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 history and evolution of language in Hawaii, focusing on Hawaiian Pidgin English (HPE) and Hawaiian immersion schools. It traces the development of Pidgin from a necessity for communication among diverse plantation workers to its linguistic classification and unique grammatical features. The lecture also discusses the historical suppression of Pidgin and Hawaiian, the establishment of English Standard Schools, and the subsequent revitalization efforts through the Hawaiian immersion school system.

Key takeaways

• Origins and Nature of Hawaiian Pidgin English (HPE): HPE developed out of necessity for communication among diverse linguistic groups in Hawaii, initially around port towns and later solidified during the plantation era. It is a true language with its own grammar, heavily influenced by Hawaiian language structure and speech patterns.
• Linguistic Features of HPE: The lecture details specific phonetic and grammatical characteristics of HPE, such as reduced consonant clusters, the transformation of "th" sounds, the deletion of "r," and unique grammatical structures for expressing time and negation.
• Creole vs. Pidgin: A distinction is made between Pidgin (a second language learned out of necessity) and Creole (a language that becomes a native, first language for children born into a Pidgin-speaking household). This distinction is crucial for understanding educational approaches.
• Historical Suppression and English Standard Schools: The video outlines efforts to suppress Pidgin and promote "proper English," including the establishment of English Standard Schools in the early 1900s, which served to segregate students based on perceived English proficiency and maintain social stratification.
• Revitalization of Hawaiian Language: The lecture details the significant efforts to revive the Hawaiian language through immersion schools, starting with Pūnana Leo (preschools) and expanding to Kula Kaiapuni (grade schools). It highlights the legal battles, the influence of Maori language revitalization programs, and the goal of creating bilingual speakers.
• Challenges and Successes of Immersion Programs: The video discusses ongoing challenges such as public ignorance, underfunding, and the impact of federal policies like "No Child Left Behind." However, it also celebrates the success of these programs in increasing Hawaiian language proficiency and fostering a sense of community and cultural identity.

Here are the answers to your questions based on the video transcript:

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: “I ka ʻōlelo no ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo no ka make”

• Definition: "In language there is life, in language there is death."
• Traditional Meaning: This proverb traditionally refers to the power of words to bring life (through praise, affirmation, truth) or death (through slander, lies, curses). It emphasizes the profound impact of speech.
• Contemporary Meaning: In the context of language revitalization and cultural preservation, it signifies that the survival or demise of a language is directly tied to its use and transmission. If a language is spoken and taught, it lives; if it falls silent, it dies. It highlights how language is intrinsically linked to the life and death of a culture.

Cultural Bomb

• What is it? What does it cause colonized people to do? A cultural bomb, as introduced by Ngugi Wa Thiongʻo, is a phenomenon that disorients and alienates a colonized people from their own culture, history, and identity. It causes colonized people to internalize the colonizer's values and perspective, leading them to reject their indigenous languages, traditions, and ways of knowing as inferior or obsolete. They become alienated from their own cultural roots and often aspire to the colonizer's culture.

• How central is language to the cultural bomb concept? Why? Language is absolutely central to the cultural bomb concept. Ngugi argues that the colonizer's language is imposed, displacing and devaluing the indigenous language. This linguistic displacement is a primary tool for dismantling a people's cultural identity because language is the vehicle through which culture, history, values, and ways of thinking are transmitted and understood. By destroying or marginalizing the indigenous language, the colonizer effectively destroys the means by which the colonized people access and express their own culture, making them dependent on the colonizer's cultural framework.

• According to Ngugi, how should colonized people combat it? According to Ngugi, colonized people should combat the cultural bomb by reclaiming and centering their own languages and cultures. This involves re-establishing the primacy of their indigenous languages in education, daily life, and cultural expression, and actively resisting the imposition of the colonizer's language and cultural norms. It's about re-grounding themselves in their own history and heritage through their own languages.

• List 2 examples of a cultural bomb covered thus far:

  1. The historical suppression of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in schools, making it illegal to speak the language and punishing students who did.
  2. The establishment of English Standard Schools, which prioritized English and devalued Pidgin and other languages, contributing to the alienation of Hawaiian culture.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi History

• Language related dates:
  • 1822-1823: This period marks the development of the written Hawaiian alphabet by American missionaries and the beginning of widespread literacy in Hawaiian.
  • 1853: This year is associated with the peak of Hawaiian language newspapers, indicating a vibrant literary and communication culture in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
  • 1896: A law was enacted that made English the sole language of instruction in all schools in Hawaiʻi, effectively banning the use of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in educational settings.
  • 1978: An amendment to the Hawaiʻi State Constitution was passed, officially recognizing ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as an official language of Hawaiʻi alongside English.
• How did the 1896 law affect Hawaiʻi schools and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in general? The 1896 law had a devastating impact. It forced the use of English as the only language of instruction in schools, leading to the punishment and shaming of students who spoke ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. This contributed significantly to the decline of the language, as it was perceived as something to be ashamed of and was actively suppressed in formal education for generations. It severed the intergenerational transmission of the language within educational contexts.
• Identify Richard Armstrong in terms of Hawaiian language: Richard Armstrong was a prominent figure in Hawaiian education. While the transcript doesn't elaborate extensively on his specific actions regarding language policy, he was instrumental in establishing the public school system in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Earlier in his career, there was an emphasis on teaching in Hawaiian, but later in the 19th century, there was a shift towards English, which Armstrong's work on the school system ultimately facilitated, especially with the later 1896 law.

