Letter: Learn to pronounce Hawaiian names

Three cheers for Lee Cataluna’s article calling ESPN and others to account for not having the decency to try pronouncing Little League players’ names correctly (“Who’s on first? Little League broadcasters make it hard to tell,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 28). What kind of message are these announcers sending young people who have worked hard to earn places in their World Series? For shame!

Now, how about taking on people here in Hawaii, some locally born, some longtime residents, some in positions of influence, who cannot be bothered to learn how to pronounce Hawaiian names correctly? This is inexcusable, since Hawaiian orthography, unlike that of English, is phonetically consistent and easy to learn.

How can we expect visitors to respect the culture of these islands’ first people when so many of our residents do not make even a minimal effort to speak their language properly?

Right on, Ms. Cataluna!

Heu‘ionalani Wyeth

Anahola, Kauai

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