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Hawaiian Pidgin

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hawaiian Pidgin
Native toUnited States
RegionHawaii
Native speakers
400,000 (L1)
600,000 (L2)
English Creole
  • Pacific
    • Hawaiian Pidgin
Language codes
ISO 639-3hwc

Hawaiian Pidgin, known locally as Pidgin, is a creole language from Hawaii.[1] It is based off of English, but is mixed with other languages like Hawaiian, Japanese, Ilocano, Chinese, Portuguese, etc. It is spoken by many Hawaii locals, though many also speak standard English. The original Hawaiian language is spoken by some.

Hawaiian Pidgin can largely be understood by English speakers, and many Pidgin speakers mix Pidgin with English. While many Hawaii locals see Pidgin as a dialect, it has recently been seen as a language by the US government.[2]

Hawaiian Pidgin Standard English
ono delicious
hamajang messed up, broken
habut grumpy
hanabaddah mucus
pau done, finished
kau kau eat
howzit hello
bumbai otherwise, or else
tarantan boastful
lua/benjo toilet
lolo stupid
da kine whatchamacalit, thingamajigger
hana hou finished work

References

[change | change source]
  1. "Hawai`i Creole English". www.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  2. Wong, Alia (2015-11-20). "The Consequences of Teaching Exclusively in 'Standard English'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-10-22.