WEBVTT

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Mysteries of vernacular:

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Ukulele,

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a small, four-stringed guitar.

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Oddly enough, the word ukulele,

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in its native Hawaiian,

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literally translates to jumping flea.

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Even more surprising,

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the instrument itself did not originate in Hawaii.

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So, how did a Hawaiian word

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come to describe a non-Hawaiian instrument?

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Back in the late 1800s,

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King Kalākaua was the last reigning king

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of the kingdom of Hawaii.

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He was nicknamed "The Merry Monarch"

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because of his joy for life

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and, in particular, his love of music.

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In the King's court,

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there was a former British army officer

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named Edward Purvis.

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Though a small man,

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he was quite lively,

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and his nickname was "Jumping Flea,"

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"Ukulele" in Hawaiian.

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Like the King, he was a great lover of music.

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In 1879, a group of Portuguese immigrants

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arrived on the islands of Hawaii,

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bringing with them a small, four-stringed guitar

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known as a braguinha.

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Purvis was immediately taken with the instrument

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and helped spread its popularity

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throughout the King's court.

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As the story goes,

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it was not long before his nickname, Ukulele,

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jumped from the man to his favorite instrument.

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As demand grew, several Portuguese families

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began to manufacture

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the minuscule guitar on the islands,

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making small modifications

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until it became the same ukulele we recognize today.