Local Language
Pidgin the Local Language of Hawaii
When first arriving in Hawai’i you might come in a shock if you find your way outside of Waikiki. Much of Hawaiian locals speak this beautiful language called “Pidgin” (no it doesn’t sound any thing like the Pigeon bird) and if you have not heard the sound of one speaking the language of the locals, then you might be saying “I’m sorry, can you please repeat” or having to guess what was said.
If you are in your 20′s or younger you might have already heard of some of the popular phrases that is often said in schools, in movies, hip-hop music or out on the street in da neighborhood and probably never even thought that it originated here in Hawaii.
This short list will get you to know a little more about the language and get you familiar with the culture of Hawai’i.
From Wikipedia.
Hawai?i Pidgin English, Hawai?i Creole English, HCE, or simply Pidgin, is a creole language based in part on English used by most “local” residents of Hawai?i. Although English and Hawaiian are the co-official languages of the State of Hawai?i, Pidgin is used by many Hawai?i residents in everyday conversation and is often used in advertising toward Hawai?i residents. The new ISO 639-3 language code for Hawai?i Pidgin (Hawai?i Creole English) is hwc. In the Hawaiian language, “Hawaiian Creole English” is called “??lelo pa?i ?ai,” which literally means “hard-taro language.”
This video from PBS Hawaii gives you a taste of the sound of the locals on how they talk.
An after school video maybe from the 70′s or 80′s? where a Haole teacher reminds his student to speak proper English.
Mr. Shakahashi sings No Make Highway By Me. Oh, this one got me dancing.
This tells you the common words that you might hear.
Pidgin The Unoffcial Language.
A nice read from PBS Hawaii.
Learning Da Kine: A Filmmaker Tackles Local Cultures and Pidgin. (PDF)
A great source for learning Pidgin Words as well as read local kine jokes, what’s your name in Hawaiian and much more. (Great Stuff)
e-Hawaii.com
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