The article by Sakoda and Siegal discusses the arguments that Pidgin is its own language and also, that it is a form of English. The article also discusses Pidgin and its use as a proof of being "local."
As far as speaking Pidgin as an identifier of a "local" identity, i would agree with that claim. I personally identified with the social stratification aspect of the article because I was neither born nor raised in Hawaii, yet i remember being exposed to pidgin from an early age. My grandmother was born and raised in Honolulu and she passed pidgin to my mother. My mother grew up on the mainland and never set foot in Hawaii until after my teenage years. Yet, I was raised with Pidgin being spoken in the home. This may have been an attempt to keep a close tie to my grandmother and her Hawaiian Heritage. Even though my mother was raised on the mainland, she still identified herself as Hawaiian.
As a child I remember my mother asking for "da kine" or if I misbehaved, she would threaten to "buss me up." I knew what she meant, but my friends would hear her speak Pidgin and look at me kind of funny, but she often spoke perfect English in public settings. This would support the articles claim of Pidgin being spoken in certain contexts related to social settings and demographics.
Overall, I don't claim to be an expert on the requirements for defining languages and I'm not quite sure if Pidgin is an official language, but I am sure that it is an important component to what it means to be Hawaiian. It is part of the Hawaiian culture and continues to grow and evolve. It is a colorful and unique component in the lives of "local" Hawaiians.
On a side note, I found it interesting that the Bible has been translated to Pidgin www.pidginbible.org. I find it interesting to think what may be lost in translation between the first translation of the Old Testament to the version in Pidgin.
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One of the first things I saw when I first came out here to Hawaii in Fall 2005 was the Pidgin Bible. Personally, I thought it was one of the most awesome things EVER.
ReplyDeleteI really had never heard Pidgin until I came out here in Fall 2005 for my freshman year. At first, it took me a while to understand what phrases such as "da kine" and "choke" meant, but I gradually came to understand and even use some of these words in my own speech. Personally, I think "da kine" is fantastic, because it is more than just a "whatchamacallit". It can also describe how someone is acting or what someone is thinking. In terms of whether Pidgin is a language, I think Pidgin (Hawaiian Creole English) as we know it here in Hawaii is technically a language, since there are second generation people who have grown up speaking it.
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ReplyDeletePidgin is very interesting. I have been in Hawaii for many years now, and have picked up some key phrases, but sometimes when talking with someone with a really thick accent it proves to be a bit difficult to understand. One thing that I really find interesting is that earlier in the semester we talked about how languages change and adapt to the environment. This lead me to think that Pidgin and other Creole languages could possibly be the most adaptable of languages. By that I mean since they are languages that are close relatives to the parent language, almost anyone who speaks it has the potential to change the language. As for the parent language I feel that it also undergoes change, but in a different more rigid way. Pidgin in Hawaii is sometimes ridiculed by people who are well educated, even so I feel that Pidgin is here to stay. It's the local way and the local way tends to stay the same.
ReplyDeleteI also never had heard Pidgin before I came to Hawaii. Actually, now I am still not very sure about which is standard English and which is Pidgin. I think the main reason is because I am Chinese and my mother language is Chinese. I still remembered when I heard the word"haole"-white people. I thought it is English. After a while, I talked with one of the local classmate using that word. He was surprised to hear it. At that time, I still could not understand why he was surprised. Now after I read this article, I realized the reason for his surprise. Actually, the first time I came here, I already noticed that Hawaiian English is quite different from English in the mainland. But nobody told me it is Pidgin. I am so happy that eventually how this special language was formed. It involved a lot of historical things.
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that pidgin is considered to possibly be an actualy language. I have lived in hawai`i my whole life, and i agree that it is a MAJOR part of the local culture, and is characteristic of only hawai`i. However, i have always related pidgin to 'southern talk'. It is english, but a very improper form of it, but most of the words can be traced back to english, as is southern talk. I have never heard of anyone referring to a southerner as someone who speaks a different language, nor do i consider it to be one myself. It is characteristic of a particular region. I would consider these different forms of language to be more of 'dialects' rather than a completely different language.
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