Da kine
Encyclopedia
Da kine is an expression in Hawaiian Pidgin
(Hawaii Creole
English), probably derived from "that kind", that usually functions grammatically
as a placeholder name
(compare to English
"whatsit" and "whatchamacallit"), but can also take the role of a verb
, adjective
, or adverb
. Unlike other placeholder names in English, however, which usually refer specifically to a device ("gizmo" or "widget
"), person ("so-and-so"), or place ("Anytown, USA"), "da kine" is general in usage and could refer to anything from a person to an abstract concept. It can be used to refer to something nonspecific, or given enough context (especially when used in conversation between native speakers of the dialect) to something very specific. As such, it appears to be unique among English dialects, at least in its centrality to everyday speech.
"Da kine" is probably the most identifying characteristic of spoken Hawaiian Pidgin, and certainly the most versatile.
The humorous illustrated dictionary Pidgin to Da Max
defines "da kine" as:
"the keystone of pidgin. You can use it anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Very convenient."
A surfing
dictionary lists da kine as "the word you use when you don't use the word."
It also happens to be one of the most frustratingly difficult aspects of Pidgin for non-native speakers to understand. While reports that native speakers of Pidgin can be unforgiving of amateurs may be exaggerated, some Hawaiians get a certain pleasure from using the word to non-native speakers.
"Da kine" is used as shorthand when it is likely the listener will understand what is meant from context or a combination of context and body language. One definition (in mixed Pidgin) is: "Can have any kine connotation depends on how you say um and who you say um wit."
"Da kine" may be related to the word "kine", which is used variously as an intensifier
, short for "kind of" in the sense of "type of", and for many other purposes (perhaps almost as much variety as "da kine"). However, it may not be entirely accurate to analyze it as a phrase consisting of "da" (the Pidgin definite article
) and "kine", as "kine" by itself does not have the same meaning. One possible analysis is that "da" in "da kine" is a clitic
, as phrases such as "da odda kine" (other kind) or "all kine" (all kinds) are commonly used.
The simplest explantion of its origin comes from the simple context of its use. "Da Kine" comes from "the kind" or "the thing" and is used as an extremely vague, yet simple explanation of an action or object when the a "thing's" specific name is unknown or cannot come to mind. (I talked on my 'da kine' = I talked on 'the thing you use to talk to people' = I talked on my 'phone') (I wen fo one da kine las night = I went for a 'the thing you do when you move your legs' last night = I went for a 'run' last night) A pidgin speaker who uses "da kine" for its true purpose (not local slang) will often repeat "da kine" several times and attempt to explain what it is to fully get the idea across.
"Da kine" appears in the titles of books, sometimes calling Hawaiian Pidgin itself "Da Kine Talk."
It is also the title of a song by Darrell Labrado on the album Shaka the Moon about the word and its usage.
DaKine
is an outdoor apparel company specializing in sportswear and equipment for alternative sports founded in 1979.
Da Kine Smoke & Beverage Shop was a Commercial Drive, Vancouver
cannabis coffee shop
operated during the spring and summer of 2004. It was raided by police on September 10, then reopened for another month.
Da Kine Bail Bonds is a Honolulu, Hawaii
-based bail bonds company owned by Duane "Dog" Chapman
. Chapman is featured on the A&E
Reality TV Series
Dog the Bounty Hunter
.
Da Kine Legal Services is a process serving company in Nipomo, CA
Dakine Decor is an online retailer and surf related home decor store located in Galveston Texas.
Hawaiian Pidgin
Hawaii Pidgin English, Hawaii Creole English, HCE, or simply Pidgin, is a creole language based in part on English used by many "local" residents of Hawaii. Although English and Hawaiian are the co-official languages of the state of Hawaii, Pidgin is used by many Hawaii residents in everyday...
(Hawaii Creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
English), probably derived from "that kind", that usually functions grammatically
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
as a placeholder name
Placeholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed...
(compare to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
"whatsit" and "whatchamacallit"), but can also take the role of a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
, adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
, or adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
. Unlike other placeholder names in English, however, which usually refer specifically to a device ("gizmo" or "widget
Widget (economics)
The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
"), person ("so-and-so"), or place ("Anytown, USA"), "da kine" is general in usage and could refer to anything from a person to an abstract concept. It can be used to refer to something nonspecific, or given enough context (especially when used in conversation between native speakers of the dialect) to something very specific. As such, it appears to be unique among English dialects, at least in its centrality to everyday speech.
