Front Street Escapades

Aloha! We're back once again for more fabulous updates here at the Maui Language Institute. This past Friday, we went out on another one of our fun field trips. We went to Lahaina, a town filled with history and wonderful sights. It's no coincidence that the name Lahaina comes from a Hawaiian word meaning "unmerciful sun." The weather in Lahaina is usually hot and sunny, which makes it a perfect place to explore the town by foot or to take a leisurely stroll on the along the beach.

For our field trip, we explored Front Street, which is a popular area filled with lots of interesting shops, historical sites, and amazing restaurants. Lahaina is also the place to be if you are an art lover. There are many art galleries here, as well as an art night with special events that happen every Friday night. The Lahaina Town Action Committee has a website that lists many of the upcoming events and you can check them out at http://www.visitlahaina.com/

After arriving in Lahaina, we walked around and explored the many shops and historical sites on Front Street. The beautiful sunny weather provided us with an absolutely breathtaking view of the ocean and the West Maui Mountains. After we did a little shopping and sightseeing, we decided to grab some lunch. We went to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. We chose this restaurant because our advanced Film Studies students had just finished studying the movie, Forrest Gump. When the restaurant hosted a raffle to see how much our group knew about Forrest Gump, they were surprised to discover that our students knew answer!

And now on to our Pidgin word of the day! Today's word is "manini (rhymes with "panini")." A Manini is actually the name of a species of fish, but in Hawaiian Pidgin English, it carries a meaning of something small or insignificant. While it can be used to describe the size of something, it is often used to describe a situation (and how insignificant it is). Let's take a look at an example.

1. Micah: Ho I gotta walk all da way to school tomorrow!
Adam: What? Bra, that's so maninis!

Translation:
Micah: Man....I have to walk to school tomorrow!
Adam: What are you complaining about? It's only 5 minutes away!

2. Wesley: I gotta do my math homework by tomorrow!
Josh: Ahh sooo minini dat!

Translation:
Micah: I have to finish my math homework by tomorrow!
Josh: That shouldn't be a problem at all! (Implying that Micah should be able to finish his math homework quickly because it's easy).

Another word that carries the same meaning is "minors." This word is probably easier to understand because it has virtually the same meaning as the word "minor" in standard English. The only difference is that in Pidgin English, an "s" is added on the end.

3. Mike: Ho, you no have choke work fo do today?
Billy: Nah bu, minors!

Translation:
Mike: Hey, don't you have a lot of work to do today?
Billy: Nah, it won't be a problem at all!

Okay folks! That's all for now but stayed tuned for another update coming soon! Aloha!

Our Very Own Idol

Aloha and welcome back to another MLI blog update! I've got some exciting news for you! A couple of weeks ago, there was a talent competition held on the Maui Community College campus that was open to all students. Many students auditioned and only 6 acts made it to the next round. One of our students, Hidenori "Denny," auditioned and passed with flying colors!

The competition was fierce, but Denny gave it his all and performed with energy and charisma. Nearly a hundred people were present at the talent show and all were asked to fill out a secret ballot to vote for their favorite act of the night. The votes were tallied and the winners were announced...Denny took 2nd place! What is even more amazing is that Denny taught himself how to play the ukulele. The host family that he is living with had an ukulele that was left behind by one of their former host students and Denny picked it up one day and never put it back down. By watching videos on YouTube and through diligent practice, Denny built up an impressive repertoire of songs. Now, just one year later, Denny claimed 2nd place in a competition filled with many other talented artists. On behalf of everyone here at the Maui Language Institute, I would like to congratulate Denny on doing such a great job. We look forward to hearing more of Denny's music in the future. Congratulations Denny!

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!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

Hi everyone! We're back with another blog to satisfy your Pidgin English cravings and to fill you in on the fun events taking place at the Maui Language Institute. This past Friday, we took another field trip to the Kahana Beach Park. The last time we were there, we volunteered by helping to clean up the area. So we decided to have a little fun this time and go canoe paddling! We got to experience the feeling of sailing over the beautiful waters of Maui. Some of our students have never tried canoe paddling before, so it was especially memorable for them. After we worked up our appetites from all of that padding, we got to enjoy “choke” food at our potluck. Just like always, there was an amazing variety of culinary treats made by our students. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the warm Hawaiian sun in the company of good friends.

