{{Short description|Variety of the Hawaiian language spoken on Niihau Island, Hawaii}} {{Infobox language | name = Ni{{okina}}ihau | familycolor = Austronesian | nativename = Olelo Matuahine, Olelo Kanaka Ni{{okina}}ihau | fam2 = [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|Malayo-Polynesian]] | fam3 = [[Oceanic languages|Oceanic]] | fam4 = [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian]] | fam5 = [[Eastern Polynesian languages|Eastern Polynesian]] | fam6 = [[Marquesic languages|Marquesic]] | fam7 = [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] | ethnicity = [[Native Hawaiians|Hawaiians]] | region = [[Niʻihau]], [[Kauaʻi]] | speakers = 84-110 | date = 2024 | ref = <ref>{{e25|haw|Hawaiian}}</ref> | states = [[Hawaiʻi]] | script = [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] | iso3 = | isoexception = dialect | map = Spoken extent of Niihau dialect.png | mapcaption = The dialect is native to Niʻihau (dark red) and a significant Niʻihau diaspora that lives on Kauaʻi (light red). }}
The '''Ni{{okina}}ihau dialect''' ({{langx|haw|ʻŌlelo Niʻihau|label=Standard Hawaiian}}, {{langx|haw|Olelo Matuahine|label=Niʻihau|lit=mother tongue}}) is a variety of the [[Hawaiian language]] spoken on the island of [[Niʻihau]], more specifically in its only settlement [[Puʻuwai, Hawaii|Puʻuwai]], and on the island of [[Kauaʻi]] around [[Kekaha, Hawaii|Kekaha]] where descendants of families from Ni{{okina}}ihau now live. Today, the Ni{{okina}}ihau variety of Hawaiian is taught in [[Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha]].
== Extent == Today, families with ancestry in Ni{{okina}}ihau who now on western Kauaʻi speak a similar variety to that spoken on Ni{{okina}}ihau, but some speakers refer to the speakers of the dialect outside of Niʻihau as speakers of Olelo Kauaʻi.
== Phonology ==
===Consonants=== {| class="wikitable" |+ Consonants ! ![[labial consonant|Labial]] ![[alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ![[velar consonant|Velar]] ![[glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- align=center ![[Nasal stop|Nasal]] | {{IPA|m}} | {{IPA|n}} | | |- align=center ![[plosive consonant|Plosive]] | {{IPA|p}} | colspan=2|{{IPA|t ~ k}} | {{IPA|ʔ}} |- align=center ![[fricative consonant|Fricative]] | | | | {{IPA|h}} |- align=center ![[sonorant consonant|Sonorant]] | {{IPA|w ~ v}} | {{IPA|l ~ ɾ}} | | |}
Unlike the Hawaiian taught in schools, the Niʻihau dialect maintains the variation between {{IPA|[ɾ]}} and {{IPA|[l]}}, in addition to {{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[k]}}. Some other pockets of speakers on Molokai and Maui have also been found to maintain the {{IPA|[t]}} variant. While in the 1950s the Niʻihau dialect had free variation between {{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[k]}},<ref name="Blust369">{{cite journal|last1=Blust|first1=Robert|date=December 2004|journal=Oceanic Linguistics|volume=43|issue=2|title=*t to ''k'': An Austronesian Sound Change Revisited|pages=365–410|doi=10.1353/ol.2005.0001 }}</ref> recent observations suggest that {{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[k]}} are currently found in largely [[complementary distribution]] in the modern Niʻihau dialect. The {{IPA|[k]}} [[allophone]] appears when before other syllables containing the {{IPA|[t]}} allophone: thus Niʻihau has {{lang|haw|ketahi}} 'one', {{lang|haw|kātou}} 'we ([[clusivity|inclusive]])', {{lang|haw|makahiti}} 'year', where standard Hawaiian has {{lang|haw|kekahi}}, {{lang|haw|kākou}}, and {{lang|haw|makahiki}}.<ref name="Blust369"/><ref name="Wong">{{cite book|last1=Wong|first1=Annette Kuuipolani Kanahele|date=May 2020|publisher=University of Hawaii Press |title=Mai Pukaiki Kula Maniania a Puuwai Aloha o ka Ohana|isbn=9780824880361}}</ref>
This pattern of [[Dissimilation (phonology)|dissimilation]] is also extended to some loanwords. For example, the English word 'cook' is reflected in Niʻihau Hawaiian as {{lang|haw|kute}}, even though the word 'cook' does not have a {{IPA|[t]}} in English.<ref name="Blust369"/>
The {{IPA|[k]}} allophone, represented in standard Hawaiian and the [[Hawaiian alphabet]], is prestigious and associated with reading styles. The Bible in particular is always read with {{IPA|[k]}}. The dissimilation pattern in colloquial Niʻihau may be due to an effort to preserve the Niʻihau dialect's distinctiveness from standard Hawaiian.<ref name="Blust369"/>
===Vowels=== Like the Hawaiian taught in universities, ʻŌlelo Niʻihau has five [[Vowel length|short]] and five [[Vowel length|long]] [[vowel]]s, plus [[diphthong]]s.
