Phonemes and Allophones
The following description of Hawaiian phonemes and their allophones is based on the experiences of the people who developed the Hawaiian alphabet, as described by Schütz, and on the descriptions of Hawaiian pronunciation and phonology made by Lyovin, and Elbert & Pukui. Some additional details on glottal consonants are found in Carter.
It is notable that Hawaiian does not distinguish between and ; few languages do not make that distinction. The American missionaries who developed written Hawaiian during the 1820s found that a reflex was common at the Kauaʻi (Tauaʻi) end of the island chain, and a reflex at the Big Island (island of Hawaiʻi) end. They decided to use
The missionaries also found allophonic variation between and (written with d) and, between and, and between and .
Read more about this topic: Hawaiian Phonology
Famous quotes containing the word phonemes:
“The mastery of one’s phonemes may be compared to the violinist’s mastery of fingering. The violin string lends itself to a continuous gradation of tones, but the musician learns the discrete intervals at which to stop the string in order to play the conventional notes. We sound our phonemes like poor violinists, approximating each time to a fancied norm, and we receive our neighbor’s renderings indulgently, mentally rectifying the more glaring inaccuracies.”
—W.V. Quine (b. 1908)