The Things that Entertained Us: Pidgin To Da Max

The local color of our islands is best represented in our language. The use of pidgin English serves to remind us of our past, a past deeply rooted in the plantation fields of the early 1900s. To overcome the language barrier among the ethnically diverse plantation workers, pidgin English was adopted as the common language of the people. Broken bits and pieces of English were crudely strung together to communicate basic information. Over the years, pidgin English has evolved into a dialect all its own, a specialized way for locals to communicate. The question “Would you like a drink?” in pidgin is simply “Soda?” The proper response is “Shoots!” not some long-winded reply.

As our pidgin English passed from generation to generation, the need to capture the language became evident and thus, Pidgin To Da Max was born. Authored by Douglas Simonson, Pat Sasaki, and Ken Sakata, Pidgin To Da Max takes a humorous look at our pidgin and reminds us how hilarious our use of language can be. Published over twenty-five years ago, Pidgin To Da Max has become a best seller with over 200,000 copies in print. The sequel, Pidgin To Da Max Hana Hou released in 1991, also became a best seller. The illustrated dictionary depicts caricatures of locals expressing themselves through our colorful language while defining various local words. The caricatures have an uncanny ability to capture the true essence of locals; I swear some of characters look and behave exactly like my friends.

In 2005, the Pidgin To Da Max 25th Anniversary Edition was released, paying tribute to generations of locals who continue to perpetuate the language. The anniversary edition combines both the original Pidgin To Da Max and Pidgin To Da Max Hana Hou in paperback. Other similar publications include Pupus To Da Max a guide to the foods of Hawaii, Da Kine Dictionary , a paperback dictionary similar to Pidgin To Da Max, and Hawaii To Da Max , a visitors guide to the language, food, and culture of Hawaii. Accessible to locals and non-locals alike, Pidgin To Da Max is a humorous representation of that which makes us truly local, our language.

For more information on Pidgin To Da Max, visit the following links below. Have any favorite Pidgin To Da Max moments? Please share them with us at Hawaii Traditions.

Pidgin To The Max

Pidgin To the Max: Local kine comedy 1983