Cute Little Guitar

We have to spell it as 'ukulele (style police thing in the University of Hawaii) and thus use it in sentences as an 'ukulele. Because the first vowel is often pronounced incorrectly outside of the 50th state, it's common hear it referred to as "a" ukulele (you-caw-lay-lee rather than ooh-koo-le-le).
 
Of course it is a little guitar, it is not a mandolin for example.

I like the hawaiian pronounciation, same as in my finnish, and I am disgusted with americanized one hehe.
Did Iz ever say yukulele?
 
Of course it is a little guitar, it is not a mandolin for example.

I like the hawaiian pronounciation, same as in my finnish, and I am disgusted with americanized one hehe.
Did Iz ever say yukulele?

Hawaii is part of USA. and therefore American, so both the Hawaiian and mainland pronunciations are BOTH American.
 
"You say tomato. I say tomarto."
If you don't recall that, ask your parents, or grandparents.
 
YouTube:

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off HQ

Drives the Pronunciation Police mad.
 
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I applaud that post, Bill.:agree:

It demonstrates that you have a very just temperament.;)

John Colter
 
Good points Bill. I would think twice before writing AN ukulele though...people would think I'm just staring at how it's spelt...

AN 'UKULELE!

Seriously, I don't (or shouldn't) care...listening with fascination when it's pronounced super American...
 
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These lyrics written by the leader of my group, Cali Rose, should sum it up pretty well:

"What is this thing? People want to know. If it's a violin, then
where's the bow? Is it a baby guitar with teeny-weeny strings?
It's really cute, but what is this thing?

Well it's an oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. It's an
oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. And it's
really, really, really fun to play-ay. It's an oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh.

Here's a little history. We can thank the Portuguese.
They brought it to Hawaii long ago and
pretty soon the whole world would know.

A-bout the oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. The
oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. It puts a
smiley, smiley, smiley in your day-ay. It's an oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh.

It's made of plastic, glue and wood. But something about it makes you
feel so good. And lots of people are heeding the call:
Thinking big, but keeping it small.

Play-ing the oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. The
oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. It
shoo-ooze your blue-oz a-way-ay. It's an oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh.

Yeah it's an oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. An
oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh. You're gonna "oh" and "ah" and say-ay:
It's an oo-koo, oo-koo oo-koo, oo-koo leh-leh.
La-la-la la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la la."


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 13 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 37)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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Responding to Bill1:

..."To quote Rob MacKillop who has studied old instruments and published several books: "The Machete - small four string guitar from mid-19th Century Madiera, Portugal".

The ukulele is descended from the Machete.

If I tune my ukulele to the Machete tuning used by Rob: DGBD. Does that make it a small four string guitar from the mid-19th century?x

---

A common banjo tuning is: G-D-G-B-D

Maybe it was originally just a little banjo, without the 5th string?

-Wiggy
 
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Responding to Bill1:..."To quote Rob MacKillop who has studied old instruments and published several books: "The Machete - small four string guitar from mid-19th Century Madiera, Portugal". The ukulele is descended from the Machete. If I tune my ukulele to the Machete tuning used by Rob: DGBD. Does that make it a small four string guitar from the mid-19th century?x. A common banjo tuning is: G-D-G-B-D. Maybe it was originally just a little banjo, without the 5th string? -Wiggy

According to the recent Ken Burns Country Music documentary, the banjo originated in Africa. I guess it could have moved it's way up the coast and across the Mediterranean into Portugal and settled on Madiera island, then the tuning was applied to the Machete, but I would not think the Machete in itself once was a banjo.
 
How about starting to call it an OKlele?

And about the banjo theory. Think using wood for the "box" is somehow relevant.
 
One of my neighbors calls it a Banjo. I had one person ask if it was a Bass? It does have four strings...maybe a Treble?
 
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