Multiple Adjectives in Hawaiian

[Riptide]

Hi. I was just wondering how multiple adjectives work in Hawaiian. Here's an example sentence:

The large, fierce shark chased the fish around the entire ocean.

How would I say that in Hawaiian? Also, is there a rule about multiple adjectives in general?

[kahihi'o]

Translations might differ. I'd word the translation something like this below.

The large, fierce shark chased the fish around the entire ocean.
Ua alualu ka manō nui a weliweli i ka iʻa a puni ka moana.

If there are two adjectives, I would separate them with the word a ("and"). It is also possible to say, manō nui weliweli with the same meaning. I think the first one would be more common though.

In Hawaiian, having two or more adjectives following a noun is relatively rare. But here is an example of three adjectives occurring together.

He poʻe liʻiliʻi, nāwaliwali naʻaupō mākou (Alexander, 1864, p.30).
We are small, weak ignorant people.

[Riptide]

Interesting. Anyways, mahalo. I'm thinking about learning Hawaiian, yet I'm also thinking of learning Samoan or continuing Māori. But I haven't decided yet.

[kahihi'o]

Cool. If you're interested in Hawaiian, there are a lot of resources available for free online nowadays. For example, we have an online dictionary, multiple digitized books including a Hawaiian language course book and grammar book, mp3 recordings of interviews with native speakers, and a short, daily Hawaiian language news segment.

Samoan and Māori are definitely interesting. I'm thinking about learning Tongan or Samoan soon, since they are a bit more different from Hawaiian than Māori.

Heck, if I were smart enough I'd like to learn them all. But it would probably take me a very long time.

[Riptide]

Agreed. Well, I'll look into these sites. Thanks by the way for providing me with these. As for the other languages, it might take a while to learn all of them, but I want to learn at least one or two of them. Anyways, you said that Samoan and Tongan are more different different than Hawaiian and Māori. How similar would you say are Hawaiian and Māori? I thought they were two entirely different languages.

[kahihi'o]

Agreed. Well, I'll look into these sites. Thanks by the way for providing me with these. As for the other languages, it might take a while to learn all of them, but I want to learn at least one or two of them. Anyways, you said that Samoan and Tongan are more different different than Hawaiian and Māori. How similar would you say are Hawaiian and Māori? I thought they were two entirely different languages.

Hawaiian and Māori are actually very closely related languages. Both are Eastern Polynesian languages. Hawaiian falls into the Marquesic subgroup and Māori falls into the Tahitic. Below is a family tree of Polynesian languages.





To illustrate the similarity between Hawaiian and Māori, this is a word list from the Māori forum. We have cognates for almost all of these in Hawaiian, as shown below.

Koe - you (singular)
Kōrua - you two (dual)
Koutou - you (plural)
Au/hau/wau - I/me
Katoa - All
Auē - Interjection of sadness
Kaiako - Teacher
Māori - Polynesian
hiakai - Hungry
hiawai - Thirsty (for water)
Koa - Joy, happy
Ātaahua - beautiful
Matenga - death, sickness
ata - morning
awatea - midday
ahiahi - afternoon
pō - night
noho - sit
tomo - enter
Haere mai - welcome
tika - correct
mea - thing
Ināianei - now
Ākuanei - soon
Āe - yes
Kāo - no
Ingoa - name
Ingoa mōkai- nickname
Pai - good
Kino - bad
Tino kino - really bad
Pēhea - how

In Hawaiian:

ʻoe
ʻolua
ʻoukou
au, wau
ʻākoakoa (?)
auē
maoli
makena
kakahiaka
awakea
ahiahi
pō
noho
komo
hele mai
mea
auaneʻi
ʻae
inoa
ʻino
pehea