Hawaiian Creole English in Hawaii's public schools

HCE

Hawaiian Creole English and Standardized English in Hawaiian Schools

History shows language elicits certain organized behaviors towards the language and the users of the same. Many cultures have allowed vernacular language to develop as their own independent language in an attempt to retain connection to past times, while still maintaining association with outside communities via a standardized language. Vernacular languages contain significant differences in grammatical features, most easily demonstrated in the Pidgin languages of the Asian/Pacific region.

Hawaiian Creole English (HCE) is a structurally complex language which formed over a period of generations. Historically, the Hawaiian Islands had different languages until King Kamehameha III united them all as one territory with a common Hawaiian language. The influx of traders, sailors and tourists to the Hawaiian Islands made it necessary for another language, known as Hawaiian Pidgin, which allowed people from different islands and plantations to communicate.

Hawaiian Pidgin was English based, but also has elements of seven different languages. Pidgin was passed down through generations, eventually becoming a polyglot hybrid currently known as Hawaiian Creole English.

Some educators believe that HCE sounds much like an un-grammatical English. An example of current phraseology used in HCE is presented below, with a Pidgin version of the Mother Good nursery rhyme "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe"

Dere waz one ol Tutu stay living in one slippa

She get choke kids, Planny braddahs and one sistah

She geev um lau, but no mo da poi

Den broke dere okoles, and sent dem moi

Since the ultimate goal of language within a community is to provide communication within generally accepted social patterns of language. This then facilitates the formation of social networks. The use of Hawaiian Creole English allows the formation of a dialect specific to the region. The use of HCE is a study in use of a language that is selectively different within similar social networks or on different social occasions. In Hawaii, students are taught Standard English, as is taught in every other state in America, yet the people still speak HCE at home or in particular social settings.

Varieties of language within the same community do not use the specialized dialect at all times. Those Hawaiians who can use HCE may choose not to do so within social circles in which Standard English may be more socially appropriate. The decision to use HCE in certain settings may be based upon social relationships, interests, income status and even issues as such feelings towards each other or subject matter. The Hawaiians who can go between HCE and Standard English are said to possess a "verbal repertoire" (Fishman, p. 28) which allows smaller verbal interaction networks within the community or setting. The ability to switch back and forth between Standard English and Pidgin Hawaiian allows the speaker to address dynamic constraints of language based upon societal norms. Varieties in language allow the speakers to convey intimacy to other speakers, as well as present an element of cultural identification not available to the foreigner. Hawaii is one of the few places in the world where researchers have been able to follow speakers of Pidgin, Standard English and Creole within the same community.

The use of HCE has caused significant concern within educational settings. There is no clear data which associates the use of HCE with poor academic achievement, especially in the mastering of Standard English reading and writing. In 1987, the Hawaiian Board of Education mandated that Standard English be the only method of communication between students and staff in all school settings. Educators believed that Hawaiian Creole English use was associated with low academic achievement, low socioeconomic status and a negative community stereotype. Hawaiian students were to be encouraged to become primarily fluent in Standard English. This belief was that fluency and subsequent improvement in academic achievement would allow students greater opportunities in education and in life.

Teachers were to encourage the speaking of SE in the classroom and model such speaking for their students. Because no provisions were made to support teachers and their students, the board's action essentially maintained the status quo. Critics of this policy stated the banning of HCE was a blow to Hawaiian cultural identity, even though the ban did not encompass the use of classic Hawaiian but rather the pidgin dialect.

Strong support from parents, teachers, native Hawaiians and community activities as well as a maelstrom of media coverage resulted in the Board of Education rewriting the policy to simply encourage the use of Standard English within the school setting rather than banning the use of pidgin Creole dialect outright.