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July 27, 2005
The only time that "fo" can function as an infinitive
NPR had a fun audio postcard today about "pidgin," the unofficial official language of Hawaii locals. Hawaii's "pidgin" is technically a "creole," a language whose vocabulary is largely drawn from other languages but has its own syntax. Because of it's mash-up origins, pidgin is often snubbed as a corrupt form of English, a sure sign of uneducated, "country" folk. But pidgin can't be sub-standard English because it isn't English; it is a distinct language with consistent rules for grammar and pronunciation.
Most people in Hawaii can speak and understand both Standard American English and Hawaiian Pidgin and switch seamlessly between each as the situation demands. It's a wonderful thing to have our Samoan tree trimmers come to the door and hear my usually grammatically-correct mother slide into sentences like, "Cut dem shorta, yeah?" or "You guys need one glass of watta?"
She's not being lazy; she's just trying to be understood.
(Bonus: a spoken pidgin dictionary online)
Hawaii , Words | By elissa | 04:09 PM
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