What is the importance of language in the novel, Daughter of Moloka'i?

Language plays a key role in this novel because it is a novel about two different cultures: Japanese and Hawaiian. Since language is a key factor in culture, it is also a key factor in this book. One way language plays a role is through naming conventions. The Nisei, American born children of Japanese parents, are given two names: an English name and a Japanese name. The Japanese name is what they are called at home, but at school they are called by their English name because white people cannot pronounce their Japanese names. This demonstrates an unwillingness on the part of teachers and society at large to respect the heritage of the Japanese people and to learn to call them by their Japanese names.