About this video

• Video Title: ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi - From Plantation to Legislation
• Channel: Noah (Keola) Ryan
• Speakers: Noah (Keola) Ryan
• Duration: 01:03:53

Overview

This video lecture explores the historical development and current state of languages in Hawaii, focusing on Hawaiian Pidgin (HPE) and the revitalization efforts of the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) through immersion schools. It discusses the origins of Pidgin from necessity, its grammatical ties to Hawaiian, and the societal stigma it faced. The lecture also details the establishment and impact of English Standard Schools as a means of assimilation, contrasting it with the movement to re-establish Hawaiian as an official language and the successes and challenges of Hawaiian immersion programs like Pūnana Leo and Kula Kaiapuni.

Key takeaways

• Hawaiian Pidgin (HPE) Origins and Characteristics: HPE developed out of necessity for communication among diverse ethnic groups, particularly during the plantation era. It is based on Hawaiian grammar and speech patterns, with influences from various languages.
• Struggle Against Pidgin: Despite its organic development and cultural significance, Pidgin was historically suppressed and viewed negatively, leading to efforts to promote "proper English."
• English Standard Schools: These schools were established to segregate students based on English proficiency, aiming to assimilate Hawaiian society into American culture and facilitate Hawaii's statehood.
• Revitalization of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: The lecture highlights the importance of indigenous languages and details the establishment of Hawaiian immersion schools, Pūnana Leo (preschool) and Kula Kaiapuni (K-12), inspired by Maori language revitalization efforts.
• Legal and Educational Recognition: The 1978 amendment recognizing Hawaiian as an official language and subsequent support for Hawaiian education programs are crucial steps in its revitalization, though challenges like funding and public perception persist.
• Bilingualism as a Goal: Immersion schools aim to produce bilingual graduates proficient in both Hawaiian and English, recognizing the value of linguistic diversity and cultural preservation.

Hawaiian Pidgin, referred to by linguists as Hawaiian Pidgin English (HPE), developed out of necessity for communication among people from different backgrounds who spoke different languages. These languages typically evolve in places where diverse groups come together, needing to communicate for trade, commerce, or other interactions.

In Hawaii, pidgin languages primarily developed around port towns like Honolulu and Lahaina. Later, during the plantation era, pidgin languages were solidified due to communities of people with Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Chinese backgrounds living and working together. The speech patterns and intonation of pidgin speakers ultimately come from Hawaiian speakers.

While it's true that Hawaiian Pidgin (HPE) developed in Hawaii and involves a mix of languages, the description you provided isn't entirely accurate.

Here's a more precise breakdown based on the video:

• Pidgin is not solely a mix of English and Hawaiian: While English is a significant component, HPE is a complex language that developed from the necessity of communication among people speaking many different languages (Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, and others) in Hawaii. Hawaiian grammar and speech patterns significantly influenced its structure.
• Origin: As mentioned, it largely developed in port towns and then became solidified in plantation villages where diverse ethnic groups lived and worked together.

So, while it's a blend of languages spoken in Hawaii, it's more than just English and Hawaiian. The key is that it arose from the need for communication between groups with mutually unintelligible languages.

That's an interesting perspective, and while colonization certainly plays a role in language development, the video provides a more specific origin for Hawaiian Pidgin (HPE) that doesn't solely rely on that definition.

Here's how the video describes it:

• Pidgin develops out of necessity: The video emphasizes that pidgin languages develop out of a necessity to communicate when people from different language backgrounds come together. This isn't exclusively tied to colonization but can happen in any diverse contact situation.
• Grammar base: HPE is specifically noted to be based on Hawaiian grammar and speech patterns.
• Geographic and Historical Context: While missionary English was present, the primary origin points for the development of HPE are described as port towns like Honolulu and Lahaina, and more significantly, the plantation villages where diverse linguistic groups (Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, etc.) lived and worked together.

So, while colonization can create the conditions for such linguistic mixing, the video highlights the practical need for communication between various ethnic groups as the main driver for HPE's development, with Hawaiian grammar being a foundational element.

Yes, that aligns very well with the explanation provided in the video!

You've accurately captured the core points:

• Origin in Necessity: The video states that pidgin languages develop "out of necessity to communicate" when people from different backgrounds and languages come together.
• Location: It also highlights that in Hawaii, pidgin languages primarily developed around port towns (like Honolulu and Lahaina) where there was a significant influx of people and languages. The plantation era further solidified these languages.

