A (_ah_) has the Italian sound found in f_a_ther, as in h_a_-le or in L_a_-ka; also a short sound like that of a in li_a_ble, as in ke-_a_-ke-_a_, to contradict, or in _a_-ha, an assembly. E (_a_) has the sound of long a in f_a_te, or of e in pr_e_y, without the i-glide that follows, as in the first syllable of P_é_-le, or of m_é_-a, a thing; also the short sound of e in n_e_t, as in _é_-ha, hurt, or in p_é_a, a sail. I (_ee_) has the long sound of i in p_i_que, or in pol_i_ce, as in _i_-li, skin, or in h_í_-la-h_í_-la, shame; also the short sound of i in h_i_ll, as in l_í_-hi, border, and in _í_-ki, small. O (_oh_) has the long sound of o in n_o_te or in _o_ld, without the u-glide, as in l_ó_-a, long, or as in the first syllable of L_ó_-no; also a short sound, which approximates to that sometimes erroneously given to the vowel in c_o_at, as in p_ó_-po, rotten, or as in l_ó_-ko, a lake. U (_oo_) has the long sound of u in r_u_le, as in h_ú_-la, to dance; and a short sound approximating to that of u in f_u_ll, as in m_ú_-ku, cut off. Every Hawaiian syllable ends in a vowel. No attempt has been made to indicate these differences of vowel sound. The only diacritical marks here employed are the acute accent for stressed syllables and the apostrophe between two vowels to indicate the glottic closure or interruption of sound (improperly sometimes called a guttural) that prevents the two from coalescing. In the seven diphthongs _ae_, _ai_, _ao_, _au_, _ei_, _ia_, and _ua_ a delicate ear will not fail to detect a coalescence of at least two sounds, thus proving them not to be mere digraphs. In animated description or pathetic narrative, or in the effort to convey the idea of length, or height, or depth, or immensity, the Hawaiian had a way of prolonging the vowel sounds of a word, as if by so doing he could intimate the amplitude of his thought. The letter w (_way_) represents two sounds, corresponding to our w and our v. At the beginning of a word it has the sound of w (_way_), retaining this even when the word has become compounded. This is illustrated in _Wái_-a-lú-a (geographical name), and _w_á-ha mouth. In the middle of a word, or after the first syllable, it almost always has the sound of v (_vay_), as in hé-_w_a (wrong), and in E-_w_á (geographical name). In há-_w_a-_w_á (awkward), the compound word ha-_w_ái (water-pipe), and several others the w takes the _way_ sound. The great majority of Hawaiian words are accented on the penult, and in simple words of four or more syllables there is, as a rule, an accent on the fourth and on the sixth syllables, counting back from the final syllable, as in lá-na-kí-la (victorious) and as in hó-o-kó-lo-kó-lo (to try at law). _Aha_, (á-ha)—a braided cord of sinet; an assembly; a prayer or religious service (note a, p. 20). _Ahaaina_ (á-ha-ái-na)—a feast. _Ai_ (ai, as in aisle)—vegetable food; to eat; an event in a game or contest (p. 93).