KUʻU WAHI ALELO, LEʻA NŌ KE HOʻOPĀ ʻIA.
I PEPA NUI LAEOʻO KĒIA I WAIHO ʻIA I MUA O KA MĀHELE HOʻOMALU PUKA KULA NUI O HAWAIʻI I MEA E KŌ AI KEKAHI O NĀ KOINA O KE KĒKELĒ
LAEOʻO ʻŌLELO HAWAIʻI MA KAWAIHUELANI
ʻAukake 2018
Na Presley Keʻalaanuhea Ah Mook Sang
Kōmike Pepa Nui Laeoʻo: Ron Kekeha Solis, Luna Hoʻomalu Kerry Laiana Wong Katrina-Ann Kapāʻanaokalāokeola Oliveira ABSTRACT
The goal of this thesis is to analyze ʻōlelo nane as a Hawaiian language repository.
Additionally, Western dominance over native cultures will be deconstructed in regards to language acquisition and perpetuation. With focus on the Hawaiian language, a shift from this native tongue to an introduced Western language, i.e. English, impacted native understanding and brought new ways of interpretation. Concepts relevant to the native worldview that were once internalized at a subconscious level have become increasingly less prevalent in the present society, resulting in a heavily Western influenced language structure.
ʻŌlelo nane, loosely translated as Hawaiian riddles, parables, and allegories, is an indirect speech method that requires the speaker and interpreter both to have a thorough understanding of the Hawaiian language and its ideological systems. This thesis aims to dissect and decode ʻōlelo nane while encouraging the readers to broaden their understanding of the Hawaiian language through this once standard speech method.
Through the ideas outlined, the research will stress the importance of the usage of these language traits by present-day speakers and second-language learners of Hawaiian in an attempt to uphold the essence of this language through a worldview similar to those of our ancestors. In order to fully grasp meaning in the Hawaiian language, we must understand the various roles and facets of ʻōlelo, including nane, and how they are incorporated in everyday speech.