The easiest way to learn another language is to be immersed in it. Hear it, read it, speak it each and every day. Unfortunately, for many of us, that is often not possible. To compensate for that, here are some tips:
1) Define your goal
It’s not enough to vaguely decide you want to “learn Hawaiian.” Be precise. Think in terms of “I want to be able to read a Hawaiian newspaper by Christmas,” or “I want to understand Hawaiian songs by my wedding.” Goals that are well defined are more likely to be achieved.
2) Find a study buddy
It helps to have someone to encourage, and to encourage you. Tackling the same problem from different perspectives gives additional insight. A little friendly competition can be inspiring. And many people find it is just more fun to study with another person.
3) Talk to yourself
When your buddy is not available, or you do not have one, talk to yourself. You’ll learn a lot faster if you engage all of the faculties used in speaking, including hearing. You want to hear yourself speak.
4) Make it interesting
For most adults, “This is a pencil” gets deadly boring in short order. Study things you are passionate about. A good place to start is with children’s books and videos on the subject. They use simple language and shorter sentences, and usually have lots of illustrations. Also, when you want to talk to people, it is far more interesting to discuss subject of mutual interest, than it is to explain to them that you have a pencil.
5) Sticky notes are your friend
Look up everything in your home and write its Hawaiian name on a sticky note. Attach the sticky note to it. Every time you look at the thing, visualize it and say (yes, out loud), “He __________ kēia.” This is a ______. “
He ___________ kēlā.”
That is a ________. “
He __________kēnā.”
That (away from you, but near the person addressed) is a _________.
6) Repeat, repeat, repeat
When you were a baby, the adults around you repeated things constantly, “Dog. Dog. YES! That is a dog. Pet the dog. Nice dog. Dog!” It worked very well to teach you your first language. It will work to help teach you your next language.
7) Read, read, read
Read quality material as much as possible. Whatever your religious background, the Hawaiian language Bible is excellent reading practice. Also, the Hawaiian language newspapers.
8) Listen, listen, listen
Hawaiian songs are a great way to learn Hawaiian language! Just be sure to select musicians with an excellent command of the language. Diana Aki, the Lim family, Kealiʻi Reichel, the Kanakaʻole family come immediately to mind. But, there are many, many more!
9) Write, write, write
Write to do lists, notes to self, greeting cards to friends in Hawaiian. Write poems and songs. Whenever you have the opportunity, write. Not type. Not text. Write. You can do the others, too. But first, write. Studies show that the act of writing imprints the information better into the brain.
10) Have fun
Let yourself enjoy the process. Be curious. Find new words and be excited about them. Don’t worry about being a great grammarian. You weren’t when you were three. But you could certainly communicate. Relive that joyous exploration of the new world that words opened up to you.