Hawaii pidgin is in census; Tagalog, Ilocano most spoken at home

SAN FRANCISCO–A recent U.S. census survey looked at languages spoken Hawaii, and for the first time Hawaiian Pidgin English was included on that list.

From 2009 to 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau surveyed 326,893 Hawaii residents if any language other than English is spoken within the home. Tagalog and Ilocano topped the list. More than 50,000 reported they speak Tagalog at home, according to a report by KITV.com.

Hawaiian language was ranked at number five. The local dialect consists of phrases like “Da Kine,” “Fo Real,” “If No Can, No Can.”

Its what some describe as the state’s local language, believed to be a combination of many languages that came together during Hawaii’s Plantation era.

Survey data listed the top 21 languages, Korean, Spanish and Mandarin were all included.

Like us on Facebook