Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
" Mele Kalikimaka" (pronounced [ˈmɛlɛ kəˌlitiˈmɐkə]) is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song written in 1949 by R. Alex Anderson. The song takes its title from the Hawaiian transliteration of "Merry Christmas", Mele Kalikimaka. [1] One of the earliest recordings of this song was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1950 on Decca. [2]
The phrase is borrowed directly from English, but, since Hawaiian has a different phonological system (in particular, Hawaiian does not possess the /r/ or /s/ of English, nor does it have the phonotactic constraints to allow consonants at the end of a syllable), "Merry Christmas" becomes "Mele Kalikimaka". [9]
The following description of Hawaiian phonemes and their allophones is based on the experiences of the people who developed the Hawaiian alphabet, as described by Schütz, [2] and on the descriptions of Hawaiian pronunciation and phonology made by Lyovin, [3] and Elbert & Pukui. [4] [5] Some additional details on glottal consonants are found in ...
Mele are chants, songs, or poems. The term comes from the Hawaiian language. It is frequently used in song titles such as "He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi", composed in 1866 by Liliʻuokalani as a national anthem. Hawaiian songbooks often carry the word in the book's title. [1] Mele is a cognate of Fijian language meke.
Robert Alexander Anderson (often given as R. Alex Anderson) (June 6, 1894 – May 30, 1995) [1] was an American composer who was born and lived most of his life in Hawaii, writing many popular Hawaiian songs within the hapa haole genre including "Lovely Hula Hands" (1940) and "Mele Kalikimaka" (1949), the latter the best known Hawaiian Christmas song.
This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Hawaiian on Wikipedia. It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Hawaiian in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them.
Christmas With Arthur Godfrey and All The Little Godfreys (1953, Columbia B-348; Kahauolopua sings Mele Kalikimaka) [7] Al Kealoha Perry & His Singing Surfriders: Aloha, Hula Hawaiian Style (1996, Hana Ola Records. Perry was musical director of Hawaii Calls 1937–1967, and all the artists on this record were from that show.
Mele Kalikimaka is not a translation of Merry Christmas. It is a transposing of English words to make them look Hawaiian. He pololei ʻoe! And for the use directly above me. Yes, the Hawaiian word "mele" does mean song. However, in the case of Mele Kalikimaka, the word Mele means Merry.