Intended for self-learning as well as classroom use, this book presents the principal conversational and grammatical patterns of the language. Each of the sixty-seven lessons is a sample dialog in Hawaiian with English translation.
Samuel H. Elbert, professor emeritus of Pacific languages and linguistics at the University of Hawaii, taught the Hawaiian language for many years and is considered one of the foremost authorities on the language today. He is author of the textbook Spoken Hawaiian and is co-author with Mary Pukui of Hawaiian Dictionary, and with Mary Pukui and Esther Mookini of Place Names of Hawaii.