This Article is an adaptation of the video on the same topic. So, check that out!
Hawaii: Linguistic Paradise or Language Purgatory?
One of the first things you notice when you arrive to the Honolulu airport is that the announcements over the loudspeaker are broadcast in English and in another language. if you were a kid in 2002 and have two ears connected to a heart, you’ll recognize this as the language featured in Lilo & Stitch. Now, generally speaking, I tend to think that calling languages objectively beautiful or ugly is a silly exercise. To a large degree, I think those qualifications are often problematic reflections of how we feel about the speakers of the language, not objective realities…
That being said, Hawaiian is an objectively beautiful language and that has almost nothing to do with how unnecessarily beautiful Nani.
I think there are 2 linguistic aspects that underpin Hawaiian’s melodic, rhythmic sound.
- The phonotactics of the language
- The phonetic inventory
Phonotactics of Hawaiian
Phonotactics are the rules in a language that determine what sounds can fit together and how.
Like many of its Polynesian sisters, and unlike most western languages, Hawaiian doesn’t allow consonant clusters
We can use the preceding sentence to illustrate just how often we find consonant clusters in European languages, like English. Even languages like Japanese, which generally doesn’t allow consonant clusters, you can still find some exceptions.
The language also has a relatively small set of sounds: 8-10 consonants and 5 main vowels (there’s some diphthongs, too). During my trip, which happened to take place in December there was a word I saw over and over that illustrated just how much Hawaiian phonology and phonemic inventory distinguish it from English:
MELE KALIKIMAKA
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Given Hawaiian’s phonetic inventory, loanwords tend to have foreign sounds replaced. And in my opinion, this smaller inventory combined with the rhythmic consonant/vowel structure are what give it a unique sound that you can’t help but vibe with.
A Brief History of the Hawaiian Language in Polynesian Context
The exact origin of the Polynesian settlement of the Hawaiian islands is a subject of some debate. But we can say that the Hawaiian language, or ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, is part of the larger Austronesian language family, specifically sitting within the Polynesian branch. Over centuries, Hawaiian developed its own distinct characteristics, yet its historic connection to other Polynesian languages such as Māori (New Zealand), Tahitian (Tahiti), and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is reflected in related vocabulary, grammar, and phonological features.
The Hawaiian writing system was established by Protestant missionaries in the early 19th century, as part of an effort to convert Hawaiian speakers to Christianity. These missionaries also set up schools, there were newspapers in Hawaiian and by 1842, literacy was so widespread that it became a legal requirement for all adults to be literate in order to get married.
But due to a number of factors, including:
- a coup to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy, high-key instigated by the US government
- a law that imposed English as the main language for school instruction and
- huge amounts of foreign workers to the islands
the Hawaiian language became suppressed and eventually began to die out. Despite it being so prominent in the culture you might be surprised to know that according to the Endangered Language Project there are under 300 first language speakers and it’s considered to be “severely endangered”.
We’ll talk more about who those speakers are, Hawaiian’s current status and its future later. But first we have to talk about the language you’re even more likely to hear spoken on the streets of Hawai’i.
Hawaii Pidgin
You’ve probably seen good and cringey examples of characters in movies and shows speaking what’s known as Hawaii Pidgin. But, where does this form of speech come from?
As we mentioned, throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, Hawaii saw a huge influx of immigration. Companies decided that they would get rich by growing sugar cane and pineapples on the island and they brought in foreign workers from around the world but especially from China, Japan and Portugal.
If you saw my video on “creoles”, you can probably guess what happened next. With such a diverse group of people with no common language, a contact language known as a “pidgin” formed. But there’s a twist to that narrative that I wasn’t expecting. There’s linguistic evidence that this language started life as a Pidgin based on vocabulary from the Hawaiian language. It seems that later, it was relexified with vocabulary from the English language with limited, but significant grammatical and lexical contributions from Hawaiian. Later generations acquired this new Hawaii Pidgin as their native language and a new fully fledged creole language was born.
You’re probably familiar with certain Pidgin words and phrases from popular culture: howzit, pau, grindz, ‘ohana, mahalo, aloha.
But, as is always the case, the vocabulary of a language is just the tip of the iceberg. And Hawaii Pidgin, just like other creole languages is identified by its grammar. For example, like other creole languages, the verbal system depends on short words that go before the main verb, rather than depending on endings to conjugate (stay, wen, go/goin).
As people have slowly started to be more aware of the legitimacy of different varieties of language, including creole languages, Hawaii pidgin has become increasingly accepted as a legitimate variety. But it’s been a long slow process. While I was there, I also saw fellow mainlanders struggling to understand and appreciate some of the finer points of Hawaii Pidgin. One thing that can be difficult to get as an outsider is that, like all creoles, Pidgin exists on a spectrum with “Heavy/Deep Pidgin” (basilectal), varying most significantly from “Standard English”, lighter forms of Pidgin (acrolectal) that are more similar to Standard English with and speakers often able to code switch between all the varieties.
Due to the increased influence of English, there is a thought that Pidgin will eventually be replaced by Standard English. But one of the islands that is known to have more prominent usage of Pidgin is Kauai. Kauai is also one of the few places where you can find a small amount of native speakers of Hawaiian, mostly from the nearby island of Niihau, the only island where it remains the day-to-day first language for a small community of speakers.
There has also been an increasing amount of second language speakers who feel the responsibility and opportunity to participate in the revival of the language. One of the ‘Olelo speakers I was able to talk with is who was Maluhia States from Ka Alala who makes really interesting videos in and about the Hawaiian language. He was able to learn from these communities of monoleo or native Hawaiian speakers. However, his journey is rather unique, as the vast majority of current fluent speakers learned Hawaiian, through immersion programs and/or University language instruction. This has been part of the huge language revitalization effort that’s been on-going since back in the 70s.
Part of that process has been the standardization of the language. But, given how deeply personal this is to many Hawaiians and how closely linked it is to the culture, people have strong feelings about the best way to handle this language. And the development of a standard form of the language has led to a controversy: Is it authentic? Is it too heavily influenced by Western thinking?
However, beyond being a beautiful language, beyond being a symbol of an entire culture and history, every linguist is rooting for Hawaiian to thrive. And like a plant sprouting up through the concrete, there are signs that Hawaiian is beginning to move from the classroom to entering the wider world.
I’m super thankful to all the individuals involved with the study of Hawaii Pidgin and the revitalization of the Hawaiian language who shared their time and knowledge with me, like Kent Sakoda, Dr. Christina Higgins, Michelle Kamigaki-Baron, Maluhia States and Kalani Stoleson. You can find my full conversations with them on my Patreon.
Thanks as well to the linguists who have illuminated some of this fascinating research, such as Dr. Sarah Roberts and Dr. Derek Bickerton
Resources for those interested in older recordings of authentic Hawaiian
Lole o kola a (outfit of the day, in Hawaiian)
An author who has a novel written in Hawaiian
And if you’re interesting in hearing more Pidgin, check out the famous series “The Daily Pidgin” by comedian Andy Bumatai
Or modern stand-up Tumua Tuinei
