Description
In 1854 Lorrin Andrews published his Hawaiian Grammar, a standard work for many years, and even today interesting to all students of the Hawaiian language. It is now out of print, howíever, and hence difficult to secure. In 1891 Prof. William D. Alexander published his “Short Synopsis of the Hawaiian Grammar,” an excellent work for all students of the language, but not sufficiently complete as a series of lessons for class-work. In 1930 Mrs. Mary Atcherly wrote “First Book in Hawaiian,” which was authorized by the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii and handled by the Hawaiian Board Book Booms. In view of the increasing interest in the language of the Hawaiian, people, amounting to a renascence in Hawaiiana, it has been felt that a new work in the Hawaiian language, based on modern systems of instruction such as are used in teaching French, Spanish, Italian or German should be prepared for use in class-rooms throughout the islands and also for individual study. I am grateful to a group of persons interested in the promotion of this book, whose encouragement has meant much to the editor. And I am indebted to earlier works on the subject, especially to Lorrin Andrews and William D. Alexander, whose books, mentioned above, are most important for any student seeking to perfect himself in the knowledge and use of Hawaiian. It is the hope that such a rich language as Hawaiian, rich in expressions of feeling and emotion and beautiful in phraseology, may be perpetuated by all those who are interested in Hawaiiana and that this work may be helpful in carrying out the ideal of a preserved Hawaiian language.

Excerpt
Hawaiian is one branch of the Polynesian language. It may well be regarded as a dialect of the Polynesian, others being the Samoan, Tahitian, Marquesan, Tuamotuan, and Maori dialects chiefly. There is an affinity between these dialects, some being closer than others. The Maori, Tahitian and Tuamotuan are closer to the Hawaiian in vocabulary than is the Samoan to the Hawaiian. And yet there are many words in the Samoan dialect exactly the same as in Hawaiian. The original home of the Polynesians was in India in all probability, and after a long period of migration they found themselves in the Pacific Ocean area. It is most likely that Tahiti or Raiatea in the Society Islands was the point from which the original migration of the alii and kahuna to Hawaii took place almost a thousand years ago. There are records of various voyages between Tahiti and Hawaii; the names of these pioneers have been handed down from generation to generation.