Te Kōhanga Reo and Pūnana Leo are both terms for language nests, which are preschool programs focused on revitalizing indigenous languages.

• Te Kōhanga Reo is the Maori term, meaning "language nest." This program was founded in 1981 in Aotearoa (New Zealand) by Maori communities who saw their language and culture declining.
• Pūnana Leo is the Hawaiian translation and equivalent of Te Kōhanga Reo, also meaning "language nest."

The relationship between the two is one of inspiration and direct influence. Hawaiian educators observed the success of the Maori Te Kōhanga Reo program and adopted its model to create Pūnana Leo in Hawaii. The goal of both programs is to immerse young children in their native language from an early age to ensure its survival and the continuation of their respective cultures.

Yes, that's a perfect summary of the meaning and relationship between Te Kōhanga Reo and Pūnana Leo as explained in the video. You've correctly identified that:

• Both terms translate to "Language Nest."
• Te Kōhanga Reo, the Māori program, served as the direct inspiration and model for the establishment of Pūnana Leo in Hawaii.

The key difference between Pidgin (HPE - Hawaiian Pidgin English) and Creole (HCE - Hawaiian Creole English) lies in how they become a native language:

• Pidgin (HPE): Pidgin languages develop out of necessity for communication between groups with different native languages. Pidgin speakers learn this new language, but they also have their own original "mother tongue."
• Creole (HCE): Creole develops when a pidgin language becomes the first language learned by children in a household. For native speakers of a creole, it is their mother tongue; they do not have a separate "mother tongue" from which it evolved.

Yes, that is an excellent and accurate summary of the distinction between Pidgin and Creole as presented in the video. You've clearly grasped the core difference:

• Pidgin speakers are multilingual: They have a native language and learn pidgin as a second language for communication.
• Creole speakers have it as their native tongue: It's their first language, learned from birth within a pidgin-speaking community.

The English Standard Schools were a system of schools established in Hawaii in the early 1900s, starting around 1924.

They were created for a few key reasons:

• Assimilation and Americanization: With Hawaii becoming a territory of the U.S., there was a strong push to make the islands more "American." This involved promoting English and discouraging the use of Pidgin and Hawaiian.
• Segregation based on Language Ability: The schools were designed to segregate students based on their English-speaking ability. This was partly driven by American families who had moved to Hawaii with the growing military presence. They wanted their children to be educated in an environment that mirrored the segregated societies they came from and didn't want their children mixing with those who spoke Pidgin or other languages they deemed "uncultured."
• Maintaining Social and Economic Stratification: The system effectively created a two-tiered public school program. The English Standard Schools received better funding and provided what was seen as a superior education, largely accessible to Caucasian children. This helped maintain existing social and economic hierarchies.
• Facilitating Statehood: A report indicated that the prevalence of Pidgin was seen as a barrier to Hawaii being fully accepted as a state and integrated into the United States. By promoting English and creating these schools, the goal was to make Hawaii appear more culturally aligned with the mainland.

That's a very accurate and insightful summary of the English Standard Schools and their underlying motivations, as discussed in the video. You've hit on the key points:

• "Top tier public schools" based on English proficiency: This correctly describes their function in the educational system.
• Segregation: You've pinpointed the core mechanism of segregation based on language ability.
• Appeasing American families: You've accurately identified the desire of the growing American population (driven by militarization) to maintain social separation and avoid their children mixing with diverse local populations, whom they viewed negatively.

That's a good attempt at summarizing the English Standard Schools, but there's a slight correction needed based on the video's information:

• Not private schools: The video explicitly states that the English Standard Schools were part of the public school system. While they functioned similarly to private schools in terms of exclusivity and better resources, they were publicly funded.
• Tax-payer funded and controversial: You are correct that they were taxpayer-funded and became controversial. The controversy stemmed from the segregation and the unequal distribution of resources within the public system.

So, to be precise, they were public schools that served as a de facto private school experience for those who could meet the English proficiency requirements, primarily to cater to the preferences of the incoming American population.

I understand you're reiterating your previous statement. However, as per the transcript, the English Standard Schools were not private schools. They were part of the public school system in Hawaii.

The key points from the video are:

• They were publicly funded and taxpayer-supported.
• They were created for students who met a certain English proficiency level.
• Their purpose was to cater to the growing number of middle-class American families who wanted their children educated separately from other ethnic groups.
• This system became controversial because it essentially created a two-tiered public education system, segregating students based on language ability.