Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 8, 1 August 1986 — Book Review [ARTICLE]

Book Review

Hawaiian Dictionary Revised and Enlarged Edition Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert By Maleolm Naea Chun Cultural Affairs Officer At last the long awaited revised and enlarged edition of the Hawaiian Dictionary has been published by the University of Hawaii Press. It has been in the process of revision and enlargement since 1972 and had been long anticipated by Hawaiian language teachers, students and speakers since that time. More than 3,000 new entries have been added, including such words as mikini ho'onohonoho 'ikena/ computer and alapi'i lawe 'ohua/ escalator. There are also other new and missing elements to this new edition: The print is a lot smaller and those who use the dictionary often may want to purchase a magnifying glass or a line marker to help in reading the text. Another new addition is a new or different means to help in the pronunciation of words whieh looks like this: kolo.kolo. kua.hiwi. The periods after eaeh "unit" is used to stress the pronunciation perhaps to help a user from saying kolokolo ku ahi wi if such markers are not provided. This is a new guide and may be looked upon as something strange or different, but like the macron and glottal they are tools whieh should help those leaming the language. It is sad to say that the element missing is the glossary of Hawaiian gods. It is sad to see its deletion, especially since that section, too, could have been revised and enlarged, it is certain something that is needed in Hawaiian Studies. Also it should be noted that the price has increased to nearly $30. However, the Hawaiian Dictionary remains the one vital tool for anyone interested in Hawaiian culture and language. It would be extremely difficult to function without one.