Hawaiian Pidgin History Highlights Of Grammar And Pronunciation

Pidgin English originated as a form of pidgin Hawaiian used among whites (especially Portuguese), Hawaiians, and Chinese. As trade with the United States increased during the late 19th century, pidgin Hawaiian evolved into pidgin English. Also, as other nationalities were brought in to work in the plantations, such as Japanese, Filipinos, and Koreans, Pidgin English acquired words from these languages. Japanese loanwords in Hawaii lists some of those words originally from Japanese.

Even today, Pidgin English retains some influences from these languages. For example, the word stay in Pidgin has the same meaning as the Portuguese verb estar, meaning "to be" when referring to a temporary state or location. (Sakoda & Siegel, 2003, p. 1-13)

In the 20th century, Pidgin started to be used outside the plantation between ethnic groups. Public school children learned Pidgin from their classmates and eventually it became the primary language of most people in Hawai‘i, replacing the original languages for the most part.

Today, most people born or raised in Hawai‘i, regardless of racial and socioeconomic background, can speak and understand Pidgin to some extent, and many consider it an important part of local culture. However, some consider it substandard, as corrupted or broken English . Its role in the schools of Hawai‘i has been a subject of controversy, as critics of Pidgin blame its widespread use for poor results in standardized national tests in reading and writing. In 1987, the state Board of Education implemented a policy allowing only standard English in the schools; this sparked an intense debate. There have been similar debates since then.

2 Highlights of grammar and pronunciation

Pidgin has distinct pronunciation differences from standard American English (SAE). Among some key differences:

For more information on grammar, also see Sakoda & Siegel (References, below) and the Pidgin Coup paper (External links, below).

3 Literature

In recent years, writers from Hawai‘i have written poems, short stories, and other works in Pidgin. This list included well-known Hawaii authors such as Lois-Ann YamanakaLois-Ann Yamanaka (born 1962 in Pahala, Hawaii) is a Japanese-American poet and novelist from Hawaii. Many of her critically acclaimed literary works are written in Hawaiian Pidgin, and some of her writing has dealt with controversial ethnic issues. In pa and Lee Tonouchi . A Pidgin translation of the New TestamentThe New Testament sometimes called the Greek Scriptures is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus Christ. The term is a translation of the Latin Novum Testamentum which translates the Greek Η &Kappa (called Da Jesus Book) has also been created.

4 Miscellaneous

Pidgin has its own sign languageA sign language is a language which uses gestures instead of sound to convey meaning combining handshapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, facial expressions and lip-patterns. Sign languages are usually developed in deaf communities,, called Hawaiian Pidgin Sign Language . Most users of Hawaiian Pidgin Sign Language are between the ages of 70 and 90. Ethnologue lists it as "nearly extinct," as most deaf people in Hawai‘i use American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language is the dominant sign language in the United States, Canada and parts of Mexico. American Sign Language is usually abbreviated ASL though it has also been known as Ameslan . As with other sign languages, or more properly, gestural-sp with some local signs. [1]

5 External links

Position Paper on Pidgin by the "Pidgin Coup"
Da Hawai‘i Pidgin Bible (see Da Jesus Book below)
Da Kine Dictionary, a project to create a Pidgin dictionary

6 References

Da Jesus Book (2000). Orlando: Wycliffe Bible Translators. BooksEnthsiast.com.
Sakoda, Kent & Jeff Siegel (2003). Pidgin Grammar: An Introduction to the Creole Language of Hawai‘i. Honolulu: Bess PressBess Press is a Hawaii-based publisher that issues various books on Hawaiian and Pacific history and culture. It was founded by Benjamin "Buddy" Bess, who came to Hawaii in 1976 from New York. Bess bought the rights to two out-of-print textbooks on Hawaii. BooksEnthsiast.com.
Simonson, Douglas et al. (1981). Pidgin to da Max. Honolulu: Bess PressBess Press is a Hawaii-based publisher that issues various books on Hawaiian and Pacific history and culture. It was founded by Benjamin "Buddy" Bess, who came to Hawaii in 1976 from New York. Bess bought the rights to two out-of-print textbooks on Hawaii. BooksEnthsiast.com.
Tonouchi, Lee (2001). Da Word. Honolulu: Bamboo Ridge Press. BooksEnthsiast.com.

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1 History