Synopsis: The English pronoun “they” has been selected word of the year for 2019. It is being used as a non-gendered, third-person singular pronoun.
Aloha nö ka æölelo haole. He æölelo koikoi æo ia i kona poæe walaæau e koho aku i ke æano o ke kanaka e kamaæilio æia nei. æO ia hoæi, i ke kamaæilio æana no kekahi kanaka hoæokahi (i komo æole i loko o ia kamaæilio æana), aia ka pono æo ke koho æana i kahi papani näna e höæike i ko ia ala æano, he käne paha a i æole he wahine. Inä he käne ke kuhi æia ma o ka papani haole, æo “he” ke koho æia, a inä he wahine ke kuhi æia, æo “she” ka pololei. Auë, he æelua wale iho nö koho i ka wä ma mua. I këia mau lä naæe, eia kekahi poæe ke küæëæë nei i ke æano pälua wale nö o ia koho. I ko läkou manaæo, æaæole lawa. He hana hoæohewahewa ia i ko läkou æano maoli, a he mea e huikau ai ka poæe e walaæau ana e pili ana iä läkou. He “he” paha, he “she”? Pehea e æölelo ai?
No ia kumu, ua koho æia æo “they” æo ia ka hua kau i ka hano o ka MH 2019. æO ia hoæi ka papani küpono no ke kuhikuhi æana i ke kanaka hoæokahi e manaæo nei he küpono æole kona komo æana i loko o ia mau æäuna æelua. I loko nö o ka maæa o ka poæe namu haole i ke æano helunui o ia hua, he mau haneli makahiki paha a æoi kona lohe æia ma ke æano he helukahi. Mai ka wä mai hoæi e käkau ana æo Hoæonäueue Ihe i käna mau moæolelo i æike æia ai æo “they” he helukahi. No laila, he koho maikaæi nö paha ia no ke kuhi æana i ke kanaka hoæokahi e küæë nei i ia mau æäuna æelua. æAæole ia he “he”. æAæole ia he “she”. He “they” æo ia.
Eia nö ka mea æäpiki. I loko o ka namu haole, aia kahi papani helukahi i hiki ke hoæohana æia, æo ia hoæi æo “it”. Aloha nö naæe kahi “it”, ua hoæohalahala æia no kona kuhikuhi æole æana i nä mea kanaka. Inä paha e æölelo æia, “A woman went up to the bank teller and handed it a note,” e kuhihewa æia ana paha he mïkini ua “it” nei, æaæole he kanaka. æEä, i loko nö o ke kauwahi manawa a “it” e kuhikuhi ai i ke kanaka, e laæa æo “It’s a boy!”, “Who is it?”, a i æole “It’s me”, æo ia æano æë nö ke lohe aku ma ka nui o nä pöæaiapili. E aho paha æo, “A woman went up to the bank teller and handed them a note.”
Eia ka mea e noæonoæo ai. He nui nä makahiki o ka hoæohaæahaæa æia o ka æölelo Hawaiæi ma lalo o ka æölelo haole, a no nä kumu hoæi he nui. Ua hoæohalahala æia no kona mau hemahema i ka æimi æana i ke ola (ke kälä hoæi), ka hemahema i ka wehewehe æana i ke æano o nä mea æenehana a æepekema paha o këia wä, ka lawa æole o nä huaæölelo kikoæï a me nä hua palapala, a ia mea aku ia mea aku. Kohu mea lä, ua æoi aku ke akamai o ka mea namu haole ma mua o ka mea æölelo Hawaiæi. Ua æikea naæe e ka poæe kälai æölelo ke æano halahü o ia manaæo. æAæohe æölelo i æoi aæe.
Inä e kilo hou aku käkou i këia laæana o ka papani ma ka namu haole, æaæole nö a he wä, e hihia hou ana nä papani haole, no ka mea, e kapa hewa æia ana ka wahine a i æole ke käne hoæokahi æo “they/them”. “A woman went up to the only male bank teller and handed them a note.” æAæole e æike æia këia pilikia ma ka æölelo Hawaiæi. Hoæokahi wale nö papani (ia) näna e kuhikuhi i ke käne, ka wahine, ka mähü, a me nä mea like æole hoæi. A no laila, ma waena o nä æölelo æelua, æo ka æölelo hea ka æölelo a ka poæe akamai?
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ä leka iä mäua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa.
