Da kine wurd/frayze/turm uv da day: oh heah, oh deyah
Steeler’s Wheel had a big hit with: “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Sometimes, that’s the safest place to be when you don’t know whether you’re coming or going! Ha!
Kinda like wen yu dohdohno eef yu stay oh’heah oh yu stay oh’deyah, but, sabe? (It’s like when you have no clue if you are over here or over there, you dig?)
Eh brah, sumty’m wen yu stay oh’heah an yu like fo go oh’deyah, yu gotta go mauka an den makai, fo get oh’deyah, lah dat but! (Dude, sometime when you’re here and you want to go over there, you have to go mauka and then makai to get there!) You understand? I may have some help for those of you who don’t.
By way of further explanation, I’m inviting y’all to get permission frum yu Muddah, Fahdah, oh yu granmuddah fo go on wun feel treep dees Satahday. (to learn first-hand how Pidgin’ evolved, come along on a field trip to the Hawaii Plantation Museum in Papaikou this Saturday.) … Permission slips optional! Lol!
As discussed previously, Pidgin’ English, aka Hawaiian Creole, grew roots in the soil of the sugar plantations; with the lunas (bosses) and the workers creating a common language; out of necessity!
The recipe went something like this: mix some English and Kanaka together in a pot, add a tablespoon of Pake and a cup of Pordagee, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then, add a generous amount of Kepanee to the pot and let simmer for a few years!
And that is precisely what is happening in Papaikou this Saturday. Hilo native Myra Ikeda will be discussing her new book: “A Harvest of Hawaii Plantation Pidgin: The Japanese Way.” The author will tell us how familiar Japanese words and phrases like jan ken po, hanabata days, benjo and bocha were quickly incorporated into da kine tok once the Gannen mono (Issei Japanese contract sugar workers) arrived in Hawaii.
So, we go den! Jump eensai da kahweelah an try fo go frum heah to oh’deyah dees Satahday fo leesen to da wahine hoo no how all dees wen happen, but! We go get wun ed-joo-mah-kay’shun on dat subjeck an, say howzit to Ikeda-san! (So, let’s jump in the car and drive over to Papaikou on Saturday to get educated about this subject and meet Mrs. Ikeda.) It’s from 10 a.m. – noon.
Eef yu rekahmembah da ol’ “Pinky’s Stoah,” turn mauka oh’deyah an wen yu get to da stop sy’n at da ol’ “Yoshiyama Stoah,” turn ry’t an yu stay deah, but! Spahk yu fahlahs oh’deah!
(For those who didn’t understand the above directions, you better call 964-5151 fo get mo scoops and directions!)
Pau fo nau …
Nexes wun: ain’t no beeg teeng
Wally Camp is a Big Island resident and linguist who writes a biweekly column, Pidgin’ on da Loose. He can be reached at hillowally@gmail.com