Pidgin is a dialect of English spoken in the Hawaiian Islands. It consists of the
shortening of many words commonly used in everyday English speech. Some examples
include, da (the), odda (other), Tre (meaning tree and three), bra (anyone you know), da
kine (anything you don't know), cus (any friend), and many others. Pidgin has it's
social
barriers as well. It is primarily spoken in the lower class neighborhoods consisting of
the
Hawaiians and the Filipinos. The dialect has been associated with the members of these
neighborhoods and their problems, such as, alcoholism, illiteracy, and a poor standard
of
living. I come from a diverse family background, my mother is Scottish, English,
Italian,
French, and much more. My father is part Hawaiian and part Scottish. Being such I have
to choose which lifestyle is right for me. There is a tug-a-war between the Hawaiian
part
of me and the Haole part of me. The two cultures that I consider myself, Scottish and
Hawaiian, are both proud, interesting, and contain their own prescriptions toward
behavior. The pidgin dialect is a major part of life in the lower class Hawaiian
neighborhoods. For most children in these neighborhoods it is the language spoken at
home. The other people of the islands look at this dialect as a sign of a poor
education
and up-bringing. My mother did not want her son associated with such a group of
individuals.
When I started school at Maunawili School and began to pick up Pidgin and start
to speak it at home she took it upon herself to change me. At this time she was
teaching
sixth grade at Keolu Elementary. She saw how her kids could not speak proper English,
only Pidgin. Many of them also wrote in Pidgin, something I had begun to do. My
mother saw this behavior and forced me to change. My parents put me in Punahou
School, one of the best private schools in the nation, to facilitate this change. It may
seem
that she did not want me to grow up proud of my Hawaiian heritage, but that is far from
the truth. She taught me to respect the culture for its beautiful aspects, the hula, and
the
Hawaiian Language. My father taught me about the ain'a (land). He showed me how the
Hawaiians of yesterdays believed the ain'a to be the physical representation of their
beliefs
in their gods. He showed me Pele's (the fire goddess) home in Kilauea volcano, then her
wrath when the lava from her vents destroyed many homes in Pu'u O'o and many other
exciting aspects of the culture. I was told to keep with the traditions that make me
unique, both Hawaiian and Haole.
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