Happy Hawaiian Language Month!

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The state of Hawaii designates February as the month of the Hawaiian language, a marker that Sen. Daniel Akaka shared on Capitol Hill this week.

“The Hawaiian language is thriving in our modern society and it remains relevant as technology evolves around us,” Akaka said in a statement. “The iPhone and Google’s homepage are just two instances where the Hawaiian language can be selected as an option in language settings. Developers of the popular website, Wikipedia, borrowed the Hawaiian word wikiwiki, meaning speedy, for its name.” 

Notice the okina and the kaʻahua — or space — buttons on DC808‘s iPhone keyboard: 

The day of the week — Poʻahā — and the month — Pepeluali — are also featured in Hawaiian:

To set your iPhone keyboard to Hawaiian, select settings; general; keyboard; international; add new keyboard, then pick “Hawaiian” from the list. 

To set your iPhone format to Hawaiian, select settings; general; international; region format, then pick “Hawaiian (United States)” from the list. 

And for those who aren’t fluent, check out one of DC808’s favorite online resources. Then read Akaka’s complete remarks. 

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