Pidgin has been an official language of Hawaii since November 2015, reports Hawaii News Now. The U.S. Census Bureau released a list of languages that were recognized in the islands of Hawaii, and Pidgin was among them. The data was collected from 2009-2013 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Maui counties, and residents said Pidgin was found to be the first language spoken at home, according to Hawaii News Now.
“I’m glad it’s an official language, personally,” said MiKayla Kloeppel, a junior from Laie studying graphic design, “because in the language itself there is history.”
The language was born in the plantation fields as people from all over the world came together to work, reported Hawaii News Now. Their language changed and incorporated Hawaiian, Japanese, English, and more. “In order to communicate with each other, they shared different words, which is what led to Pidgin being created,” said Kloeppel.
“It’s a good thing for the locals,” said Phillips Ieremia, a small business owner who grew up in Hauula and now lives in Laie. “There are a lot of youth and that’s part of their culture, and having it be an accepted language is good for them.”
Ieremia added how it was good for the youth to learn more about their culture and all the different cultures together. “Pidgin is part of the history here.”
Kloeppel said she uses it often, talking to family, friends, and coworkers in Pidgin. “It’s part of who I am.” Kloeppel also said she loves hearing Pidgin.
Pidgin often sounds like slang or bad English to visitors or tourists. Kloeppel experienced this, growing up speaking Pidgin and moving to Utah for a couple years when she was in elementary school. She “did speech therapy because I had Pidgin words... They had to correct me because I didn’t have proper English.” When she came back to Hawaii, she spoke Pidgin again.
The opposite thing happens to those who moved to Hawaii, such as Scott Muhlestein, a sophomore from Utah studying English. Going to Kahuku High School, he was surprised how often it was used. “In Kahuku, there are people who can speak Pidgin, but then they turn their Pidgin off and speak more proper English. It was interesting to see depending on who they were talking to.”
Pidgin is spoken in various ways depending on where people live. “Pretty much everyone speaks normal English or tries to,” said Ieremia, who said Pidgin was more widely and strongly spoken in the ‘70s than it is today. “It’s like a bygone era that passed, and we lost some of it.”
Pidgin is not only spoken at home, but it has also been printed. The Bible has been translated into Pidgin, called “Da Jesus Book.”
For Dr. Mark Wolfersberger, the dean of BYUH’s College of Human Development and who teaches English as a second language, his favorite Pidgin saying comes from “Da Jesus Book” when it talks about the 10 virgins it says the “wahine who tink” and the “wahine who don’t tink.”
Some Pidgin phrases are:
“Sole you gotz da kine,” means “Bro, do you have the thing?”
“Nah no worryz brah. Its all good!” means “Don’t worry.”
“Brah you’re so irritz!” means “you’re so annoying.”
“Choke,” means “a lot, very.”
“Ono kine grindz,” means “delicious food.”