Land and Place Name Vocabulary

ʻŌlelo ʻĀina

About this concept

Hawaiian place names encode geography, history, and cultural memory. Understanding the vocabulary within names reveals meaning: Honolulu (sheltered bay), Waikīkī (spouting water), Mauna Kea (white mountain).

In Settemila Lingue, this concept generates a practice deck of ~30 cards at level C1.

Examples

Honolulu = hono (bay) + lulu (sheltered)sheltered bay

Waikīkī = wai (water) + kīkī (spouting)spouting water

Haleakalā = hale (house) + a + ka + lā (sun)house of the sun

Molokaʻi = molo (to weave) + kaʻi (a procession)a weaving procession (debated etymology)

More C1 concepts

Traditional and Poetic LanguageʻŌlelo Kahiko Complex Clause ChainingPepeke Pākuʻi Proverbs and Sayings (ʻŌlelo Noʻeau)ʻŌlelo Noʻeau Body-Based Metaphors and IdiomsHua ʻŌlelo Kino Song and Chant Structures (Mele/Oli)Mele a me Oli

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