Ola No ka Olelo Hawaii?

When I challenged my students to write an essay convincing me that the Hawaiian language is in fact a living language, they said they would if I wrote one in Hawaiian. So here it is.

Note: I've chosen to leave out most diacritical marks, except where their absence causes marked confusion, to avoid inconsistency, as recommended by the University of Hawaii Hawaiian Language Style Guide. Basically, if you can't include them all, don't include any of them.

I ka hoomaka ia na halawai makua o Punana Leo, olelo pu makou na makua a me na keiki a me na kumu i ka nuukia o ke kula: E ola i ka Olelo Hawaii. O kela ka pahu hopu o na kula Olelo Hawaii a pau: a hooulu na olelo, a hooikaika na mea Hawaii. Aka, hiki makou e hooulu keia olelo? Hiki oia ke hoi i ka ola? Ai ole, ua hala ka olelo Hawaii i ka wa kahiko?

E pana ana keia mau ninau me he mau ninau eiae. He kumu wau: oia ka'u ano. Ka'u mau ninau: he aha he olelo ke ola nei? Hiki he olelo make ke ho'i mai i ka ola? I na ho'i mai ana, pehea hiki ia kakou ke ike kela hopena?

Ma ke kula nui, ao ia na mea "linguistics" pili i na manao, "olelo ola." No ka honua a pau, aia kokoke i 8,000 olelo ola ana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language). Aka, he aha he olelo ke ola nei? I na ola he olelo, aia he mau kanaka manaleo. Olelo lakou i ka olelo no ka wa pepe. Oia no ho'i, i na ola ana he olelo, hiki oia ke loli. Hiki oia e hoohana na huaolelo hou, a hiki oia ke walaau no na mea kahiko a me ka mea hou.

I na make he olelo, aohe manaleo, a aole hiki ke olelo ke loli. I na aia he mea ai ole he manao hou, aole hiki ke kamailio no oia ma kela olelo. Nunui na ole make ana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_time_of_extinction). I na aole nui na kanaka e walaau ana, aole hooulu i ka olelo.

Kekahi mau olelo i make, aka hoi i ka ola. Ka olelo Hebrew ma Israel, ka olelo Gealic ma Ireland a Scotland, ka olelo Welsh ma Wales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_revived_languages). Ke ao nei na keiki ma'o ko lakou olelo ma ke kula. Ke kakau nei lakou na puke, na Soap Operas, na nightly news i kona mau olelo. Ke ola no ko lakou olelo hou. I na hele na kanako hou i kela wahi, pono lakou e ao no i ka olelo no kela lahui. Hooulu ana i na olelo ma'o.

Aka, e ola ana ka Olelo Hawaii? Ae paha, aole paha. Kekahi kakahiaka, lohe ia he makuahine kokoke o Punana Leo, ua nei ia kona keika ma Olelo Hawaii. Ue ke keika, aka minoaka wau. Ola no ka olelo! I na hiki ke hoiki na manao a pau-- na manao oluolu a me na manao huhu, ola ka olelo. Aka, he aha ke olelo lohe ma ke kula Kawaikini? I loko na papa, lohe no ka olelo Hawaii, a ka i waho? Ma ka pa paani, ai oile ma ka lua, ma ka lanai? Lohe au i ka Olelo Pelekania wale no. Nou nou na kamalii aole hiki lakou a hapai kona mau manao hou ma keia olelo Hawaii-- he olelo kahiko? I na oia, make ka olelo Hawaii.

I na hoi mai ana ka Olelo hawaii i keia honua ola ana, pono na kamalii e puliki mai i kona mau olelo makuahine, a hoao e olelo oia i na manawa a me ka wahi a pau. I na hiki lakou ke hana pela, ola paha i ka olelo Hawaii.