I mea aha ka ‘ōlelo?

Synopsis: What is language used for — to earn money or to communicate with others? And whose place is it to make the decision about which languages have value?

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Aloha mai kākou hoa heluhelu mai ka moku o Keawe a hiki loa aku i ka moku o Kahelelani a mau loa aku i nā ‘āina ‘ē a’e ma ke ao nei. Ke lana aku nei kou mea kākau i nā nīnau e kau mai nei i luna a’e, no ka mea ē ua nunui a manomano nā leo loko’ino a mālamalama ‘ole e pilau wahahe’e mai nei i ka waiwai o ke a’o ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. Wahi a lakou mea mālamalama ‘ole, ‘a’ohe waiwai o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, no ka mea ‘a’ohe wahi hou a’e e ‘ōlelo ‘ia ai kēia ‘ōlelo nahenahe a kūli’u ma ke ao nei, koe ka pae ‘āina o Hawai’i nei. Wahi nō ho’i a lākou mea ho’okae Hawai’i, ‘a’ohe wahi hana e waiwai ai ka ‘ike i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. (‘O ia kā?!) Inā a’o mai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, ‘a’ole e ho’ohana ‘ia ana ia ‘ōlelo ma ka hana (a ‘a’ole ana e loa’a mai nō ho’i ka pu’ukālā). No laila, wahi a nā leo nuha, he hana pohō ke a’o ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i ma muli o ka loa’a ‘ole ‘ana o ke kālā.

‘O ka mea ‘āpiki na’e, ‘a’ole hiki iā lākou mea nuha ke ‘ōlelo Hawai’i me ke kūpono. Na lākou wale nō anei e ho’oholo i ka waiwai o kēlā me kēia ‘ōlelo a lākou e ‘ike ‘ole ai? Na lākou iho e ho’oholo ē ‘a’ohe waiwai o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i? ‘A’ole kā! He keu ia hana a ka mahalua!

He aha lā ke kumu o ka po’e kūpuna i ho’omaka aku ai i ka ‘ōlelo i nā makahiki he ‘umi kaukani paha i hala aku nei: i mea e loa’a ai i ka po’e Neanderthal ke kālā ma ka hana e kū’ai mai ai i ke ka’a pipi’i loa paha? ‘A’ole kā! He mana’o ho’omāke’aka wale ia. ‘O ke kumu o ka ‘ōlelo, he mea e wehewehe aku ai nā kānaka i nā mana’o kekahi i kekahi. ‘O ia wale iho nō! Ma’alahi, ‘eā? I kēia wa, ua like nō a like ke kumu e a’o mai ai i kēlā me kēia ‘ōlelo: i mea e ho’ākaaka wale ai i ka mana’o iā ha’i. Ke kama’ilio kākou kekahi i kekahi, ‘uku ‘ia mai anei kākou no nā hua’ōlelo pākahi a pau, a i ‘ole he hana nanea wale anei ia?

Inā he waiwai ‘ole nā ‘ōlelo ma kahi e ‘ōlelo ‘ia ai ka ‘ōlelo makuahine ma ia wahi wale nō, hele a manomano nā leo “waiwai ‘ole”: ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Icelandic ‘oe, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Tlingit ‘oe, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Wollof ‘oe, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Hmong ‘oe, a pēlā mau loa aku. Pehea lā e kāpae wale aku ai i kēlā me kēia ‘ōlelo nona nā mānaleo he 500000 a emi mai? Na wai e ho’oholo i ka waiwai, koe ke Akua? Kohu like kēia ‘ano mana’o me ka mana’o o ka hui Nazi a me ka hui o Joseph Stalin. Kohu like ia me ka mana’o o ke aupuni Palani nāna ka hana i kēia wā e ho’oko’iko’i ana i nā ‘ōlelo kūloko o kona mau panalā’au ma Palani a me nā wahi ‘ōlelo Palani hou a’e ma ke ao nei e like me Kahiki.

‘O ka mea ‘ano ‘ē loa na’e, na ka po’e mālamalama ‘ole i ho’ohana mai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i i loko o kā lākou mau pane ma lalo iho o nā kolamu Kauakūkalahale. Na kā lākou mau ‘ōlelo pono’ī i hō’oia a ho’okō i ko’u mau mana’o ‘elua e kau a’e nei i luna, a hō’ole iho i ko lākou mana’o pono’ī i ka manawa ho’okahi. ‘O ka ‘ōlelo ho’i, he mea ia e wehewehe wale ai nō i ka mana’o, a ‘a’ole loa ia he mea ho’onui kālā. ‘A’ole i loa’a aku iā lākou po’e mālamalama ‘ole ke kālā iki ma o kā lākou mau pane. Ua makemake wale iho nō e wehewehe i ko lākou mana’o iki. I kēlā me kēia manawa e ‘ōlelo Hawai’i mai ai lākou manu kapalulu ma ka nūpepa nei, e ho’olei ana lākou i ke kaiāulu ‘ōlelo Hawai’i i ka lei o ka lanakila.

Ua pau ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i i ka pālahalaha aku ma waho o nā one hānau o Hawai’i. O mau loa aku ka lama kukui o kēia ‘ōlelo a mahana i nā kū’ono pākahi a pau o ka honua nei. Eia nō kou mea kākau ma ka ‘āina ‘o Mekiko kahi e pā mai nei ka mahana o ka lama ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. Iā ‘oukou mea heluhelu au e aloha manuahi aku ai ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. ‘O ia iho ko’u mana’o e wehewehe aku ai. Mahalo.

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This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.