Spring I Potluck Fun

It is absolutely amazing to me how fast time is flying by! Our spring I session has already ended and we had another fantastic potluck! Just like always, there was a lot of great food and entertainment. We even played a few games of charades to see how important non-verbal gestures are in effective communication. Playing these games made us work up quite an appetite, so we loaded our plates with mountains of delicious food. Each bite was so good that many of us went back for seconds and even thirds! While you can see a few of our pictures from the potluck on this blog, you can see a lot more on our Facebook fan page. If you have account, you can just search for the "Maui Language Institute" and check out all of our photos by becoming a fan.

Today's Pidgin English word comes from the English language, but the meaning and pronunciation are slightly different when used in Hawaii. The word is "slippah," which is the Pidgin English equivalent to "slipper." This way of pronouncing words is common in Hawaii Pidgin English. A lot of words that end in "er" (maker, baker, later, etc.) will be pronounced with an "ah" sound, as in "a-ha." So instead of saying "see you later," you would say "see you latah."

The meaning is a little different as well. "Slippahs" are thin pieces of footwear made of rubber, commonly called thongs or flip-flops in other parts of the world. In Hawaii, the word "slippahs" can be used to describe any type of footwear that is fastened to your foot by a thong. However, when we say "rubbah slippahs (rubber slippers)" it usually refers to a specific type of footwear that is a must if you live in Hawaii. These slippahs are so convenient for going to the beach or just going for a short walk around the neighborhood. If you ever come to Hawaii, you'll probably see a lot of people wearing slippahs everywhere you go. There are many different types of slippahs that you can buy in Hawaii. Some of these slippahs have thick soles and can cost $60.00 or more, while thinner models can cost just a few dollars. So if you're in Hawaii, grab a pair and give your shoes a rest!

A Little Taste of the MLI

Hey there! I told you we would be back in a flash! Thursday, October 8th was the last day of our Fall I session. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! The one good thing about coming to the end of a session is our wonderful potluck. If you have been reading our blogs, you know that we celebrate the end of each session by having a potluck party. Many of our students showcase their culinary prowess by cooking succulent dishes that taste amazing. We also had lots of great entertainment. Some of our students acted in skits and presented some of their work from class. One of our students even serenaded us with his solo ukulele music. Our students also got to play a fun, easy game. Students vote for their favorite person in specific categories such as “the best cook”, “the best singing voice”, and “the best laugh” just to name a few. The winner of each category was rewarded with a fun gift. Some students won Hawaii calendars and others won Hawaiian key chains or Hawaiian luggage tags. One student received a beach mat for winning the “best tan” category! That’s it for our MLI update. Now, let’s get onto the Pidgin Lesson.

Today's Pidgin English lesson is simple and sweet. This phrase is easy to learn and can be used in a variety of situations. The phrase is "chance um." The meaning of this phrase is to "take a chance" or to "go for it!" A literal translation of this phrase into standard English would be "chance it." Let's take a look at some real life examples.

1. Tyler: Bra, I don't know wat for do. I got one mean job, but the buggah is in New York. I don't know if I going go or not.
Micah: Bra, chance um!

Translation:
Tyler: I don't know what I should do. I just landed a great job, but I would have to move to New York. I don't know if I am going to take it or not.
Micah: Dude, go for it!
Steve: Ho, Angela, she's mean ah! I like talk to her but I don't know wat fo say...Jeff: Nah, chance um!

2. Steve: Ho, Angela, she's mean ah! I like talk to her but I don't know wat fo say...
Jeff: Nah, chance um!

Translation:
Steve: Hey, don't you think Angela is absolutely gorgeous? I want to talk to her but I don't know what I should say....
Jeff: Go for it man! Take a chance!

See? Nice and simple right? We've reached the end of another blog, but keep practicing your Pidgin English and we'll see you soon!

Summer Fun in the Sun

Aloooooooha! Our summer session has just ended and our students are officially on summer vacation. We start our Fall I session on August 17th, so our students have a few weeks to unwind and enjoy the rest of the summer.

We also had a few students who completed our program and will be parting ways with us. While it's sad to say goodbye to our students, we are also filled with happiness and admiration knowing that they will continue to challenge themselves by pursuing their goals in life. Many of our former students have taken the skills and experience gained from the Maui Language Institute and are utilizing them in their everyday lives. We have students pursing college degrees at universities all over the world as well as former students who have jobs that use English.

As you all know by now, an MLI potluck always has great food and entertainment. It is a time for all of us to get together and celebrate the wonderful memories that we have made over the past few weeks with one another. The food was excellent as always. There was so much food that it was impossible to eat it all! Our students provided the entertainment by reading their poetry and showing us their storytelling skills. It was amazing to see how well the students performed in public! Their pronunciation was impressive and their enthusiasm was contagious.

Here's the Pidgin English for today! Today's lesson is about the word "stay." In English the word "stay" has several different meanings. It can mean to remain, to wait for, or even to take up residence. However, the word "stay" in Pidgin English can also take on a totally different meaning. It is usually used with the progressive tense of verbs (verb+ing) or adjectives to express a current situation or state. For example, when you want to ask someone what they are doing right now, you would say "what you stay doing?" This would be translated as "what are you doing right now?" While this sounds confusing, it is pretty easy to get the hang of. I think it will be easier to understand this concept by looking at a few examples.

