A very
local dialect spoken in
Hawaii that is kind of a
second language. It arose during Hawaii's
plantation years, when people from diverse cultural groups were forced to work and
communicate with each other. Hawaiian Pidgin primarily is a combination of
English and
Hawaiian, although it contains a
smattering of other languages as well. It is mostly about
intonation and
rhythm, and even when the phrase contains mostly English words, it can still be very difficult for a non-speaker to understand.
For many people, it isn't just a language, it is a whole culture. It is a uniquely Hawaiian thing, and is full of words that describe the local condition and way of life. It is full of words that describe family relationships, words about different kinds of personal interaction, and of course, local activities such as food and surfing.
Probably one of the best books ever written on the subject is Pidgin to da Max. Here is a quote in pidgin describing the book:
'Ass why we wen put 'um togeddah you know: so you guys could have good fun too! But one noddah ting: we get special feeling about pidgin. 'Cause pidgin is special. Local people, dey get togeddah fo' party, wedding, baby luau, whatevahs, dey gotta talk story, yeah? An' how you can talk story wid'out pidgin? Cannot! Pidgin someting from da heart!
An' you know, we no like insult any particular group of people in da islands -- we jus' like kid everybody. We love Hawai'i, an' we love pidgin, an' dass da main ting we trying fo' say. So kick back, bruddahs, an' relax wit' PIDGIN TO DA MAX!
STINK EYE - to give someone a dirty look.
TALK STINK - to gossip about somebody, to say something bad
TALK STORY - chat
TRY MOVE - please move
ONOLISICIOUS - overly delicious
OKOLE - your butt
MO BETTAH - (much better: 'Naw... Auntie's rice is mo bettah!)
K'DEN - (okay then. "I see you at 6 -k'den!")
DA KINE - (anything to which you are referring when you can't remember what it is: "You going take DA KINE wit you fo go pick up DA KINE? ah. Oh shoots." (So are you going to take Susie & Judy with you to pick up the pizza & beer? Yes. Good.))
CHOKE - many (der was choke cars der)
BRADDAH - brother
BRAH - Brother (Eh brah, you going?)
PAU - Finished
EH, YOU LIKE BEEF? - You want to fight?