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You all make valid points, but HI is a US state, and people tend to ignore that. The national language is ENGLISH. No one on the mainland is expected to learn the Navajo language or any other native language. No one on the mainland is expected to identify themselves according to ancient cultures. I realize that HI is the newest state, but we should be moving toward a degree of assimilation with the rest of the country.
FYI we do speak English here. obviously you do not care about respecting the Hawaiian culture, the history of this state or the sensitive issues surrounding how we became a state. assimilation? we have assimilated so much we have lost most of what made these islands hawaii
You all make valid points, but HI is a US state, and people tend to ignore that. The national language is ENGLISH. No one on the mainland is expected to learn the Navajo language or any other native language. No one on the mainland is expected to identify themselves according to ancient cultures. I realize that HI is the newest state, but we should be moving toward a degree of assimilation with the rest of the country.
I agree, let's change all street signs in CA that are in Spanish to English. Let's change all the French street signs in Lousiana and Vermont to English. Let's change all the Hawaiian street signs in Hawaii to English. In fact, let's omit all the words of non-English origin of the English language from all English dictionaries and from conversation.
You are right, about "NO ONE on the the mainland is expected to identify themselves according to ancient cultures." Modern American was created in the vacuum and has ZERO influence from ancient cultures. Pizza and Pasta were invented by Chef Boyardee after having a dream about bizarre foods that no one in the world has seen or tasted. America just created it's own culture out of thin air in 1776, and it was influenced by nothing. Any influence on American culture after 1776 should be nullified. Oh wait, to some people, 1776 is ancient. Perhaps we should stick to the American culture that was created out of thin air and influenced by nothing from the 20th century to the present.
I agree about the assimilation thing. We should all speak standard American English. We should all be "accent-less" (nevermind such a thing doesn't exist). Hawaii is the ONLY state with a regional accent. Hawaii is the ONLY state that has words and phrases unique to Hawaii, but that should be eradicated and everytone should speak accent-less standard American English.
People in New York do not speak with an accent influence by the Dutch, Irish, English, and other ethnicities. New yorkers do not say shumuck, oy vey, chutzpah etc. The creole language of Lousiana is mythology.
The Amish are not influenced by the Amish of Swizterland who moved to the US in the 18th century. They are a figment of your imagination.
Yeah, let's allow the Hawaiian language to just die off the face of the Earth. We must be exactly like the monocultural mainland where everyone speaks in accent-less American English, and the culture is modern with ZERO influence from ancient cultures. mtb83201, you are the voice of reason. Too bad everyone isn't like you, because if we were, life would be exciting! Good luck with your crusade on trying to make hawaii like "The Mainland".
For the same reason that we don't practice ALL native languages; it's too complicated to do so. Simplification, acknowledgment that you belong to a federal government, participation in your country's interest.
I agree, let's change all street signs in CA that are in Spanish to English. Let's change all the French street signs in Lousiana and Vermont to English. Let's change all the Hawaiian street signs in Hawaii to English. In fact, let's omit all the words of non-English origin of the English language from all English dictionaries and from conversation.
You are right, about "NO ONE on the the mainland is expected to identify themselves according to ancient cultures." Modern American was created in the vacuum and has ZERO influence from ancient cultures. Pizza and Pasta were invented by Chef Boyardee after having a dream about bizarre foods that no one in the world has seen or tasted.
I agree about the assimilation thing. We should all speak standard American English. We should all be "accent-less" (nevermind such a thing doesn't exist). Hawaii is the ONLY state with a regional accent. Hawaii is the ONLY state that has words and phrases unique to Hawaii, but that should be eradicated and everytone should speak accent-less standard American English.
People in New York do not speak with an accent influence by the Dutch, Irish, English, and other ethnicities. New yorkers do not say *******, gettouttahea, etc.
The Amish are not influenced by the Amish of Swizterland who moved to the US in the 18th century. They are a figment of your imagination.
your sarcasm is noted, but who ever said anything about accent? We are talking about a whole new fear-inciting culture who uses "haole" as a label; a culture that incites fear in it's own country's citizens. That is NOT ok.
From the Hawaii Revised Statutes: "§1-13 Official languages. English and Hawaiian are the official languages of Hawaii. Whenever there is found to exist any radical and irreconcilable difference between the English and Hawaiian version of any of the laws of the State, the English version shall be held binding. Hawaiian shall not be required for public acts and transactions."
Any other state have such a provision?
Last edited by Sweetbeet; 08-19-2010 at 05:03 PM..
Reason: add quotation marks
your sarcasm is noted, but who ever said anything about accent? We are talking about a whole new fear-inciting culture who uses "haole" as a label; a culture that incites fear in it's own country's citizens. That is NOT ok.
you get beat up for being rude when you visited here? this is not a culture that incites fear, you are reaching
You all make valid points, but HI is a US state, and people tend to ignore that. The national language is ENGLISH. No one on the mainland is expected to learn the Navajo language or any other native language. No one on the mainland is expected to identify themselves according to ancient cultures. I realize that HI is the newest state, but we should be moving toward a degree of assimilation with the rest of the country.
Actually, English is not the national language. The USA has not officially made English the national language. There have been several efforts over the last few years to do so, but it keeps getting stalled.
Actually, English is not the national language. The USA has not officially made English the national language. There have been several efforts over the last few years to do so, but it keeps getting stalled.
so US citizens should feel obligated to identify with a language that is spoken by less than 2.7% of its population? Doesn't seem right to me. Especially in racial contexts.
Well, the official language of the nation may be English, but that doesn't mean people don't use words of many origins in their everyday speech. An official national language is usually a regulation for official documents, such as taxes and laws. On the census, Caucasian is used, not haole. Same with any other official document.
Another poster said that Hawaiian is one of the official languages of this state. A quick Google search bears that out. If so, then the Hawaiian state voters have chosen this, and should be respected for their choices. But again that is mostly in common usage. I've never even seen official instructions in both languages, as I saw English & Spanish in California. I never get phone menus to press 1 for English or 2 for Hawaiian!
No one makes anyone else use a word. You are free to say Caucasian, and everyone would know what you mean. If someone says haole, or any other word, like makai (a directional word), and you don't know what it means, you could ask and learn something new. I don't think it's reasonable, nor really an advantage, to ask everyone to use a limited set of words common to every state. It isn't what is, and it never will be. Our nation is built on immigration and assimilation, but by blending and expansion, not by muting and limiting.
But I think your real objection isn't about the language, nor who uses which words. I think your real issue is with whether the word is offensive or not, am I right? Because if it's not offensive, then there's no point in objecting to the use of it. But if it is offensive, then you have a reason for asking for it not to be used, or at least questioning it's use in the common way it is used here.
First, I'm truly sorry if someone has made you personally feel unwelcome or spoken to you in anger or upset. Whatever words they used, it is unfortunate and not widely acceptable for this to happen. Whatever your own experience, or those that you might read about, it is NOT widely acceptable, in Hawaii, to treat people with disrespect. Not for their race, nor for any any other reason. Personally I find more respect here, for age, gender, race... more than I saw in growing up in California, which is probably the top state in regulating PC behavior.
I freely admit that there are jerks and clowns everywhere, who will speak in foolishness or anger or prejudice. But again, the problem isn't the word, it's the behavior. Just ruling out a word - and I'm not sure how you'd do that - won't ever stop that person from being a jerk. What has to happen is an objection to their behavior, and encouragement to behave otherwise.
Maybe you can tell us about your own bad experience that prompts this thread. Maybe we can offer some perspective on that incident, and just knowing about it will make us all wiser in how we can stop such negative behavior.
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