Formal Written Hawaiian

In Brief

Formal written Hawaiian is not a separate grammar, but a register shaped by its purpose: it often packs information into long noun phrases, links clauses explicitly, foregrounds decisions rather than decision-makers, and uses conventional openings and transitions. To read nineteenth-century newspapers and legal or administrative texts, follow the particles and clause boundaries first; then account for historical spelling, which may omit the ʻokina and kahakō used in modern editions.

Overview

ʻŌlelo palapala means written language or writing. In this C2 topic, it refers especially to the sustained prose found in Hawaiian-language newspapers, laws, government notices, petitions, letters, reports, and historical narratives. Such texts may sound more deliberate and impersonal than conversation, but their building blocks are familiar Hawaiian ones: aspect particles such as ua and ke...nei, relative clauses, nominalization with ʻana, passive forms in -ʻia, and connectors such as no laila “therefore.”

The difficulty comes from density rather than from one new rule. A sentence may begin with a frame such as ma kēia mea “regarding this matter,” identify a person through a relative clause, and postpone the main action. English readers often look immediately for an English-style subject followed by a verb. Hawaiian instead gives grammatical information through particles and predicate-first patterns, so identifying each small marker is more reliable than preserving the printed word order in translation.

Historical documents introduce another layer. Older printing often leaves the glottal stop (ʻokina) and vowel length (kahakō) unmarked, and spelling or punctuation may differ by publication and period. A modern normalized transcription can therefore look different from the page image even when both represent the same Hawaiian. Read the form actually printed, but use syntax, context, and a reliable dictionary or edited text to test your interpretation.

How It Works

Start with the document frame

Formal prose commonly announces how the next statement relates to what came before. These opening expressions function as discourse markers—words or phrases that organize an argument rather than name an event.

Hawaiian frame	Usual function	Possible English rendering
Ma kēia mea,	sets the matter under discussion	regarding this matter; in this respect
No laila,	introduces a consequence or conclusion	therefore; accordingly
Ma muli o...	gives a basis or cause	because of; on the basis of
E like me...	introduces a standard or comparison	according to; as with
I mea e... ai	states a purpose	in order to; so that

Do not assign one fixed English phrase to each expression. Ma can mark a sphere or basis as well as a physical location, and no laila can connect an entire paragraph to the previous one. Determine the logical relation first, then choose idiomatic English.

Find the predicate and its particles

A predicate is what the sentence says about someone or something: an action, state, identity, or location. Hawaiian often places it before the subject. In long prose, aspect and mood particles are useful signposts.

Pattern	Core contribution	Formal-prose use
ke + verb + nei	action or state in progress now	a present declaration or acknowledgment
ua + verb	completed or realized event	records what happened or was established
e + verb	command, purpose, or projected action, depending on syntax	duties, instructions, resolutions
ʻaʻole...i + verb	negated completed event	denials and negative findings
ka + verb + ʻana	turns an event into a noun phrase	“the doing,” an act, process, or proceeding

In Ma kēia mea, ke hoʻomaopopo nei mākou, the opening phrase frames the topic; ke...nei surrounds hoʻomaopopo; and mākou is the subject, “we” excluding the people addressed. A context-sensitive translation such as “Regarding this matter, we hereby acknowledge” captures the official force. “Hereby” is not a separate Hawaiian word in the sentence; it is an English register choice.

Unpack noun phrases and relative clauses

Formal writing frequently identifies a role rather than naming a person: “the person who...,” “the matter that...,” or “the place where....” A relative clause is a clause that describes a noun. It follows the noun in Hawaiian.

• ka mea i kākau — the person/thing that wrote
• ka palapala a lākou i hoʻouna ai — the document that they sent
• ka mea nāna e mālama — the person whose responsibility/action it is to maintain

The word mea is broad: it can mean “thing,” “matter,” or “person,” depending on context. In ʻO ka mea nāna e mālama i kēia kuleana, nāna foregrounds the responsible agent and e mālama presents the action or duty. A natural legal translation is “the person who shall maintain this responsibility,” but e does not mechanically equal English shall in every setting.

The particle ai often closes a relative or subordinate clause and points back to an earlier circumstance, object, time, place, or reason: ke kumu i hoʻoholo ʻia ai “the reason it was decided.” When a sentence seems to contain an unexplained final ai, look backward for the element that the clause is completing.

