Language lessons across the USA and Canada

Call us! 1-877-566-9299 / 1-416-800-9242

The Hawaiian Language

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 states; one of only two that do not observe daylight savings time; and has a rich history pre-European contact.

It has two official languages: English and Hawaiian. Hawaiian Creole English (or pidgin) is used by many residents of the state, either as a native or second language. The Hawaiian language experienced a resurgence since the late 20th Century, with immersion schools and a campus of the University of Hawaii teaching in the language. However according to Keola Donaghy in an interview with Indigenous Tweets, the number of speakers has now reached a plateau of around 10,000 people.

Donaghy is a non-native speaker but has done a lot of work to promote the language, including working on the Google search interface in Hawaiian. He has a vision that people will be able to use technology in Hawaiian. Read the rest of his interview, and view links to Hawaiian language resources here.