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Recently, researchers have found a new language within Hawai'i, Hawaiian sign language. It has apparently been used since the 1800's by the deaf in Hawaii. Some linguists claim that it could be the last language to be discovered in the United States.

A dying language has been uncovered here in Hawai'i. Researchers are calling its existence ground-breaking - especially considering how close it came to being lost forever. Now a team of experts are working together to revive Hawai'i Sign Language, the indigenous language of Deaf people in Hawai'i. Researchers have identified 40 Native signers of Hawaii Sign Language. Most are in their 70s or older, which is why linguists say without this effort to restore HSL-the language would've died with this generation.

This essay compares the controversies surrounding actions taken by two school boards-one in Hawai'i and the other in Oakland-in their attempts to help students in their districts attain fluency in standard English. Public reactions expressed during each of these two incidents demonstrated a general lack of understanding about languages and nonstandard dialects. The myths and characterizations about Hawai'i Creole English and African American Vernacular English, and the issues these two stigmatized dialects have raised, point to educational policy implications concerning academic achievement and the politics of language.

This is a really useful essay in highlighting linguistic research re: how to effectively instruct speakers of non-standard varieties of English, e.g. AAVE and HCE. Nice find!

The Hawai'i Creole English page in the online world language catalogue, "Ethnologue"

The University of Hawaii plays a lead role in a major statewide initiative called the Hawaii Language Roadmap, which aims to create a robust, multilingual workforce in Hawaii. This video gives an overview of the project. On June 16, 2015, thanks to the efforts of several stakeholders, including the Hawaii Language Roadmap, Hawaii's Board of Education unanimously voted to approve a Seal of Biliteracy for Hawaii's public school students. The policy adopted by the BOE reads as follows: The Board of Education hereby establishes a Seal of Biliteracy to be awarded upon graduation to students who demonstrate high proficiency in either of the State's two official languages and at least one additional language, including American Sign Language; provided that a student who demonstrates a high proficiency in both of the State's two official languages shall be awarded a Seal of Biliteracy. The purposes of the Seal of Biliteracy are to recognize the importance of: (1) enabling students to be college, career, and community ready in today's global society; (2) establishing an educational culture that recognizes and values the wealth of linguistic and cultural diversity students bring to the classroom; (3) supporting opportunities for study of and increasing proficiency in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i, an official language of the State of Hawai'i; and (4) encouraging partnerships with institutions of higher education and community organizations to increase access to language instruction in a variety of languages. The Department of Education shall implement the Seal of Biliteracy, including developments of criteria that students must satisfy to receive the Seal. Rationale: The Board of Education recognizes that there is personal, cultural, social, academic, and vocational/occupational value in encouraging students to maintain, or develop, proficiency in more than one language.

Ben Blatt, _Slate_ journalist, shares and reports on some maps of the United States that incorporate data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey regarding the languages spoken in American homes. One map shows what language, after English, is most commonly spoken in each of the 50 states (Spanish, for the most part), and another, the second most-spoken language. I personally question the veracity of the data for Hawai'i, which lists Tagalog as the second-most spoken language behind English. Surely it's Hawai'i Creole English (HCE), but perhaps it's because survey respondents don't know HCE= its own language. Also, Ilocano seems to be more commonly spoken than Tagalog in the 808, but maybe because Tagalog= the language of school instruction in the Philippines, it's universally spoken by everyone who speaks some Filipino variant. Some caveats on the construction of these maps. A language like Chinese is not counted as a single language, but is split into different dialects: Cantonese, Mandarin, Shanghaiese and treated as different languages. If those languages had been grouped together, the marking of many states would change. In addition, Hawaiian is listed as a Pacific Island language, so following ACS classifications, it was not included in the Native American languages map.

A Bill has just recently been passed in U.S. Senate Committee that will allot money to revive languages on the verge of extinction. This was passed with the help of Brian Schatz, a Hawai'i senator. There are about 148 Native languages in our nation that are at risk of going extinct, and this bill will provide funding and awareness to support these languages through immersion schools, language classes and tribes.

This essay talks about code switching of African American students in school and how educators should deal with the situation. By reconsidering attitudes towards non-Standard English, communicating speech expectations, demonstrating what is expected, affirming students language, and making assignments that are culturally reflective. This is sort of relevant to Hawai'i as the same can be said about Hawaiian Creole English.

"Many refer to Hawai'i as the melting pot of cultures, and along with that comes a wide range of languages. A recent U.S. census survey looked at languages spoken here in the islands and for the first time Hawaiian Pidgin English was included on that list." Ugh, bad reporting: surely the US Census Bureau meant Hawai`i Creole English (HCE)? But still, interesting that it's receiving federal validation as a bona fide language...

This article gives a history recap, a Ni'ihau dialect lesson, and a unique perspective on the differences between how Ni'ihau natives speak versus the modern Hawaiian language we hear more commonly. I've met the interviewee in this article and she's a very well-respected and well-known kumu in Hawai'i.

This article shares the perspective of a woman who was raised in Ni'ihau. She conveys her passion and the importance of perpetuating the unique Ni'ihau dialect.