1. Dave: Ho, what you stay doing?
Alan: I stay eating.

Translation:
Dave: Hey what are you doing (right now)?
Alan: I'm eating (right now, at this very moment).

2. Micah: I stay hungry!
Joe: I stay hungry too, but I no can eat cause I stay broke!

Translation:
Micah: I'm hungry!
Joe: I'm hungry too, but I can't buy anything to eat because I'm broke!

3. Jack: (Talking to Pat on his cell phone). Ho, where you stay?
Pat: I stay at the beach.

Translation:
Jack: Hey, where are you right now?
Pat: I'm at the beach (at this moment).

You'll hear this word used quite a lot among native speakers of Hawaii Pidgin English. Using this word correctly will make your Pidgin English sound very natural. So make sure you put this word into your Pidgin arsenal!

Here's an important detail you should remember. Because "stay" is used to describe a current and ephemeral state, adjectives that describe a permanent or long-lasting state will sound a little funny. For example, adjectives that describes a person's natural appearance would sound strange because it's a relatively permanent situation. Thus, saying something like "She stay pretty" would sound a little weird. If you did say that, the underlying meaning would be "she is pretty NOW, but she wasn't pretty before/won't be pretty in the future."

Wow! That was quite a long Pidgin English lesson that we had today. But the word "stay" is such a useful word that it is worth explaining. It's that time again where we have come to the end of another blog. No worries! We'll be back in no time with more wonderful updates for you. Pau for now!

Passionately Presented Poetry...and Good Food ;)

I can't believe how quickly time goes by! We have already come to the end of another session. You know what that means right? Another one of our potluck parties of course! We were mesmerized by the entertainment provided by our talented students. We were treated to poetry readings, fun skits, and even musical performances. There was also choke food! After we feasted, there were leftovers for people to take home! (a Hawaiian practice - take one plate lunch home for to grind later.) There was everything from seafood, to soup, to homemade baked goods, to exotic desserts.

Although our potluck parties are a time for relaxing and having fun, it is also a time to say goodbye to our students who have completed our program. Although we had to say farewell to a few of our students, we are also proud of all they have accomplished. The skills that they have learned from the Maui Language Institute will continue to serve them as they pursue their life goals. Many of our students continue their education and earn degrees at English speaking colleges and universities around the world.

Pidgin English time! I have already used today's word in several of the past blogs, so this will be an easy lesson for those of you who have kept up with your Pidgin English studies.I will continue to incorporate more and more Pidgin English sentences into these blogs so you can see how Pidgin can be used in natural conversations. Keep up with these lessons and you'll be well on your way to having conversations in Pidgin English.

Shoots - OK, alright, sounds good, see ya later
1. Jack: Eh I gotta go work so I'll talk to you afta.
Jim: Shoots.

Translation:
Jack: I have to go to work now so I'll talk to you later.
Jim: Ok, see ya

Now if we combine the words you’ve learned from the last few blogs, we can build a small conversation.

John: Eh, howzit?
Mike: Howzit?
John: I stay hungry, you like go grind?
Mike: Shoots!

Translation:
John: Hey! What’s up?
Mike: What’s up?
John: I'm pretty hungry. Do you want to get something to eat?
Mike: Sure, sounds good!

I will continue to incorporate more and more Pidgin English sentences into these blogs so you can see how Pidgin can be used in natural conversations. Keep up with these lessons and you'll be well on your way to having conversations in Pidgin English. Aloha for now!

MLI Hawaiian Studies Potluck!

Aloha! Just this past week our Hawaiian studies class had a potluck filled with lots of ono "delicious" fare from all over the world. They had everything from Vietnamese spring rolls, to Hawaiian musubis to Turkish hot cheese buns. We also had to say goodbye to two of our students who completed our program. We wish them the best of luck for and we hope that we can meet again one day!



One of the things that makes Hawaii so great is its diversity of people and cultures. If you ever come to Hawaii, you may notice that many of the people here speak in a different dialect of English. This dialect is called Pidgin English, or Hawaii Creole English. Pidgin English has been influenced by the many different cultures and languages that are in Hawaii. Some of these languages include Hawaiian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Japanese, Filipino, and Korean.


Want to learn some Pidgin? Let's start off with some basic words and that are commonly used in Hawaii.

Grinds (noun) - Food or a meal. Grinds - (adjective) Something delicious.
Ex.
1. Where's the grinds?
Where is the food?
2. This sandwich is grinds!
This sandwich is delicious!

Here is something interesting about this word in Pidgin English. If you change grinds into a non-plural word (grind instead of grinds), it becomes a verb.

Grind (verb) - To eat
Ex.
1. You wanna go grind?
Do you want to eat (something)?


Pau (rhymes with cow) - Finished, done
Ex.
1. You pau your homework?
Are you finished with your homework?

2. You pau eat? or You pau grind?
Are you finished eating?


That's all for now folks! Have fun with these words and stay tuned for more updates!