Synopsis: There is a relatively new slang expression in English that has been around for about 15 years now. It is “catfish” and refers to a type of cyber deception in which a false front is created by one party that is intended to ensnare another party, oftentimes through the creation of a romantic connection between the two. What should we call this in Hawaiian?

Aloha mai nö käkou. He hua æölelo hou ko ka æölelo haole, æo ia hoæi æo “catfishing”. æO kona manaæo naæe, æaæole nö i pili loa i ka iæa i kaulana ma ka inoa æo “catfish”. æO ka manaæo o këia æano catfishing hou, æaæohe wahi pili i ka lawaiæa æana i ia æano iæa he catfish. He æano æimi hana naæe, ma o ka pünaewele, kahi e kamaæilio ai æelua känaka me ka pülapu aku o kekahi i kona hoa kamaæilio. He hoæomeamea ka hana. He hoæopunipuni hoæi. æOiai, ma o ka pünaewele kahi e hui ai ua mau känaka lä, he papakaumaka a he papakaumaka, a æaæole hoæi he alo a he alo, e peæe nö kekahi o läua ma hope o käna papakaumaka a nalo kona helehelena a me kona inoa maoli. Pëlä nö e mai ai ia hana kohu æole me ka palekana. æO ke æano häwäwä naæe o kekahi poæe (e laæa me kä æoukou wahi mea käkau nei) i nä hana pünaewele o këia au, puni wale aku nö käkou i kä ia ala mau æölelo höæepa.

No ia hua æölelo haole æo catfishing, ua æöæili wale mai he mau makahiki aku nei ma kekahi kakaæina höæikeæike kïwï i kapa æia æo “Catfish”, kahi i höæike æia mai ai ke æano o ia hana. A ma ia hope mai, ua lohe pepeiao æia nö e ka lehulehu ma o ka nühou e pili ana i kekahi æälapa o Hawaiæi nei, he hiapaæiæole hoæi no ka æoihana pöpeku NFL. æO ia nö kekahi mahikua i puka ma nä kula æo Punahou a me Notre Dame, a e päæani ana no ka San Diego Chargers i kona wä i catfish æia ai. Aloha nö kahi keiki o Hawaiæi i kona pülapu æia e kekahi catfisher. A æoiai he kanaka hanohano æo ia, æaæole nö i nele ka æaki æia o ka palu a me ka holoholo laulaha aku o ia moæolelo mai æö a æö o ka honua nei. Aloha nö hoæi kahi keiki i kipa hewa aku kona aloha i ka wahaheæe! Mai ia manawa mai, he nui hou aku paha ka poæe i pülapu æia e nä catfisher.

I këia mau lä o ka launa æana o käkou ma o nä mïkini, he maæalahi ka peæe æana o ka poæe pülapu ma hope o ka papakaumaka. Ke hala aku nei nä lä i maæa ai käkou i ka launa æana he alo a he alo. Aloha nö ia mau lä! I këia wä, aia ka pono æo ka hoæohuoi i nä hoa kanaka a pau o puni auaneæi käkou i ka wahaheæe a ke kolohe. A no laila, he mea maikaæi ka hoæolaha æana i nä æölelo aæoaæo Hawaiæi no këia pilikia hou. æO ka mea æäpiki naæe, he aha ka hua æölelo Hawaiæi no këia æano hana æo ke “catfishing”? Ua kapa æia aæela ma o kona inoa haole. E manaæo ana paha kekahi poæe, aia kona pono i ka waiho æia ma ka namu haole. æO kekahi naæe, e manaæo ana i ka unuhi. Wahi a Pukui mä, æo “æoæopu päkë” ka hua no ke catfish. Inä pëlä ana ke koho, æaæole paha e hauæoli ka poæe Päkë! A æo au kekahi i helu ma loko o ia æäuna.

æAuhea æoukou, e nä hoa heluhelu. Aia nö paha kekahi hua æölelo Hawaiæi i küpono no ke kuhi æana aku i ia hana? He mea maikaæi ka wehewehe æana i nä mea a pau ma o ka æölelo Hawaiæi, a pëlä e ola ai kä käkou æölelo. No laila, e noæonoæo käkou i kahi hua i kü nö i ke æano Hawaiæi, ka manaæo Hawaiæi, ka puana Hawaiæi, ke kaona Hawaiæi, ka mana Hawaiæi, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku. æO ka mea nui, æo ia nö ke kü æana o ka æölelo Hawaiæi nona iho, a æaæole e koæokoæo æia e ka haole. Pehea ko æoukou manaæo no ka hua Hawaiæi æo “hoæopunihei”?

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:

>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)

>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)

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