Recognize passive and agent-backgrounding forms

Formal reports often emphasize an act or result rather than the actor. Many verbs form a passive with -ʻia (with phonological variation in actual words). The actor, if expressed, can follow e.

Pattern	Analysis	Translation
Ua hoʻoholo ʻia ka manaʻo.	completed + decide + passive + subject	The proposal was decided upon.
Ua hoʻoholo ʻia e ka ʻAha.	passive event + agent	It was decided by the Assembly.
E mālama ʻia kēia kuleana.	projected/required + maintain + passive	This responsibility is to be maintained.
Ua hoʻouna ʻia ka palapala.	completed + send + passive + subject	The document was sent.

English readers may mistake the phrase after e for a recipient because English to is common after verbs. Here e ka ʻAha names the agent—the body that made the decision. Conversely, not every omitted actor requires an English passive; translate according to the document’s focus.

Track reference across clauses

Long documents rely on demonstratives and repeated general nouns: kēia “this,” kēlā “that,” ua mea lā “the aforementioned person/thing” in some textual styles, mea “matter/person/thing,” and kuleana “right, responsibility, authority, or concern.” Their meaning comes from the preceding text. Do not translate kuleana automatically as “responsibility”; in a land, legal, or institutional context it may refer to a right, title, authority, or assigned role.

Pronouns also encode distinctions that English hides. Mākou means “we, excluding you,” whereas kākou includes the addressee. Thus ke hoʻomaopopo nei mākou presents an acknowledgment by one group, while e nānā kākou invites writer and audience to consider something together. This inclusive/exclusive contrast can carry rhetorical force in public writing.

Segment a long sentence

Use a repeatable reading procedure:

1. Mark punctuation, but do not assume historical punctuation matches modern clause boundaries.
2. Circle frames and connectors: ma kēia mea, no laila, ma muli o, no ka mea.
3. Underline predicate markers: ua, ke...nei, e, ʻaʻole...i.
4. Bracket noun phrases beginning with ka mea, ke kanaka, ka palapala, and similar heads.
5. Match relative-clause signals such as i, a/ā, nāna, and final ai.
6. Identify pronoun number and inclusion before translating.
7. Produce a literal clause map, then rewrite it as natural English.

This two-pass method prevents a smooth English guess from replacing the actual Hawaiian grammar.

Examples in Context

Hawaiian	English	Note
Ma kēia mea, ke hoʻomaopopo nei mākou.	Regarding this matter, we hereby acknowledge.	A topic frame precedes a present formal declaration.
ʻO ka mea nāna e mālama i kēia kuleana.	The person who shall maintain this responsibility.	Nāna foregrounds the responsible person.
Ua hoʻoholo ʻia e ka ʻAha.	It was decided by the Assembly.	Passive -ʻia; e introduces the agent.
No laila, e nānā kākou i ka mea pono.	Therefore, let us consider what is right.	Kākou includes both writer and audience.
Ua hoʻouna ʻia ka palapala i ke kiaʻāina.	The document was sent to the governor.	The document, not its sender, is foregrounded.
E mālama ʻia nā ʻōlelo o kēia kānāwai.	The provisions of this law are to be observed.	Projected or required action in a passive form.
Ma muli o ka hoʻoholo ʻana a ka ʻAha, ua hoʻomaka ka hana.	On the basis of the Assembly’s decision, the work began.	Hoʻoholo ʻana packages an event as a noun.
ʻO kēia ka palapala a lākou i hoʻouna ai.	This is the document that they sent.	Final ai completes the relative clause.
ʻAʻole i loaʻa mai ka pane a hiki i kēia lā.	No reply had been received up to this day.	Negative completed event followed by a time limit.
I mea e pono ai ka lehulehu, e mālama pono ʻia ke kānāwai.	For the public good, the law is to be carefully observed.	I mea e...ai introduces purpose.
Wahi a ke komisina, ua pau ka hana.	According to the commission, the work was completed.	Wahi a attributes a statement or report.
E like me ka mea i ʻōlelo ʻia ma luna aʻe nei.	As stated above.	A conventional cross-reference within a document.

Common Mistakes

Reading every sentence as subject–verb–object

• Wrong: Treat Ua hoʻoholo ʻia e ka ʻAha as though ka ʻAha were the ordinary subject before an object.
• Right: “It was decided by the Assembly.”
• Why: -ʻia marks a passive form, and e introduces the agent. Start from the Hawaiian particles, not English word order.

