When Hawaiian is not your first language…

Is your English affecting your pronunciation? 

I have quite the challenge for you this week to help you figure that out.  

When you learn a new language, it’s very common for your first language to affect your pronunciation.  

A lot of the Hawaiian we hear is spoken with an English accent. I’ve even heard Hawaiian spoken with Japanese and European accents… all depending on what the speaker's first language is. It sounds a lot like they’re speaking Hawaiian “through English” (a term I learned from one of my Professors.) 

As you LISTEN to Native speakers, I want you to be more mindful of the overall sound of the language.

Pay close attention to:

• Pronunciation
• Intonation (rise and fall of the voice)
• Where there is stressing or emphasis on a particular letter or sound
• The overall flow and rhythm of the language

I encourage you to learn to identify those subtle differences and apply what you’re hearing and learning. As you practice speaking, try to sound like what you’re hearing in the recordings.

My goal for you is to be conversational and sound like a Native speaker, so my challenge for you is to listen to these two recordings and see if you can hear the differences. 

Hattie Au

Joseph Makaai

Keep working on recreating the unique pronunciation and intonation of Native speakers and you’ll pick it up pretty quick.

Aloha,

Malu 

ka-alala.mykajabi.com