THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	18
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE USE OR INCORPORATION OF THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE INTO THE VOCABULARY USED TO IDENTIFY LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA AND INTO SAFETY WARNINGS AND ENCOURAGING THE IMPROVED PRONUNCIATION OF WORDS IN THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaiian is one of the official languages of the State, and the Legislature has a unique responsibility to promote the use of the Hawaiian language and enhance the Hawaiian language's role in maintaining the unique identity of the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, flora and fauna of Hawai‘i are highly distinctive and closely associated with the Hawaiian language and culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, it has long been customary for various people who have made Hawai‘i their home to use Hawaiian terms as the common name for local flora and fauna; and

 

     WHEREAS, in recent years, for various reasons, the use of Hawaiian terms for flora and fauna found in Hawai‘i has decreased; for example, the fish long known locally as "manini" is increasingly being referred to as a "convict tang", and the plant long known locally as "pōhuehue" is increasingly being called a "beach morning glory"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the use of Hawaiian names for local flora and fauna has declined despite the fact that most people who move to Hawai‘i come from places without a tradition of calling local flora and fauna by a particular name in the native language; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that state offices, including state educational entities and recreational facilities, are urged to use Hawaiian names as the sole common names of local flora and fauna, including distinctive Hawaiian names for different sizes or varieties of flora and fauna when such names exist such as, "akule" for full grown fish and "halalū" for smaller fish; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that when it is important for science related reasons, this body urges that the Hawaiian names be used followed by the internationally recognized Latin name, e.g., naupaka, Scaevola taccada, or with a more precise Hawaiian name accompanied by the internationally recognized Latin name, e.g., naupaka kahakai, Scaevola taccada; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that when a particular office needs to use an English name in a safety warning, this body urges that office to use the Hawaiian name as well, and where possible, to use the name in one or more languages indicating concern and respect for the welfare of a particular community of tourists or local residents; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that government employees are encouraged to pronounce the names of local flora and fauna properly in the Hawaiian language, as indicated by the spelling readily available through websites such as wehewehe.org, where all ‘okina and kahakō are fully marked; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in written use of the names of local flora and fauna, the full spelling include the ‘okina and kahakō in order to further inform the public of the proper Hawaiian pronunciation of such terms and promote proper pronunciation; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that government employees who are unfamiliar with the rules of pronouncing the Hawaiian language are encouraged to learn to do so; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that local media, private schools, the tourism industry and other businesses, and the general public are encouraged to follow the above described practices to preserve what Hawaiian terms are still in use and to increase the use of Hawaiian terms that have already been largely replaced by English terms; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that more effort be put toward researching terms that have been lost or that are needed to describe flora and fauna that have been recently identified as a new species or introduced to Hawai‘i from elsewhere; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, who in turn is requested to transmit a copy to the Department of Education's offices responsible for teaching science and Hawaiian studies, Chairperson of the State Public Charter School Commission, President of the University of Hawai‘i System, who in turn is requested to transmit a copy to its entities responsible for researching and teaching science and Hawaiian studies, President of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, President of the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Association of Broadcasters, and the two largest newspapers in circulation in each of the counties.

Report Title: 

Hawaiian Language; Local Flora and Fauna