"Da kine" is probably the most identifying characteristic of spoken Hawaiian Pidgin, and certainly the most versatile.
The humorous illustrated dictionary Pidgin to Da Max
Pidgin to Da Max
Pidgin to Da Max is a humorous illustrated dictionary of Hawaiian Pidgin words and phrases by Douglas Simonson, Pat Sasaki, and Ken Sakata...
defines "da kine" as:
"the keystone of pidgin. You can use it anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Very convenient."
A surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
dictionary lists da kine as "the word you use when you don't use the word."
It also happens to be one of the most frustratingly difficult aspects of Pidgin for non-native speakers to understand. While reports that native speakers of Pidgin can be unforgiving of amateurs may be exaggerated, some Hawaiians get a certain pleasure from using the word to non-native speakers.
"Da kine" is used as shorthand when it is likely the listener will understand what is meant from context or a combination of context and body language. One definition (in mixed Pidgin) is: "Can have any kine connotation depends on how you say um and who you say um wit."
"Da kine" may be related to the word "kine", which is used variously as an intensifier
Intensifier
Intensifier is a linguistic term for a modifier that amplifies the meaning of the word it modifies. Examples are "very," "quite," "extremely," "highly," and "greatly." An intensifier is the opposite of a qualifier, a modifier that weakens the word modified: "fairly," "somewhat," "rather," "a...
, short for "kind of" in the sense of "type of", and for many other purposes (perhaps almost as much variety as "da kine"). However, it may not be entirely accurate to analyze it as a phrase consisting of "da" (the Pidgin definite article
Definite Article
Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
) and "kine", as "kine" by itself does not have the same meaning. One possible analysis is that "da" in "da kine" is a clitic
Clitic
In morphology and syntax, a clitic is a morpheme that is grammatically independent, but phonologically dependent on another word or phrase. It is pronounced like an affix, but works at the phrase level...
, as phrases such as "da odda kine" (other kind) or "all kine" (all kinds) are commonly used.
The simplest explantion of its origin comes from the simple context of its use. "Da Kine" comes from "the kind" or "the thing" and is used as an extremely vague, yet simple explanation of an action or object when the a "thing's" specific name is unknown or cannot come to mind. (I talked on my 'da kine' = I talked on 'the thing you use to talk to people' = I talked on my 'phone') (I wen fo one da kine las night = I went for a 'the thing you do when you move your legs' last night = I went for a 'run' last night) A pidgin speaker who uses "da kine" for its true purpose (not local slang) will often repeat "da kine" several times and attempt to explain what it is to fully get the idea across.
Popular culture
While "da kine" appears in many contexts and refers to almost anything, it is also frequently associated with something good or genuine—"the best". For example, as a company name, and is widely used to describe superior marijuana."Da kine" appears in the titles of books, sometimes calling Hawaiian Pidgin itself "Da Kine Talk."
It is also the title of a song by Darrell Labrado on the album Shaka the Moon about the word and its usage.
DaKine
DaKine
DaKine is an American outdoor apparel company specializing in sportswear and sports equipment for alternative sports. It was founded in 1979 in Haiku, Maui Hawaii. The name of the company comes from the Hawaiian Pidgin word "da kine" .Dakine sells backpacks, apparel and accessories for men, women...
is an outdoor apparel company specializing in sportswear and equipment for alternative sports founded in 1979.
Da Kine Smoke & Beverage Shop was a Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
cannabis coffee shop
Cannabis coffee shop
Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities ....
operated during the spring and summer of 2004. It was raided by police on September 10, then reopened for another month.
Da Kine Bail Bonds is a Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
-based bail bonds company owned by Duane "Dog" Chapman
Duane Chapman
Duane Lee "Dog" Chapman, Sr. is an American bounty hunter and a former bail bondsman. He stars in Dog the Bounty Hunter, a weekly reality television program which is broadcast on the A&E Network , FOX8 and GO! , OLN and A&E Network , MAX and RTL II .Chapman claims he has made more than 6,000...
. Chapman is featured on the A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
Reality TV Series
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Dog the Bounty Hunter is a reality television show on A&E which chronicles Duane "Dog" Chapman's adventures as a fugitive recovery agent, or bounty hunter...
.
Da Kine Legal Services is a process serving company in Nipomo, CA
Dakine Decor is an online retailer and surf related home decor store located in Galveston Texas.