I have gone over the particulars of Lesson 13, in which Judd presents the rules for using ka and ke as the as the singular definite article of the Hawaiian language. The form of the singular definite article in PNP (Proto-Nuclear Polynesian) is te, as in the name of the Maori opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, so I first tried to derive a rule whereby ke became ka under certain conditions (the definite ka has a short vowel, whereas the a-class possessive ka has a long vowel). Dissimilation of ke to ka before words which begin with front vowels (e, i) and occasionally the lower central vowel (a) makes evolutionary sense, but that cannot be the underlying model at the time Judd composed his grammar, since the back vowels also use ka. It is worth noting that Judd’s ‘okina-less orthography does not appear to disguise a distinction between the two forms dependent on the presence or absence of the ‘okina for words with an initial u, but perhaps does for words with an initial o. The use of ke before words beginning with k appears to be linguistic conservation in a “potassium-rich” environment, and the use of both ka and ke before words beginning with p preserves a useful semantic distinction between ka pa ‘the yard’ and ke pa ‘the dish’ (both have a long vowel). This utility hypothesis, however, is called into question by the widespread semantic homophony elsewhere in the Hawaiian language.
The rule which Na Puke Wehewehe ‘Olelo Hawai’i lists is the following: ke is used before words beginning with a, e, o, and k, and sometimes p and the ‘okina. I am not certain whether the use of ke or ka preserves any semantic distinction for the words beginning with the ‘okina, or whether the mixture there is due to the slide from historical and Kauai k to Hawai’i ‘okina. The rule I can derive from this is: the vowel of ke is lowered to ka before the high vowels i and u, and vowel of ke is preserved before any consonant other than k. The consonants p and the ‘okina are the logical outliers for this rule, since (quite aside from the semantic distinction between pa and pa) the ‘okina is the last step before a bare vowel, and the labial plosive p is often tied to the velar plosive k: examples include the development of Welsh pedwar ‘four’ from the Brythonic root kwet-, similar to Latin quattuor,. More generally, velars and labials are related: note the change of the Sumerian (nasal) velar g~ into a labial m in the Emesal, or women’s dialect. Na Puke Wehewehe ‘Olelo Hawai’i also notes the pre-1850 documents in Hawaiian, before any official grammar had been published, allowed ke before consonants which were neither p nor k - sadly, it does not mention whether this situation also pertained to the ‘okina. This difference between the pre-1850 records and the official Hawaiian of today suggests the use of ka spread from the words beginning with vowels and perhaps the ‘okina to the other consonants. The use of both ka and ke in front of the ‘okina would be critical for the reanalysis, since it would give speakers “permission” to use ka in front of consonants. I also suspect that the influence of English grammar, specifically a more rigid distinction between verbal and nominal forms, may have pushed the educated Hawaiian speakers towards a more frequent use of ka with nouns, since ke is used in several verbal constructions.
1. Ua ike makou i ka uila. We have known the lightning.
2. Ua lohe makou i ka hekili. We have heard the thunder.
3. Ke hoopaa nei oia i ka ukana. He ties fast the cargo.
4. Ke noho nei oia ma ke one. He sits in the sand.
5. Ua hiki mai ka elele. The messenger has arrived.
6. Ua hele mai ke kanaka mai Maui mai. The man has moved from Maui.
7. Ke hahai nei ka ilio i kona kahu. The dog pursues his provider.
8. Pehea oukou i keia mau la. How are you-all?
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