Most of what I found just stuck to Native Hawaiian and were more for someone immersing themselves in that language. Basically something for the curious tourist or new resident so they can sound out place names without feeling like a doofus, familiarize themselves with Hawaiian words still in modern use, and get a basic understanding of how pidgin works. Nuance is always nice!įor language: A modern guide to 'practical' Hawaiian - pronunciation, glossary of common words & phrases in both Hawaiian *and* Pidgin, etc. On the flipside, I don't want a simplified gift-shop book that just glorifies everything Hawaiian. I picked up Gavan Daws' 'Shoal of Time' as some consider it one of the definitive books - while informative it skews pretty bad towards the colonialist viewpoint and doesn't much touch on Hawaiian culture.

Thought some of you folks might have suggestions, maybe this thread would be useful for anyone interested in the islands.įor history: I've been hoping for a one-volume survey from pre-Western times to the modern era, ideally well-balanced from a Hawaiian/Westerner perspective and touching on cultural details in addition to historical events. Been surprised at the lack of selection available here on the mainland. This mix of cultures all living and working together learned to communicate by integrating bits and pieces of each other's languages, and this pidgin language continues to influence the modern day culture of the Hawaiian islands.In research for our upcoming trip (less than 48 hours!) I've been looking for some books on both Hawaiian history & language. Hawaiian Pidgin was shaped by a wide variety of different languages, including Hawaiian, Portuguese, Japanese, Cantonese, Korean, Filipino dialects, and American English.

Pidgin language in Hawaii stems back to the days of 19th century sugar plantations, when workers and plantation owners representing different ethnicities needed a common language. Census Bureau as an official language spoken in Hawaii. With its own unique words and distinct pronunciations, in 2015 Hawaiian Pidgin was listed by the U.S. However, pidgin is commonly used among Kama’aina. There are two official languages in Hawaii: English and Hawaiian. In my latest installment of “How Fo Ack,' I talk about the very basics of communicating in Hawaii: the ability to understand and even talk a little pidgin.

Pidgin to da max book