Why Your Hawaiian Still Sounds Like English

Aloha,

Hawaiian vowels are different from English, but the consonants are the same except the 'w.' If I had a dime for every time I heard that I would be a wealthy man. It is not entirely true. It is an oversimplification of what makes Hawaiian sounds different from English.

I cannot cover every letter of the Hawaiian alphabet in one newsletter so I am going to pick out a few and stick to single vowels.

My tip is to focus on the vowel sounds in Hawaiian. Here are some examples to help you along. Keep in mind that your accent will influence how you pronounce these sounds, and over an email I cannot help you there.

• a — father
• e — met
• i — see
• o — row (say "ro" and drop the "w")
• u — rule (say "ru" and drop the "le")

I recently had a student point out that I pronounce the two k's in the word kekahi (another, some) differently. I was impressed that she caught that and gave her an explanation.

Focus on the vowels. The first part of the word is ke, paired with the 'e.' The second part is kahi, paired with the 'a.' Try this exercise. Hold out the letter 'a' and then slowly transition to 'e,' going back and forth between the two. Starting from 'e' then to 'a,' notice how your tongue moves from the front of your mouth to the back.

Now take that same exercise and say ke and then ka, going back and forth a few times. Did you catch it? The ka is further back in the throat, giving the 'k' an almost guttural quality compared to ke, which sounds closer to an English 'k.'

Can you hear that? Pretty nerdy I know 🤓

Some of you might be saying, "I can't hear the difference." Here is one last challenge. Record yourself and listen back. If they sound identical, it is one of two things. You have not yet mastered the Hawaiian vowels, or you do not have an ear for it yet. Either way, keep working on it.

That is all for this week. Did you find it helpful? Is there something you would like to learn more about? Let me know and I will dedicate a newsletter to it.

Mahalo,
Maluhia