Molokai dialect
| Moloka'i Dialect | |
|---|---|
| Te Reo Morotaʻi | |
| Pronunciation | [tɛˈɾɛo moˈɾoˈtəʔi] |
| Native to | Hawaiian Islands |
| Region | Moloka'i, O'ahu, The Big Island |
| Ethnicity | Native Hawaiians |
Early forms | |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
 The dialect is native to Moloka'i (dark red), and a significant Moloka'i diaspora lives in O'ahu and the Big Island (light red) | |
The Moloka'i Dialect (Standard Hawaiian: 'Ōlelo Moloka'i, Moloka'i Dialect: Te Reo Morota'i, lit. "Moloka'i Language") is a rare dialect spoken in Moloka'i, Hawai'i. With a substantial number of speakers living in O'ahu and The Big Island.[1]
Origin
[edit]The Austronesian languages, which are spoken throughout Oceania, Southeast Asia, and other regions of the world, include the Hawaiian language and its dialects (such as Niʻihau and Moloka'i).[2] In particular, it is a member of the Polynesian subbranch, which also contains languages like Marquesan, Samoan, Tongan, and Tahitian.[3]
Phonology
[edit]Consonant
[edit]| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||
| Plosive | p | k ~ t | ʔ | |
| Fricative | w ~ v | h | ||
| Sonorant | l ~ ɾ | |||
Like the Ni'ihau Dialect, this dialect uses the letter "t" and "r". But, the letter "k" is more common due to being very close to the Big Island which uses the letter "k" commonly. [citation needed]
Vowels
[edit]Like the Hawaiian taught in universities, Te Reo Morota'i has five short and long vowels, and diphthongs.
| Short | Long | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Front | Back | |
| Close | i | u | iː | uː |
| Mid | ɛ ~ e | o | eː | oː |
| Open | a ~ ɐ ~ ə | aː | ||
Dipthongs
[edit]| Short Dipthongs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ending with /u/ | Ending with /i/ | Ending with /o/ | Ending with /e/ | |
| Starting with /i/ | iu | |||
| Starting with /o/ | ou | oi | ||
| Starting with /e/ | eu | ei | ||
| Starting with /a/ | au | ai | ao | ae |
Short-vowel diphthongs include /iu, ou, oi, eu, ei, au, ai, ao, ae/. These are all falling diphthongs, with the exception of perhaps /iu/. However, they are not as firmly connected as English diphthongs and may be classified as vowel sequences. (The second vowel in such sequences may get stress, but it is not considered a diphthong.) In quick speech, /ai/ tends to [ei] and /au/ tends to [ou], hence these diphthongs are conflated with /ei/ and /ou/.
Some writers consider the following sequences as diphthongs: /oːu, eːi, aːu, aːi, aːo, aːe/. There are just a few vowels that can come after long vowels.
| Long Dipthongs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ending with /u/ | Ending with /i/ | Ending with /o/ | Ending with /e/ | |
| Starting with /o/ | oːu | |||
| Starting with /e/ | eːi | |||
| Starting with /a/ | aːu | aːi | aːo | aːe |
Words and Examples
[edit]| English | Standard Hawaiian | Moloka'i Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| Good | Maikaʻi | Maitaʻi |
| Rare | Kakaʻikahi | Kataʻikahi |
| Same | Like | Rike |
| This | Kēia | Tēia (Tēa) |
| Want | Makemake | Matemate |
| No | ʻAʻole | Taʻore |
| I, Me | Koʻu | Toʻu |
| to listen | Hoʻolohe | Tohorohe |
| Stand up | Kū | Tū |
| Sleep | Moe | Mohe |
| Awake | Ala | Ara |
| Run | Holo | Horo |
| Dodge | Hala | ʻAro |
Examples:
[edit]| English | Standard Hawaiian | Moloka'i Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| It was good | Ua maikaʻi nui | Tua maitaʻi nui |
| in the same time | i ka manawa like | i ta manawa rike |
Reference
[edit]- ^ "Hawaiian: Ethnologue".
- ^ Nathan, Geoffrey S. (1973). "Nauruan in the Austronesian Language Family". Oceanic Linguistics. 12 (1/2): 479. doi:10.2307/3622864. ISSN 0029-8115.
- ^ ""Polynesian languages": Encyclopedia Britannica".