Hawaii - The Tropical Fargo

One of the annoying things about me (Hey! I said one.) is that I pick up on people's communication quirks. I guess I'm just in tune to it. Let me give you an example. Back in the Stone Age, when I was living with Dave, we were watching ESPN one night and the late Dick Schaap was on. I noticed - and it always drove me nuts - that at the end of every sentence he would jerk his head up about 3 inches. I don't know if it was conscious, but I noticed it and it drove me crazy. So I mentioned it to Dave. He told me that he couldn't watch the guy any more after that because it was all he would focus on. It's been the same with my students, et al.

So I'm not sure if it just struck me now or if it just started getting worse at school, but it seems that everyone around me has picked up this pidgin habit of saying "yee-ah?" at the end of every sentence. It's like I woke up and was in a Tropical version of Fargo. It's a Minnesota/Sweedish sounding yee-ah. And now everyone ends a sentence with it. For example:

"Mr. Atias, this goes to Mrs. Temple, yee-ah?"

"There's only 4 minutes before lunch, yee-ah?"

"If you say 'yee-ah' one more time I'm going to punch you in the head, yee-ah?"

I think I actually know when this started and I know who to blame. Stick with me on this.

Last week, we had a guest come into our class. Her name is Kathy Collins. I know her, because she runs the radio station I'm at. It's not connected as one of the other teachers had her come in. Kathy has this alter-ego called Auntie Tita (I may have that spelled wrong).


Kathy's on the right

Tita does PSA's for all the radio & TV stations about littering and other pro-Hawaii stuff, she also does shows for kids telling them Mo'olelos, old Hawaiian myths. Auntie Tita speaks pidgin. For a good example, see the post on my trip to Hana.



Since Tita visited our class, everyone's started the yee-ah thing. I may have to talk to Kathy about this. Maybe we need an exorcism or something.

And while you think this is just an isolated incident. Let's note that I was the first to come out against the dreaded "There you go" craze.

Twenty-four hours from now I'll be back on the air...hopefully I won't cough up too much phlegm on an open mic. Yes, I'm still sick.