This is how I learned to SOUND like a Native speaker…

Aloha mai kakou,

Do you know about the Hawaiian radio show from the 70s called Ka Leo Hawaii? It’s an interview-style show led by Larry Kimura, featuring a lot of Native speakers of Hawaiian. I bet your kupuna remembers it... Go ask! 

Now you can listen to Ka Leo Hawaii recordings online, and it’s a really great resource to immerse yourself (auditory) in the Hawaiian language.

I highly recommend listening to Ka Leo Hawaii because it is the most legit way to learn correct pronunciation. You’ll hear the intonation and flow of Native speech, and you will learn ways to express yourself in Hawaiian and new words. You’ll also connect with an old Hawaii that we didn’t get to see. You can get a glimpse of the way Hawaii used to be through the real-life stories that are told.

I used this resource a lot when I was learning Hawaiian. I also had contact with speakers from Niihau. In my first year on campus at UH Manoa, I had a brief interaction with a teacher, and he asked me, “He keiki Niihau oe?” Basically, he asked if I was a native of Niihau. I said no, why? He said it because of the way I spoke. Which I thought was pretty cool. I’ve actually had quite a few people ask if I’m a Native speaker, and it’s only because I learned how to speak by listening to Native speakers!

• This is how I recommend using Ka Leo Hawaii recordings… 
• Select any recording and start listening (I recommend starting with this one: Ka Leo Hawaiʻi 001: John Almeida and then go listen to his music!)
• Listen to 30 seconds - 1 minute and analyze it thoroughly (listen to it a few times, write down what you know and what you don’t know.). 
• Have the episodes play in the background while you commute, clean the house, etc. The more you listen the quicker you’ll pick it up. Let it be the soundtrack of your life.

My goal for you is to sound like a Native when you speak Hawaiian. You want to be so good that you’re fooling people into thinking you're a Native speaker! Listening to Ka Leo Hawaii is an easy way to help you perpetuate the language the way our ancestors spoke it. 

Have you listened to these recordings yet? Yes? No? If you have, what is one thing you learned? 

Hit reply and email me back.

Owau iho no ia,

Malu

Ka-alala.mykajabi.com