Intonation

One of the most striking differences between Hawai‘i Creole and varieties of English is in the intonation of yes-no questions. In most varieties of American English, for example, the pattern is rising, starting with mid pitch and finishing with high pitch. But in Hawai‘i Creole, the pattern is falling, starting with high pitch and dropping to low pitch in the last syllable and then a terminal steadying or slight rise:

Tag questions with ye [jæ], e [ʔз​] , ha [ha] and no are very common in Hawai‘i Creole. At the end of a sentence, they usually have high pitch with terminal rise. Another tag is also used: o wat (‘or what’). This is added to the end of a statement without pausing, and given low pitch and stress: