44, 8 March 2006

2006-03-08T10:44:04Z

New page

Hawaiian language is handicapped
today for lack of a strong Hawaiianlanguage
media and an o f f i c i al
language planning office (as exists in
many other parts of the Pacific Basin)
that can disseminate new vocabulary
developments. The secular Hawaiian
newspapers went out of business after
World War II and neither the potential
of radio nor of television has ever
been fully applied toward benefiting
the Hawaiian-speaking community.
Without the dissemination of vocabulary,
those speakers of Hawaiian
s t i l l active today are l i n g u i s t i c a l ly
deprived. The reason for this
s i t u a t i o n is the development of
English dominance at the expense of
Hawaiian.
The English dominance of Hawaiian
p a r a l l e l s Norman French subjection of
English between 1066 and 1200.
Whether Hawaiian can be revived, as
was English, after the current t r i al
period is a matter of conjecture. At
present, the language has a single
native-speaking community of some 150
individuals located on the island of
Ni'ihau. There are less than 2,000
native speakers, all above the age of
60, scattered throughout the other six
inhabited islands, who mu3t function
within an English-speaking
environment. Another one thousand or
so English speakers are actively
trying to learn Hawaiian. There are
also m«biy in the community who can
understand some Hawaiian, but cannot
speak i t , and the majority of
Hawaiians who speak a form of English
heavily influenced by Hawaiian. The
l i f e and death of the Hawaiian
language rests primarily with these
people, but the success of their
efforts to assure the l i f e of their
language depends in large part on the
cessation of h o s t i l e and senseless
measures emanating from the dominant
English-speaking groups. Perhaps if
the English speakers were more aware
of how their own language almost
suffered death at the hands of the
Normans, who considered English
primitive and inferior, their
a t t i t u d e s and actions presently so
detrimental to the survival of
Hawaiian would change.
The Rise of English
Much of the early communication in
Hawai'i between Hawaiians and
foreigners from various l i n g u i s t ic
groups was through a form of broken or
simplified Hawaiian. This broken
Hawaiian was carried by Hawaiian
s a i l o r s aboard Western vessels and
traces of it are found in Eskimo
trading language and a Kamchatka
trading language of the Asian Soviet
Union. Simplified Hawaiian survived
as a means of communicating with
foreigners and gradually developed
i n to what is called pidgin English, in
the early twentieth century.
The existence of a form of broken
Hawaiian is testimony of the cultural
and l i n g u i s t i c strength of the
language at the early period of
contact with other c u l t u r e s . From
e a r l i e s t contact, however, there were
a l s o Hawaiians who learned foreign
languages by working around
foreigners, especially aboard their
vessels, and through extended stays in
foreign p o r t s . Hawaiians were reputed
to be quick language learners and were
hired to serve as i n t e r p r e t e r s in the
Northwest coast of the North American
continent. Bilingual Hawaiians were
important to a l l the Hawaiian people
as a direct means of understanding
other cultures and introducing new
ideas at home. One strength of the
e a r l y Hawaiian government lay in the
fact that there were a number of
Hawaiians and assimilated Europeans
who understood foreign languages and
thinking well enough to a s s i s t the
country in avoiding early loss of
sovereignty.
{{p|191}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Hawaiian language is handicapped
-today for lack of a strong Hawaiianlanguage
+today for lack of a strong Hawaiian-language
-media and an o f f i c i al
+media and an official
 language planning office (as exists in
 many other parts of the Pacific Basin)
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 Without the dissemination of vocabulary,
 those speakers of Hawaiian
-s t i l l active today are l i n g u i s t i c a l ly
+still active today are linguistically
 deprived. The reason for this
-s i t u a t i o n is the development of
+situation is the development of
 English dominance at the expense of
 Hawaiian.
 The English dominance of Hawaiian
-p a r a l l e l s Norman French subjection of
+parallels Norman French subjection of
 English between 1066 and 1200.
 Whether Hawaiian can be revived, as
-was English, after the current t r i al
+was English, after the current trial
 period is a matter of conjecture. At
 present, the language has a single
@@ Line 30: / Line 31: @@
 native speakers, all above the age of
 , scattered throughout the other six
-inhabited islands, who mu3t function
+inhabited islands, who must function
 within an English-speaking
 environment. Another one thousand or
 so English speakers are actively
 trying to learn Hawaiian. There are
-also m«biy in the community who can
+also many in the community who can
 understand some Hawaiian, but cannot
-speak i t , and the majority of
+speak it, and the majority of
 Hawaiians who speak a form of English
 heavily influenced by Hawaiian. The
-l i f e and death of the Hawaiian
+life and death of the Hawaiian
 language rests primarily with these
 people, but the success of their
-efforts to assure the l i f e of their
+efforts to assure the life of their
 language depends in large part on the
-cessation of h o s t i l e and senseless
+cessation of hostile and senseless
 measures emanating from the dominant
 English-speaking groups. Perhaps if
@@ Line 53: / Line 54: @@
 Normans, who considered English
 primitive and inferior, their
-a t t i t u d e s and actions presently so
+attitudes and actions presently so
 detrimental to the survival of
 Hawaiian would change.
 The Rise of English
 Much of the early communication in
 Hawai'i between Hawaiians and
-foreigners from various l i n g u i s t ic
+foreigners from various linguistic
 groups was through a form of broken or
 simplified Hawaiian. This broken
 Hawaiian was carried by Hawaiian
-s a i l o r s aboard Western vessels and
+sailors aboard Western vessels and
 traces of it are found in Eskimo
 trading language and a Kamchatka
@@ Line 70: / Line 72: @@
 as a means of communicating with
 foreigners and gradually developed
-i n to what is called pidgin English, in
+in to what is called pidgin English, in
 the early twentieth century.
 The existence of a form of broken
 Hawaiian is testimony of the cultural
-and l i n g u i s t i c strength of the
+and linguistic strength of the
 language at the early period of
-contact with other c u l t u r e s . From
+contact with other cultures. From
-e a r l i e s t contact, however, there were
+earliest contact, however, there were
-a l s o Hawaiians who learned foreign
+also Hawaiians who learned foreign
 languages by working around
 foreigners, especially aboard their
 vessels, and through extended stays in
-foreign p o r t s . Hawaiians were reputed
+foreign ports. Hawaiians were reputed
 to be quick language learners and were
-hired to serve as i n t e r p r e t e r s in the
+hired to serve as interpreters in the
 Northwest coast of the North American
 continent. Bilingual Hawaiians were
-important to a l l the Hawaiian people
+important to all the Hawaiian people
 as a direct means of understanding
 other cultures and introducing new
 ideas at home. One strength of the
-e a r l y Hawaiian government lay in the
+early Hawaiian government lay in the
 fact that there were a number of
 Hawaiians and assimilated Europeans
 who understood foreign languages and
-thinking well enough to a s s i s t the
+thinking well enough to assist the
 country in avoiding early loss of
 sovereignty.
 {{p|191}}

Template:Nhsc-v1-191 - Revision history

Reid Ginoza at 21:49, 9 April 2006

Jennifer Wada at 10:44, 8 March 2006