Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [495]
Compound Words
In the written form, many Hawaiian words are compound words made up of several different words. For example, the word humuhumunukunukuapua‘a can be broken down as follows: humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua‘a (literally, ‘trigger fish snout of pig’), meaning ‘the fish with a snout like a pig.’ The place name Waikiki is also a compound word: wai-kiki (literally, ‘freshwater sprouting’), referring to the freshwater swamps once found in the area. Some words are doubled to emphasize their meaning, much like in English. For example, wiki means ‘quick,’ while wikiwiki means ‘very quick.’
Common Hawaiian Words
For more Hawaiian words, see the Glossary (Click here).
aloha – love, hello, welcome, goodbye
hale – house
heiau – religious temple
kane – man
kapu – taboo, restricted
luau – traditional Hawaiian feast
mahalo – thank you
mahimahi – dolphinfish, commonly eaten
mauka – a direction, toward the mountains
makai – a direction, toward the sea
‘ono – delicious, tasty
pau – finished, completed
poi – staple food made from taro
ukulele – four-stringed musical instrument, used in modern Hawaiian music (literally, ‘leaping flea,’ because of the action of the fingers when playing)
wahine – woman
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PIDGIN
Hawaii pidgin is a distinct language, spoken by over 500,000 people. It developed on sugar plantations where the luna (foreman) had to communicate with laborers from many foreign countries. Early plantation pidgin used a minimal and condensed form of English as the root language, to which elements from Japanese, Hawaiian, Cantonese and Portuguese were added. It became the second language of first-generation immigrants and many Hawaiians.
As this English-based pidgin evolved, it took on its own grammatical structure and syntax. Many words were pronounced differently and combined in ways not found in English. Rather than a careless or broken form of English, it evolved into a separate language, called Hawaii Creole by linguists.
Today, there is ongoing controversy about the validity of pidgin, with opponents saying that it erodes standard English and becomes a barrier to social and educational advancement. Proponents argue that pidgin is a rich and vibrant language that should not be looked down upon or banned from schools, and that pidgin speakers are often unjustly seen as less intelligent.
In recent years numerous award-winning plays, books and poetry have been written in pidgin by local authors who are passionate in their determination to keep pidgin alive in the community.
Common Pidgin Words & Phrases
brah – shortened form of braddah (brother); also used as ‘hey you’
broke da mout – delicious; as in ‘My auntie make broke da mout kine fish!’
buggahs – guys; as in ‘Da buggahs wen’ go without me!’
bumbye – later on; as in ‘We go movies bumbye den (then).’
bummahs – bummer; an expression of disappointment or regret
chicken skin – goose bumps from cold, fear or thrill
da kine – whatchamacallit; used whenever you can’t think of the appropriate word
Fo’ real? – Really? Are you kidding me?
funny kine – strange or different; as in ‘He stay acking (acting) all funny kine.’
geev ‘um – Go for it! Give it all you got!
Get chance? – What are my chances? As in ‘She da bomb. I get chance, or what?’
How you stay? – How are you doing these days?
Howzit? – Hi, how’s it going? As in ‘Eh, howzit brah!’
kay den – ‘OK then’; as in ‘Kay den, we go beach.’
laydahs – Later on. I’ll see you later; as in, ‘Kay den, laydahs.’
no ack – (literally, ‘no act’) Stop showing off, cool it.
rubbah slippahs – (literally, ‘rubber slippers’) flip-flops
talk story – chitchat or any casual conversation
to da max – used to add emphasis; as in ‘Da waves was big to da max!’
Glossary
For more food terms, Click here. Also see the Language chapter, Click here.
’a’a – type of lava that