By the way, if you are ever on Maui, there is a wonderful event celebrating the culture and artistry of canoes that takes place every year called, "The International Festival of Canoes" and it showcases master canoe makers from all over the world. You can actually see tree logs being carved into full-sized canoe hulls. You can check out pictures of last year's event at http://www.mauifestivalofcanoes.com

Since I'm sure that all of you that have been reading our blogs have mastered basic Pidgin English words and phrases by now, today's word will be a little more esoteric. It's actually an easy word to learn and to use, but it is not used in conversation as much as the other words taught in this blog. The word is "poho" and it comes straight from the Hawaiian language. Poho describes something that is wasteful, as in the English phrase "what a waste." Let's take a look at some examples.

Jack:Ho, wat wen happen to all the food the other night?
Mike: Oh, we wen throw um away.
Jack:Poho!

Translation:
Jack: Hey what happened to all of the food from last night?
Mike: Oh we threw it all away.
Jack: What?! What a waste!

2. Alan: Ho, how’s your cousin, he stay med school ah?
Trevor: Ho bra, he had one scholarship and everything, but he when drop out.
Alan: No ways....ai some poho ah!

Translation:
Alan: Hey how is your cousin doing? He's in medical school right?
Trevor: Even though he had a scholarship to go to medical school, he dropped out.
Alan: Are you serious?! That's a shame (waste)!

If you could read and understand those Pidgin English sentences without looking at the translation, congratulations! This is what a typical conversation in Pidgin English might sound like. I must leave you all once again, but another blog update is on its way! So I'll see you soon! Aloha!

Kanaha Beach Clean Up and Potluck

Hey everyone! It's a beautiful Monday morning here in Maui, and the weather is hot as usual. Last month we went to the Kahana Beach Park and volunteered by cleaning up the area. We joined forces with the County of Maui Volunteer Center and the King Kekaulike High School Key Club in this endeavor. We searched every nook and cranny for trash and left no stone unturned. After a couple of hours, the beach looked as if its natural beauty was untouched. Not only were we filled with accomplishment and pride, but we also got to meet and have fun with lots of new people.

After we finished cleaning up, we celebrated in our usual fashion with a potluck. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore, and then we just relaxed on the beach sharing laughs and good times. To whet your appetite, let me talk about some of the food that we had to eat. We had some standard items such as pizza and fried chicken, but we also had a few unique items such as Korean "vegetarian" rolls with Spam, sushi, and an amazing variety of freshly baked cookies and desserts.

With all this talk about good food, it's only fitting that I teach you the Hawaiian word for delicious. The word is "ono," and it's pronounced "oh-no." I already used this word a couple of times in my past blogs, but I thought I should talk about it in more detail. This word is a good example of how Hawaii Pidgin English incorporates many different languages and cultures together. Ono comes from the Hawaiian language itself, but we use it together with standard English or other Pidgin words in conversation. For example, when eating something tasty, you might say "Wow, this is ono!" If you wanted to use more Pidgin for that sentence, you could say something like "Ho, dis buggah is ono!"

This brings us to the end of another blog but have no fear! We'll be back in no time with more fun updates! Until then, check out all of our pictures from our beach clean up day! See ya!

We're on Facebook!

Welcome back to the MLI blog! It's nice to see all of you all again. We are just starting our Fall I session! By the way, the MLI is officially on Facebook! So if you have an account, just search for the"Maui Language Institute" and we'll show up in the results. You'll see a button at the top that says "become a fan." Click this button and you can see all of the new updates and pictures that we post. If you don't have an account, you can sign up at www.facebook.com It's completely free and allows you to keep in contact with your friends from all over the world.

Well I know that you must be a Pidgin English expert by now but it never hurts to learn a little more. Today let's build on what we already know by taking a look at a common saying in Hawaiian Pidgin English. The phrase is "broke da mouth" or "brok da mout." As we learned in the last lesson, the "da" comes from the English word "the." The word "broke" in English can have several meanings. It can be the past form for the word break, or it can also mean a person that has no money. Both meanings are used in Pidgin as well, but this phrase uses the meaning of something "breaking." The word "mouth" doesn't change its meaning, so it just refers to the part of your body that you eat and speak with. If you take notice, this phrase has a literal meaning along the lines of my "mouth is broken." However, when used in actual conversation, this means something that is really, really delicious. So if go to a restaurant and eat something that was absolutely delicious, you can say that it was broke da mouth!

