{"id":462,"date":"2017-06-09T23:19:11","date_gmt":"2017-06-10T09:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.hawaiiactivities.com\/?p=462"},"modified":"2019-12-20T06:52:03","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T16:52:03","slug":"guide-to-hawaiian-pidgin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaiiactivities.com\/travelguide\/guide-to-hawaiian-pidgin\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveler\u2019s Guide to Hawaiian Pidgin"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column column_width_use_pixel=”yes” gutter_size=”3″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ column_width_pixel=”800″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes”]If you\u2019re in Hawaii for the first time, you might be surprised when you first hear Pidgin.<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Pidgin sounds a lot like English<\/strong>, but may seem incomprehensible to English speakers. This is because the language uses a lot of English vocabulary, but there’s a lot more to it than that.<\/p>\n

A Pidgin history<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Technically, what\u2019s known as \u2018Pidgin\u2019 in Hawaii isn\u2019t a pidgin<\/a>\u00a0at all.<\/p>\n

Simply put, a pidgin is a mash of two (or more) languages that’s used temporarily between people who don\u2019t have a common language.<\/p>\n

When a pidgin is used for long enough that it develops its own grammar, the pidgin evolves into a creole. The biggest functional difference between the two is that a creole can actually be a first language.<\/p>\n

Hawaiian Pidgin is officially referred to as Hawaiian Creole English<\/strong> (HCE)\u2014\u2018creole<\/a>\u2019 being defined as a language that developed from a mix of other different languages\u2014but it\u2019s commonly referred to as simply \u201cPidgin.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Developed by immigrant plantation workers<\/strong> as a common language to communicate with each other, Pidgin developed from a hodgepodge of Hawaiian, English, Japanese, Portuguese, and Cantonese<\/strong>, among other immigrant languages.<\/p>\n

Today, the language mainly consists of English and Hawaiian<\/strong>, with a few other loanwords that betray its plantation heritage.<\/p>\n

But just because Pidgin sounds like English doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s easy to understand!<\/p>\n

The grammatical structure<\/strong> and pronunciation of Pidgin is largely different from that of English<\/strong>, meaning you might understand all the words a local is saying to you without comprehending their meaning.<\/p>\n

How to pronounce Pidgin words<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many pidgin words or phrases that originated in English may be harder to understand due to pidgin\u2019s original pronunciation:<\/p>\n

Th<\/em> sounds either drop the h<\/em> (think > tink) or are pronounced as a d <\/em>(that > dat).<\/p>\n

R<\/em>, when preceded by a vowel, is dropped (more better > mo\u2019 bettah)<\/p>\n

Likewise, L<\/em> sounds at the end of words are pronounced like o<\/em> (people > peepo)<\/p>\n

Pidgin words you think you know (but probably don\u2019t)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pidgin mostly borrows words from English<\/strong>, but sometimes uses those words in original ways. A lot of Hawaiian words are also commonly used, but you can find some those in another blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s a list of English words, and how they’re used in Pidgin:<\/p>\n