The Hawaiian Islands are unique in more ways than any single person could count and that includes our language, vocabulary, culture, and local diction. Most people from Hawaii don’t exclusively speak Hawaiian — except those who call Niihau home. Although there are a variety of words and phrases from the Hawaiian language that remain frequently used today, not everyone knows about the following 8 Hawaiian language facts. This includes tourists and those who have recently moved to the islands. Therefore, read on if you're curious to learn more about these facts about the Hawaiian language.
1. The unique alphabet consists of just 13 Hawaiian letters, half of the English alphabet, including five vowels — a, e, i, o, and u — and eight consonants — h, k, l, m, n, p, w, and the glottal stop, called an ‘okina.
2. All words in Hawaiian alphabet end in a vowel and consonants are always followed by a vowel.
3. The Hawaiian language is one of the oldest living languages in the world and has had a tumultuous history.
4. Unlike many languages, there are no records of ancient Hawaiian letters and writings. Up until the late 1700s, the Hawaiian language was exclusively spoken rather than written. After British settlers discovered the islands, a new system of Hawaiian writing was formed.
5. After Hawaii became a territory of the United States in 1898, the Hawaiian language was banned from schools and the government, though people were still allowed to speak Hawaiian and there were, in fact, 14 separate newspapers printed using Hawaiian letters during this time.
6. Though Hawaii is home to 1.4 million residents, 6 of the 6 Hawaiian language is considered “critically endangered” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Luckily, there are still many people interested in learning this language.
7. Today, Hawaii is the only state in America that has two official languages — Hawaiian and English.
8. Another Hawaiian language fact is that locals prefer to speak an English-Hawaiian hybrid language known as a Pidgin dialect when it comes to daily life. Not unlike slang used in American English, linguists agree that Hawaiian Pidgin features enough distinctions from its parent languages to be considered a unique form of speaking all its own.
Well, what do you think about these eight Hawaiian language facts? Also, what other bits of language trivia would you add to this list packed with fun facts? Feel free to sound off in the comments below.
Also, if you'd like to take a deeper dive into Hawaii's unique history, check out this piece about Hawaiian language facts and much more.
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