Language in the Territory of Hawaiʻi

• What constitutes a “pidgin” language? A pidgin language develops out of necessity when speakers of different languages need to communicate. It's typically a simplified language that draws vocabulary and some grammatical structures from the various languages involved, serving as a bridge for basic communication, trade, or commerce. It is not typically a native language for any of its speakers.
• What is the difference between Pidgin (HPE) & Creole (HCE) languages? The key difference lies in native acquisition. Pidgin is a second language learned for communication by people who have other native languages. Creole, on the other hand, emerges when a pidgin language becomes the first language of a generation of children born into a community. It develops a more complex grammar and vocabulary and becomes the native tongue for its speakers. Hawaiian Creole English (HCE) is what Hawaiian Pidgin English (HPE) became when it evolved into a first language for children.
• Where did Hawaiʻi’s pidgin language originate? Hawaiʻi's pidgin language primarily developed around port towns like Honolulu and Lahaina and was later solidified during the plantation era, serving as a communication tool for workers from diverse backgrounds (Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Hawaiian, etc.).
• What are the English Standard Schools and why were they created? English Standard Schools were a type of public school established in the Territory of Hawaiʻi, beginning in 1924. They were created to segregate students based on their English-speaking ability, primarily to cater to the growing middle-class American families who wanted their children educated separately from non-English speaking or Pidgin-speaking students. The underlying motive was to promote Americanization and maintain social and racial stratification.
  • Why were people in the islands highly critical of these schools? People were critical because these schools promoted social and economic stratification, disrupted community integration by segregating children from a young age, and were seen as a manifestation of racism. The perception was that they created a two-tiered education system that benefited a select few while disadvantaging others.

Hawaiian Language Revitalization

• Identify:
  • Te Kohanga Reo: A Maori (New Zealand indigenous people) preschool program founded in 1981, meaning "language nest." It served as a model for Hawaiian language immersion.
  • Pūnana Leo: Hawaiian "language nest" preschools, inspired by Te Kohanga Reo, established in 1984. They are non-profit and focus on immersing young children in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
  • Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi (Kula Kaiapuni): Hawaiian immersion grade school programs (K-12) funded by the state Department of Education, building upon the foundation laid by Pūnana Leo.
  • KĀʻEO: While mentioned in the context of immersion schools, the transcript doesn't provide a specific definition for KĀʻEO beyond its association with the broader immersion program and assessment of educational outcomes. It's likely an acronym or a specific initiative within the Kula Kaiapuni system.
• When was the Language Immersion program started in the U.S. and what is its goal? Language immersion programs in the U.S. began to be established around 1971. The primary goal of these programs is to develop bilingual speakers who are proficient in both the target language (in Hawaii's case, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) and English.
• What does Te Kohanga Reo and Pūnana Leo mean and what's the relationship between the two?
  • Te Kohanga Reo means "language nest" in Maori.
  • Pūnana Leo means "language nest" in Hawaiian.
  • The relationship is that Pūnana Leo was directly inspired by and modeled after Te Kohanga Reo. Hawaiian educators observed the success of the Maori language nests in revitalizing their language and adapted the model for use in Hawaiʻi to revive ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
• What challenges do Hawaiian Immersion schools continue to face today? Hawaiian Immersion schools continue to face challenges including:
  • Public ignorance and lack of support: Many people do not understand or support immersion programs, viewing them as a waste of resources.
  • Underfunding: The Board of Education often prioritizes funding for English-speaking schools, leaving immersion programs to rely heavily on fundraising.
  • Impact of federal policies: Historically, policies like "No Child Left Behind" favored English-only testing and services, creating obstacles for immersion students. Although the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) has been more supportive.
  • Limited enrollment: Despite the programs' success, a vast majority of native Hawaiian children are not currently enrolled in immersion schools, indicating a need for greater expansion.
  • Teacher pipeline: There is a disproportionately low number of Hawaiian teachers in the overall public school system, which can impact the immersion programs.
  • Curriculum and Assessment: Developing accurate and culturally appropriate assessments (like the KAʻEO assessment) has been an ongoing process.