Translating e with one English word

• Wrong: Translate every e as “will” or every formal e + verb as “shall.”
• Right: Decide whether the construction expresses a command, purpose, projected event, invitation, or obligation.
• Why: English legal style often uses “shall,” but that is a translation choice, not a one-to-one meaning of e.

Losing the endpoint of a relative clause

• Wrong: Ignore ai in ka palapala a lākou i hoʻouna ai as an unnecessary filler.
• Right: Read the whole phrase as “the document that they sent.”
• Why: Ai links the clause back to the role represented by the head noun. Omitting it from the analysis can make a long sentence appear structurally incomplete.

Treating broad words as fixed technical terms

• Wrong: Translate every mea as “thing” and every kuleana as “responsibility.”
• Right: Choose “person,” “matter,” “provision,” “right,” “authority,” or another sense when the context supports it.
• Why: Formal documents narrow ordinary Hawaiian words through their legal and institutional context.

Assuming missing diacritics mean careless Hawaiian

• Wrong: Reject an older form because the printed page lacks modern ʻokina or kahakō.
• Right: Compare the historical image with a reputable transcription and reconstruct cautiously from grammar and context.
• Why: Printing conventions changed over time. Modern diacritics may clarify a reading, but silently adding them without evidence can also create the wrong word.

Confusing inclusive and exclusive “we”

• Wrong: Treat mākou and kākou as interchangeable equivalents of English “we.”
• Right: Read mākou as excluding the audience and kākou as including it.
• Why: In petitions, declarations, and appeals, this distinction helps identify who speaks and who is being invited or instructed.

Usage Notes

“Formal” covers several genres, not one uniform style. A newspaper editorial may use direct appeals and rhetorical questions; a statute favors definitions, duties, and impersonal decisions; a petition names petitioners and addressees; a historical narrative may combine elevated diction with vivid clause chaining. Genre should guide both interpretation and translation.

Capitalization and punctuation are editorial clues, not grammatical particles. Historical pages may have long paragraphs, variable commas, or typographic practices unlike those in current Hawaiian publications. Searchable transcriptions are invaluable, but page images reveal headings, columns, signatures, and other layout information that can resolve who is speaking.

Modernizing a text and translating it are separate tasks. A diplomatic transcription preserves the printed spelling as closely as practical; a normalized edition regularizes forms for modern readers. Keep track of which kind you are using. If you quote a historical source, do not silently present a normalized spelling as though it were the original print.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Use

At C2, accurate reading includes attention to rhetoric. Agentless passives can avoid naming responsibility, but they can also keep attention on an official action whose agent is already obvious. Inclusive kākou can build solidarity; exclusive mākou can mark an institution speaking to the public. A sequence such as ma kēia mea...no laila...i mea e... does more than connect clauses: it constructs a progression from topic, through conclusion, to proposed action.

Nominalization also changes perspective. Compare an event clause such as ua hoʻoholo ka ʻAha “the Assembly decided” with ka hoʻoholo ʻana a ka ʻAha “the Assembly’s deciding/decision.” The second form can serve as the basis, cause, subject, or object of another clause. Dense prose often nests such event-nouns inside prepositional phrases, so restore the underlying action mentally: who decided, what was decided, and what followed?

Do not assume that every unfamiliar form is archaic. It may be a productive word built with hoʻo-, a passive derivative, a genre-specific borrowing, a proper name, or an error in optical character recognition. Verify forms against the surrounding syntax and, where possible, another issue, edition, or dictionary. For consequential legal or historical interpretation, consult expert editions and cultural context rather than relying on grammar alone.

Finally, a polished translation need not imitate nineteenth-century English legal prose. First preserve participants, modality, inclusion, agency, and logical relations; then choose an English register appropriate to your purpose. A scholarly translation may stay close to repetitions that a general-reader translation would streamline.

Practice Tips

1. Annotate one paragraph in layers. Mark frames, predicate particles, passive endings, agents, and relative-clause boundaries in different passes. Only then draft the translation.
2. Compare image, transcription, and normalized text. Keep a log of words whose interpretation changes when ʻokina or kahakō are supplied. Record the grammatical evidence for each choice.
3. Build a genre phrasebook. Collect complete examples under headings such as attribution (wahi a), consequence (no laila), purpose (i mea e...ai), decision (ua hoʻoholo ʻia), and cross-reference (ma luna aʻe nei). Learn their function, not just a fixed gloss.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Traditional and Poetic Language — develops the vocabulary, older forms, and interpretive awareness needed for historical written sources.