Pidgin Exhibit Opened Today in Waipahu

Many "locals" in Hawai'i speak a unique kind of English - Hawaiian Pidgin English (check out this link to the Wikipedia!), or just "pidgin," as we refer to it. I never thought I spoke pidgin, but I realized when I came to USC and the mainland, that I still say some things differently from the people here. We end our sentences with, "...yeah?" - as in, "This is so good, yeah?" (something we get from the Japanese influence, similar to their ね); we say, "Try get me water," as a polite way of saying, "Please get me water"; we use "junk" as an adjective more often than we use it as a verb (meaning "not good" or "poor"), etc.

I'm sure that those of you from the mainland who have friends from Hawai'i have noticed our unique way of speaking - it's English... but a slightly different English.

Today, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa hosted an exhibit in Waipahu titled, "Pidgin: How was, how stay." The exhibit explained how pidgin developed in the islands and also included documentaries, tours, fun activities, and "ono local grinds."

I came across the article on Hawaii News Now, and I was disappointed that it was only a one-day thing. But then I researched it a little more, and I discovered that the exhibit will be permanent, and today's event was just the opening day festivities. I am really excited because I would be extremely interested in going to it, and I think that many people not from Hawai'i who have heard phrases of pidgin would also be interested in attending the exhibit and learning about this unique aspect of our culture. It seems like Hawai'i has such an allure for most people, and we should try to share our culture and aloha spirit with as many people as we can.

Source: UH Website