Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mele Kalikimaka Merry Christmas
PIDGIN
More so than Hawaiian, pidgin is the language of choice that you will notice being spoken
around the islands. A creole which borrows words from English, Hawaiian, and a host of
other languages, it has a lilt, cadence, and grammar entirely unto itself. Born out of the
sugar plantation camps, pidgin was developed as a melding of languages of workers in the
field.
Today, pidgin is likely to be heard spoken among most island locals, and even those
kama'aina who can speak perfect English can turn their pidgin on and off just like flipping
a switch. To most visitors, however, pidgin can be completely undecipherable, mainly be-
cause of the sentence structure and introduction of foreign words. For example, the past
tense in pidgin is created by placing the word “wen” (as in “went”) in front of the present
tense of a verb. Examples would be “wen go” (went), “wen eat” (ate), “wen drive” (drove),
etc.
A full example of a pidgin sentence might go something like: “Braddah wen drive da
odda side and was shaking his okole the whole time cuz he needed fo' use da lua,” which
translates as “Braddah (general subject) drove to the other side (of the island) and was
shaking his butt ( okole ) the whole time because he needed to use the bathroom ( lua ).”
In other instances, grammar instructors would be astonished at the blatant disregard for
the tenses of the English language, as seen in the common phrase “Try wait brah, I stay
coming” (“Hold on, I'm on my way”), or the assertion that “he get choke mangoes already
that guy” (“his mango tree is already full”).
For those who were raised without the language it can take years to fully understand
pidgin, although for the keiki who were raised here it comes as naturally as a native tongue.
While you probably won't become fluent any time soon, here are some basic phrases for
helping you get by.
an' den and then? big deal; so what's next?
auntie respected elderly woman
bumbye Later; after a while.
blalah brother, but actually only refers to a large, heavy-set, good-natured Hawaiian man
brah all the bros in Hawaii are brahs; brother; pal. Used to call someone's attention. One
of the most common words even among people who are not acquainted. After a fill-up
at a gas station, a person would say “Tanks, brah.”
chicken skin goose bumps
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