Aloha kakou,
Before reading this newsletter you need to know what a native speaker and 2nd language speaker are. Do not skip the definitions.
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Native speaker — a person whose first language is Hawaiian, passed down through an unbroken line of native speakers stretching back to the very origins of the language.
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2nd language speaker / new speaker — a person who learned Hawaiian as a second language to their primary language.
In case you're wondering, immersion children are 2nd langauge speakers because they learned at school and English is the first and primary language of the home.
How to End a Conversation in Hawaiian
Several of you felt like I left you hanging last week because I did not share how to say "have a good day" in Hawaiian. Addressing phrases like this is like opening a can of worms, so brace yourself.
We do not say "have a nice day" in Hawaiian. You might be thinking, "That's not true. I hear it all the time." The question to ask is, who are you hearing it from? The answer is 2nd language speakers. It is not a phrase that native speakers use. "I la maikai" is not an expression that naturally occurred in their language. It was poorly translated and passed along.
So what do native speakers say when ending a conversation? Speakers from every island use variations of aloha or hui hou. Use any of the following:
- aloha no kaua — goodbye, farewell (2 people only)
- ke aloha (nui) — goodbye, farewell (nui gives more emphasis)
- hui hou, hui hou aku no — till we meet again
- hui hou ma hope — see you later/after
- mahalo no keia hui ana — (I) appreciated meeting/seeing you
- haawi i kuu aloha i kou ohana — give my regards to your family
Why Are People Using "i la maikai"?
If these are phrases native speakers have always used, then why are people saying "i la maikai"? A few reasons, and each one comes with a cost.
First, 2nd language speakers think in English, not Hawaiian. Second, they revert to English phrases when they do not know how to express something in Hawaiian. Third, they are unaware that native speakers do not use this phrase. Fourth, when they cannot find an equivalent, they invent one.
What's the harm? When we invent words or phrases from an English-thinking mind and force them into Hawaiian, we are reinforcing English. It pulls you out of the Hawaiian realm and places you squarely in the English one, where you experience the world in English and then inject that worldview into Hawaiian. The result is a student who may know a great deal of vocabulary and grammar patterns but still expresses themselves through an English, or Western, worldview. The words are Hawaiian. The thinking is not.
On that last point, by inventing, learners unknowingly elevate English as the superior language. If something can only be expressed in English, it positions Hawaiian as the inferior language. That is far from the truth.
If you are still thinking this is a harmless phrase, let me put it plainly. The phrase is not Hawaiian. It is English. It is unintelligible to a native speaker, and that is the true test.
"I la maikai" is not an isolated case. It is part of a larger pattern, and nothing illustrates that better than the word manaleo.
Manaleo is a Made-up Word
Manaleo was invented by 2nd language speakers. It is made up of two words. Mana references the act of a mother chewing and breaking up food to feed her babies, an old Hawaiian practice for infants as well. Leo means voice. The intended meaning was native speaker, the idea being that just as the mother feeds the child food, she also feeds the language.
A friend of mine from Niihau recalls taking Hawaiian language classes at UH Manoa in the 90s. She did not need the class but was there for an easy A. During one of her first sessions, whenever she made a comment, the professor kept referring to her as a manaleo to explain why her speech was different from the other students. After a while she whispered to her classmates, "What is a manaleo?" They laughed and said, "You don't know what you are? You are a manaleo."
After class she went to the professor and asked why he had been using that word. He explained the meaning and said it was a term created for a native speaker of Hawaiian like herself. Her response stopped me when I first heard it. She said, "I understand your explanation and thank you. But my mother never referred to me as a manaleo, so I am not a manaleo. Also, I am not a bird." She chuckled when she said that last part. The word and its creation were simply silly to her.
Manaleo was created by 2nd language speakers, yet they never created a word for themselves. Think about that. It is almost as if to say, we are the norm and you, the native speakers, are the outsiders. And native speakers do not even know the word. The only ones familiar with it are those connected to institutions where Hawaiian is being taught as a 2nd language. When I first heard this story I could not believe it.
I share this so that you, as a 2nd language speaker, can step into the shoes of a native speaker for a moment. Most learners have never had that opportunity. "I la maikai" and manaleo are just two examples. 2nd language speech is full of oddities that you will never catch if you do not set your sights on native speakers. You must.
So the question remains: do you want to speak Hawaiian or English-Hawaiian?
Hui hou aku no,
Maluhia
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