What are some distinguishing differences between Samoan and Hawaiian?

Samoan and Hawaiian are both Polynesian languages, but they have some key differences in their grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Grammar

* Samoan has three grammatical cases: nominative, genitive, and accusative. Hawaiian has only two cases: nominative and accusative.

* Samoan verbs have a number of different tenses and moods, including a future tense, a past tense, and a conditional mood. Hawaiian verbs have only a few tenses and moods, including a future tense and a past tense.

* Samoan nouns have no articles (e.g., "the" or "a"). Hawaiian nouns have articles, which are used to indicate the definiteness or indefiniteness of the noun.

Pronunciation

* Samoan is pronounced with a glottal stop, which is a sound that is produced by blocking the airflow in the throat. Hawaiian does not have a glottal stop.

* Samoan has five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u. Hawaiian has seven vowels: a, e, i, o, u, w, and y.

* Samoan is a tonal language, which means that the pitch of the voice can change the meaning of a word. Hawaiian is not a tonal language.

Vocabulary

* Samoan and Hawaiian have many similar words, but there are also some key differences. For example, the Samoan word for "house" is fale, while the Hawaiian word for "house" is hale.

* Samoan and Hawaiian have some words that have the same meaning, but are spelled differently. For example, the Samoan word for "water" is vai, while the Hawaiian word for "water" is wai.

* Samoan and Hawaiian have some words that have different meanings, but are spelled the same. For example, the Samoan word "alo" means "face," while the Hawaiian word "alo" means "love."