Ask ʻŌlelo Online
A request was received of late asking about the following:
The Question
“E ke kumu, he nīnau. In our study group we were discussing ia, iʻa, and iā. One of us had made a cheat sheet and listed iā as being ʻami lauka, but also used as a direction. Example: Kalaiwa au iā Joe. This was translated as ‘I drive to Joe.’ But I am thinking that this is an ʻami lauka and the translation would be ‘I drive Joe.’ But I donʻt want to argue this point if Iʻm wrong!”
The Response
E kuʻu haumāna ē, aloha nui! Pololei like ʻolua! ahaha. Maikaʻi loa!
The function of the ʻami would be understood by context.
Examples
Kalaiwa au iā Joe.
- I drive Joe – ʻami lauka (direct object marker)
- I drive to Joe – ʻami kuhilana (destination marker)
In use:
(1) Ua manaʻo mākou ʻelima e holo pū i Hilo, akā ʻaʻole i lawa ka lumi ma ka Honda Civic a Kalehua no ka poʻe a pau. No laila, ʻōlelo maila ʻo Kalehua, “Nāu e kalaiwa iā Joe ma kou kaʻa, a naʻu e kalaiwa i ka poʻe ʻē aʻe ma koʻu kaʻa.”
(2) Ua kelepona mai koʻu hoaaloha ma ke kahua mokulele ma Hilo. ʻAkahi a hōʻea mai ka ʻohana. Wahi a koʻu hoaaloha, aia lākou a pau ma waho o kahi e kiʻi ʻia ai nā ukana —ʻo Baggage Claim nō hoʻi— akā ua hele wāwae ʻo Joe i kahi e lele ai nā helekopa, no ka nānā nanea ʻana i nā helekopa o laila. Ua haʻi au i koʻu hoa, “Eia māua ʻo kuʻu wahine ma ʻelua kaʻa, ke holo nei iā ʻoukou! E holo ana au iā ʻoukou ma kahi o ka ukana, a e holo ana kuʻu wahine iā Joe ma kahi o nā helekopa.” Pane maila koʻu hoa, “Hō! Mahalo! No laila, na kāu wahine e kalaiwa iā Joe i laila?” ʻAe au iā iā, ” ʻAe, pololei.”
The Problem With “Kalaiwa”
As listed in the standard Hawaiian Dictionary by Pūkuʻi-Elbert (1984), “kalaiwa” is defined as follows:
nvt. To drive, as a car; driver; chauffeur. Eng. Kalaiwa kaʻa, to drive a car; car driver.
The thing is, using “kalaiwa” in place of “holo” is kind of a new thing and can create confusion. “Kalaiwa” is the hamani meaning “to drive something”; “holo” is the hehele meaning “to go somewhere by car” (in this case). But because English speakers use “drive” as both hamani and hehele, depending on context, many modern speakers of Hawaiian are starting to do the same.
Advice
I would say it would be best to keep them separate if possible; but regardless, in answer to your question about the ʻami lauka or ʻami kuhilana being valid here, both are indeed valid. I would just prefer “E holo ana au iā Joe” for “I am going to drive to Joe”, and “E kalaiwa ana au iā Joe” for “I am going to drive [=transport by vehicle] Joe.”
Hope that helps! :)
hoʻouna ʻia me ke aloha nui – sent with lots of aloha
na kumu Kaliko