====Monophthongs==== {|class="wikitable" |+ [[Monophthong]]s !rowspan=2 | ! colspan=2 | [[Vowel length|Short]] ! colspan=2 | [[Vowel length|Long]] |- ! [[Front vowel|Front]] ! [[Back vowel|Back]] ! Front ! Back |- align=center ![[Close vowel|Close]] |{{IPA|i}} |{{IPA|u}} |{{IPA|iː}} |{{IPA|uː}} |- align=center ! [[Mid vowel|Mid]] |{{IPA|ɛ ~ e}} |{{IPA|o}} |{{IPA|eː}} |{{IPA|oː}} |- align=center ! [[Open vowel|Open]] | colspan=2 | {{IPA|a ~ ɐ ~ ə}} | colspan=2 | {{IPA|aː}} |}
Niʻihau retains the five pure vowels characteristic of Hawaiian with few changes. The short vowels are {{IPA|/u, i, o, e, a/}}, and the long vowels, if they are considered separate phonemes rather than simply sequences of like vowels, are {{IPA|/uː, iː, oː, eː, aː/}}. When stressed, short {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/a/}} have been described as becoming {{IPA|[ɛ]}} and {{IPA|[ɐ]}}, while when unstressed they are {{IPA|[e]}} and {{IPA|[ə]}} {{Citation needed|reason=to back up assertion|date=September 2018}}. Parker Jones, however, did not find a reduction of /a/ to {{IPA|[ə]}} in the phonetic analysis of a young speaker from [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo, Hawaiʻi]]; so there is at least some variation in how /a/ is realised.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Parker Jones|first=ʻŌiwi|date=April 2018|title=Hawaiian|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-phonetic-association/article/hawaiian/9F2B300BCF6EE97EA7E4437C5FCECB57|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|language=en|volume=48|issue=1|pages=103–115|doi=10.1017/S0025100316000438|s2cid=232350292 |issn=0025-1003|url-access=subscription}}</ref> {{IPA|/e/}} also tends to become {{IPA|[ɛ]}} next to {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, and another {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, as in ''Pele'' {{IPA|[pɛlɛ]}}. Some grammatical particles vary between short and long vowels. These include ''a'' and ''o'' "of", ''ma'' "at", ''na'' and ''no'' "for". Between a back vowel {{IPA|/o/}} or {{IPA|/u/}} and a following non-back vowel ({{IPA|/a e i/}}), there is an [[epenthesis|epenthetic]] {{IPA|[w]}}, which is generally not written. Between a front vowel {{IPA|/e/}} or {{IPA|/i/}} and a following non-front vowel ({{IPA|/a o u/}}), there is an [[epenthetic]] {{IPA|[j]}} (a ''y'' sound), which is never written.
====Diphthongs==== {|class="wikitable" |+ Short [[diphthong]]s ! ! Ending with {{IPA|/u/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/i/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/o/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/e/}} |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/i/}} | align=center | {{IPA|iu}} | | | |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/o/}} | align=center | {{IPA|ou}} | align=center | {{IPA|oi}} | | |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/e/}} | align=center | {{IPA|eu}} | align=center | {{IPA|ei}} | | |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/a/}} | align=center | {{IPA|au}} | align=center | {{IPA|ai}} | align=center | {{IPA|ao}} | align=center | {{IPA|ae}} |}
The short-vowel diphthongs are {{IPA|/iu, ou, oi, eu, ei, au, ai, ao, ae/}}. In all except perhaps {{IPA|/iu/}}, these are [[falling diphthong]]s. However, they are not as tightly bound as the diphthongs of English, and may be considered vowel sequences.<ref name=":3" /> (The second vowel in such sequences may receive the stress, but in such cases it is not counted as a diphthong.) In fast speech, {{IPA|/ai/}} tends to {{IPA|[ei]}} and {{IPA|/au/}} tends to {{IPA|[ou]}}, conflating these diphthongs with {{IPA|/ei/}} and {{IPA|/ou/}}.
There are only a limited number of vowels which may follow long vowels, and some authors treat these sequences as diphthongs as well: {{IPA|/oːu, eːi, aːu, aːi, aːo, aːe/}}.
{|class="wikitable" |+Long diphthongs ! ! Ending with {{IPA|/u/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/i/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/o/}} ! Ending with {{IPA|/e/}} |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/o/}} | align=center | {{IPA|oːu}} | | | |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/e/}} | | align=center | {{IPA|eːi}} | | |- ! Starting with {{IPA|/a/}} | align=center | {{IPA|aːu}} | align=center | {{IPA|aːi}} | align=center | {{IPA|aːo}} | align=center | {{IPA|aːe}} |}
=== Speech tempo === Research done by Newman (1951) suggests Niʻihau dialect is among the fastest spoken Hawaiian dialects. He reported a Niʻihau woman having a reading speed of 170 words per minute whereas a man from [[Kalapana, Hawaii|Kalapana]] read at a slower 120.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Elbert |first1=Samuel H.|title=Hawaiian Grammar |last2=Pukui |first2=Mary Kawena |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780824824891 |pages=23 |language=en}}</ref>
The fast pace of the Niʻihau dialect causes a number of phonemic reductions.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=D. McConnell |first=Grant |title=Linguistic Composition of the Nations of the World |publisher=Presses de l'Université Laval |pages=56 |language=fr}}</ref> Newman lists three examples of this phenomenon: {| class="wikitable" |+ !English !Standard Haw. !Niʻihau dialect |- |'living' |noho ʻana |nooana |- |'two of my sisters' |ʻelua oʻu kika |elu aʻu tita |- |'one room' |hoʻokahi lumi |hoʻotaii lumi |}
=== Diacritics === Niʻihau dialect does not use an [[ʻOkina|ʻokina]] to represent glottal stops nor a [[Kahako|kahakō]] (macron) to indicate long vowels. The Hawaiian word /ʔoːlelo/ ("language") is spelt ''olelo'' in Niʻihau and ''ʻōlelo'' in Standard Hawaiian.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Bibliography == {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last1=Blust |first1=Robert |author1-link=Robert Blust |title=*t to k: An Austronesian Sound Change Revisited |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |date=2004 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=365–410 |doi=10.1353/ol.2005.0001 |jstor=3623363 |s2cid=143013834 |issn=0029-8115 }} {{refend}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Hawaiian language]] [[Category:Niihau]]