How do you pronounce Lihue HI? Answer: We checked with the Kauai Historical Society and the University of Hawaii-Hilo’s Hale Kuamo’o Hawaiian Language Center, and representatives of both affirmed that the “Li” in Lihue should be pronounced “lee” as in lee-HU-ay (“ay” as in hay). Lihue, by the way, translates […]
It’s pretty simple actually. The company was named after the ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike, which is pronounced ni-key, reports Business Insider. So, there you have it. Is it pronounced Nikee or Nike? Nike chairman Phillip Knight has confirmed that it’s “Nikey” not “Nike”, meaning I’ve essentially been talking […]
The “y” of “bicycle,” for example, is unstressed and pronounced as a short, or reduced, vowel. But the word “cycle” itself has a “y” that’s stressed and pronounced as a long vowel. Similarly, the “y” of “motorcycle” has a secondary stress and a long pronunciation. Why is the first C […]
dumb, goofy or crazy. LOLO (lō-lō) A Hawaiian language word meaning dumb, goofy or crazy. What do Hawaiians call their friends? HoalohaHoaloha (hō’-ă-lō’-na), n. / hō’-ă-lō’-na / Parker Haw to Eng , [A contraction of hoaaloha.] A friend; a beloved companion. What do Hawaiians call their dads? Family words in […]
According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the “left” protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed. Is leftenant same […]
If someone says “Aloha” to you, say it right back. Mahalo means “thank you.” If someone does you a kindness, don’t be shy about saying, “Mahalo,” to them. Locals will be pleased that you used this word. Should you say aloha back? as much other Hawaiian as I can understand! […]
Generally, most locals are happy to see the tourists come and see what life means for them, especially those activities that depict a life many have never seen, learned, or experienced. People Live here. In the end, what locals want is tourists to have an approach to leaving Hawaii better […]
Pronunciation of Hawaiian Consonants W is pronounced both as English [w] (after vowels O and U) and as English [v] (after vowels E and I). When W starts a word or follows A vowel, it is pronounced either [w] or [v]. How is w pronounced in Hawaiian? Traditionally in the […]
Below is the UK transcription for ‘hawaii’: Modern IPA: həwɑ́jɪj. Traditional IPA: həˈwaɪiː 3 syllables: “huh” + “WY” + “ee” Why do people pronounce Hawaii differently? Because the missionaries were not linguists, the written language they created didn’t perfectly capture the native Hawaiians’ pronunciation. For example, look at the original […]
How do you actually pronounce Mexico? Within a few decades, though, the retreat of the “sh” sound was complete in Spanish, and despite the spelling, the word became “México” as pronounced today (“Méjico,” as you may see it from time to time). Other nations saw the spelling, though, and assumed […]
The name of the state, Hawaii, is not written with an ‘okina between the two “i”, because our Statehood Act in 1959 used the spelling “Hawaii.” An Act of Congress is required to “correct” the name of the state to Hawai’i. Thus, the name of the state is Hawaii, while […]
In 1881, the state’s General Assembly passed resolution 1-4-105 declaring that the state’s name should be spelled “Arkansas” but pronounced “Arkansaw”. What is the correct way to pronounce Arkansas? The Arkansas legislature made a big deal in 1881 about fixing for good the true pronunciation of the state name, emphasizing […]
In spoken Hawaiian, the ‘ (okina) indicates a glottal stop, or clean break between vowels. The ¯ (kahako), or macron typographically represented as a bar above the letter, as in ā. The macron over a vowel indicates a longer accentuation in pronunciation of the vowel that it appears over. How […]
Louisiana. The French explorer La Salle claimed the area around the southern Mississippi in the name of King Louis XIV of France in 1682, and he named it Louisiana in the king’s honor. Today, this state is often pronounced lew-ee-zee-AN-a. What does the word Louisiana mean? Etymology. Louisiana was named […]
Is sus in the English dictionary? Sus is used as a synonym of suspicious, or suspect, as in “you’ve been acting pretty sus, I think you’re up to something.” It’s a slang word used to say that someone or something shouldn’t be trusted. How do you say sus in Spanish? […]