If you enjoy languages, I think you'd enjoy Hawaiian. It is SO sonorous! Here we are singing "Savior, Like a Shepherd, Lead Us" last Sunday.
Another famous hymn is "How Great Thou Art." Here are the words of its unforgettable chorus:
These words are usually printed in English as follows:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art.
The Hawaiian here is really interesting! There are three key words:
1. mele. This means either "sing" (verb) or "song" (noun) in Hawaiian.
2. nani. This means "beauty," "glory," splendor," "awesome," "beautiful," "glorious," "glorify," "honor," "praise."
3. ho'ōla. Here the idea is "life," "salvation," "health," "save," "heal," "healer," "savior."
With this in mind, here's my rendering of the Hawaiian chorus:
I sing to the Savior,
How glorious, how glorious!
I sing to the Savior,
How glorious, how glorious!
Isn't that lovely nani?
Even knowing a little bit of Hawaiian can be helpful when driving around the islands. Here's a gas station. "Hele" means "go."
And here's the high school in Waimanalo.
"Ke" is the article "the." "Kula" is actually formed from the English word "school." The "s" has been dropped and an "a" added to the end (every syllable in Hawaiian must end in a vowel). "Nui" means "big." Isn't this fun?
I have been assiduously studying Hawaiian on my own. I am still learning and would be the first to say that I have a long ways to go. To help myself in my study of Hawaiian I've begun to memorize certain phrases, such as:
By grace are you saved,
Ma ka lokomaika'i ua ho'olaia oukou.
The Word was with God.
Me ke Akua ka olelo.
God is love.
He aloha ke Akua.
The peace of God be with you.
Ka maluhia o ke Akua me oukou.
God created the heavens and the earth.
Ua hana ke Akua i ka lani a me ka honua.
Glory to God.
Ho'onani i ke Akua.
Let us love another, for love is of God.
E aloha kakou i kekahi i kekahi no ke Akua ke aloha.
Please enjoy these sentences and may they bless you. I praise and thank the Lord for allowing me to share what he has shared with me.