Originally from Hawaii and a Kamehameha Schools graduate, Lehua Parker writes fiction set in the imaginary town of Lauele, O’ahu. The first book in The Niuhi Shark Saga, One Boy, No Water, was published by Jolly Fish Press in September 2012. Book 2, One Shark, No Swim, is scheduled for August 2013. The Niuhi Shark Saga is about the exploits of Zader, a very special kid with some unusual allergies, and his hānai ‘ohana.
The books in this series are written in standard American English, but much of the dialog is in a modified form of Hawaiian Pidgin. Pidgin is a polyglot language with its roots in Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, English, Korean, and Filipino. Hawaiian Pidgin developed as people from all over the world came to Hawaii in the 1800s looking for a better life. Over time, Pidgin has evolved into a heavily English-based language while retaining its original syntax, grammar, and Asian lilt. While almost everyone in Hawaii today speaks, reads, and writes standard American English, true communication, the kind that speaks from the heart, is in Pidgin.
This blog is dedicated to all Pidgin speakers and the stories we tell.
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