Today we are featuring Anh, another talented poet who will amaze you with her works. So without further ado, here's Anh!


Stealing.

I steal my husband's mango,
But he doesn't know that I steal his mango
He is looking everywhere, I fear
When he asks me; Honey! Where is my mango.
Ah! I smile and I say
"don't know."



Maui Love

I love Maui too much.
I feel very mild by the weather
And the mountain, sky, cloud, and sea.
I want to hug them all.


Tarnish

A wine cup shared with you
Second cup, I drink it all,
I feel ok!!!...
Third cup I drink all too,
I'm feeling buoyant.

But I am tarnishing.
By the fifth cup I can't drink.
I am already tarnished.
When I look, one person becomes two people.
Ohh! What happen?

I go to bed!!!...


Okay everyone! Time to say goodbye for now. Just like always, we'll be back again soon. See ya!

A Little Pidgin, a Little Poetry

...and we're back! In just a couple weeks we will be starting our Fall I session. It will be nice to see all of our returning students again. We are also looking forward to meeting our new students that are joining us this year. It's amazing to see people from all over the world using English as a common language to communicate.

Now that you have a quite a few Pidgin English words in your repertoire, I'll do something a little bit different today. I'll write out a few dialogues using Pidgin that you would hear if you came to Hawaii. These dialogues will help you to get a feel of the natural use of Pidgin, and how it flows in everyday conversation. It will also help you to see how the words we have learned can be implemented and used in different situations. I'll translate the first two, but I'll leave the last one for you to translate. I'm sure you'll do great. So let's get started!

1. John: Ho howzit bra, how you?
Mike: Ho I stay good bu, how you?
John: Good good. Long time I neva see you..what you stay doing now?
Mike: I stay working at the mall. Eh you like go get something fo grind? I stay on my lunch break now.
John: Oh shoots bu, we go!

Translation:
John: Hey! What's up, how are you?
Mike: I'm good man! How are you?
John: I'm good. I haven't seen you in forever! What are you doing now?
Mike: I'm working at the mall. Hey, you wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm on my lunch break right now.
John: Sounds good, lets go!

2. Adam: Ho bu, we going go to one club tonight, you like come?
Roger: I like go but I no can! I get choke homework tonight.
Adam: Nah no worries! Bra garans you going get one A!
Roger: No ways bu, I gotta study. But if I pau early I go meet you guys afta.

Translation:
Adam: Hey we're going to a club tonight. Do you want to come?
Roger: I would love to go, but I can't. I have so much homework to do tonight.
Adam: Don't worry about it! I'm sure you'll get an A!
Roger: No way! I have to study tonight. But if I finish early I'll meet up with you guys later.


3. Rick: Ho, I going move to one new house next week. You can help me move?
Joe: Oh yea bu, can. What time?
Rick: We gotta start by 2 o'clock bumbai no can finish before get dark.
Joe: Shoots I come your house 2 o'clock.
Rick: Hey mahalos ah!
Joe: Yea bu no worries.

You may have noticed the words "bra" and "bu" have been used quite a lot in the previous dialogues. An equivalent to these words in English would be "brother," "bro," or "man." For example, the phrase "hey man, how you doing?" would be translated as "ho bra, how you?" in Pidgin. Or in English slang, the phrase "what's up brother?" can be roughly translated as "what's up bra?" in Hawaii Pidgin.

We have another talented poet for you today! His name is Hidenori and he comes to us from Ehime, Japan. Let's take a look at a couple of his poems!


Especially MAUI

Island Maui, sunny language Aloha.
Flowers Maui, sunshine Mahalo.
Ocean Maui, Endless Waves.
Sky Maui Hovering Breezy.
I can hear Whispers to Maui.
Like Ocean Waves, and Wind.
Now new Maui Birth again.


Hawaiian Salt

A sweet taste of the ocean
A hot electric shock - woah!
I can't eat a lot.

But pass me more
Hawaiian salt
Salty as Japanese
Barbecued chicken

But not soft of sifting
like regular salt
More like rich red
chunky island earth
Or blood in the mouth

Whoa! - I need water.


It's sad to say but it's the end of today's blog. Come back again soon cause we'll have more updates in no time. Aloha for now!