Friday, August 17, 2007
Cebuano Speaking Tips Cont.
I am sure you have noticed that the letters ‘b’ and ‘v’ can be used interchangeably. I remember meeting a man who told me, “My name is Nacio Villianueva, dat is ‘bee as in beak toe ree’”(victory) 
The letter ‘p’ is also often exchanged with the letter ‘f’ with some interesting results in English: “If you want to move that, you will need to use a pork lip.”
Which brings us to a big problem we English speakers have with ‘non-aspirated consonants.’ When we say the letters, ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’ and sometimes even ‘d.’ We do so with a puff of air. If you say the word ‘pig’ in front of a burning candle, the flame will move, and in some cases, be extinguished! But in Cebuano, and other Filipino languages, these sounds are made at the very front of the mouth and no air comes out with those sounds.
Hold your hand in front of your mouth and say, “Please pick up the pretty pig.” And how about, “Betty Botter bought some butter.” Not as much, but it’s there. And, “Terry, please tickle Tommy’s toes.” Okay, a lot of puffing air comes out with those sounds. Now try doing them in such a way that no air comes out. This takes some getting used to, but that is right way to make those sounds in Cebuano.
Try these Cebuano words either in front of a candle or with your hand in front of your mouth:
Palihog Tam-is Pakwan Didto Buntag Baybay Tago
Now that last word, ‘tago’ has a glottal stop at the end of it. I mentioned that there is almost always a glottal stop between vowel sounds (as in our expression “uh oh!”), but many words in Cebuano also end with a glottal stop. A glottal stop can make the difference between the meanings of two words, for example, ‘suka’ with a glottal stop, means vinegar, but ‘suka’ without a glottal stop means vomit. A mistake you do not want to make in a nice restaurant! Practice saying ‘suka’ with and without a glottal stop and have a Filipino friend listen to see if you’ve got it. Here are some more words ending in a glottal stop for you to try:
Tago Baba (both a’s have a glottal stop) Igo Hago Dugo Tiki Toko
Have fun!
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Cebuano Speaking TipsMore Cebuano Speaking Tips
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Language Learning Styles and Learning Tips
# 1 Kevin said:
AmericanLola,
Good job, keep the lessons coming. I found my little yellow book :
Conversational English-Cebuano Made Easy by C.S. Canonigo
ISBN 971-598-008-2 It is from the National Bookstore for 75 pesos
It only has one page of grammar but it’s a help.
# 2 Ronny Dehens said:
Hi AmericanLola
I’m trying to learn some cebuno from my wife, my it surely is HARD !! And you’re right, when I ask you, why do you use this or that word, she doesn’t know. Her answer is always : we jus do !!! grr . But I will not give up. take care
# 3 Ida Malunay said:
Hi AmericanLola,
As I was educated in the Philippines, I’m hard up of pronouncing the Australian English. They don’t pronounce the “r” at the end. Say “better” or “theatre”, It’s ‘betta’ and ‘theata’. So the words ending in “or”. In saying the Family name of the British Royals - ‘Windso’ instead od “Windsor”. That’s why I can’t understand my daughter sometimes. I always tell her - say it again pls.
# 4 AmericanLola said:
Hi Kevin, Yes, I have seen that little yellow book, It is good for giving you phrases and their meanings.
Hi Denny, keep trying! Just don’t ask why because you will both be frustrated. I hope my explainations will help some, but it is a pretty complicated language.
Hi Ida, yes, I have noticed that Australian English drops those end sounds. Makes me wonder how those kids can learn to spell!
# 5 Ida said:
Hi AmericanLola,
Yes you’re right! Their spelling is quite poor. I really observe that when I arrived here. speaking of arrival, When we had an orientation one day(die), The speaker said to us ” You come here ‘ToDie’ “. SHOCK! Instead, he should say “You come here today . . . . Blah .. blah…
# 6 jul said:
hi AmericanLola:
The last line (exercise) is fun but I think damgo (dream) has no glotal stop at o. Maybe dugo (blood) is a good substitute.
This was confusing to my husband:
Oo means yes to Pinoy. Many times when I said Oo unconsciously, he took it as No (Uh-uh or Hah-oh ?). Now, I have to nod my head to say Oo as yes and shake it sideways vigorously to negate ! ASL helped me a lot.
Funny thing is, with Oo as Yes, once I put a glotal ending to both o’s, it now means “pu-pu” in the CR! By the way, context is important here. My husband feels hopeless in Cebuano and I hope I am not confusing the readers!
Thanks A—L!
# 7 AmericanLola said:
Ida, I have heard that one! funny! “Did you come here to die?”
Oops! Yes, Jul, you are right! You see? It is easy to for get! ‘Dugo’ would be better! (I changed it) I was wracking my brain thrying to think of the best words! I remember reacting to ‘Oo’ (yes) as I would to ‘Uh oh’ (something bad happened) at first. I have also noticed that often people run those two ‘o’s’ together for ‘yes’ and just say a slightly extended ‘oh.’
Nodding or shaking your head is probably a good idea. I have noticed that we Americans use a lot of verbal feedback in a conversation which is not used here. We say, “uh-huh, yes, uh-huh, really? okay…etc.” when listening, but people here just raise their eyebrows for feedback!
# 8 Marilou said:
Hi Jul - I told Jim to use “Ho-o” for Yes instead, emphasising the “H” to avoid confusion with you know what.
# 9 jul said:
Hi Marilou:
Yes, get it ! Hahaha…:lol:
# 10 larry said:
I have found many web sites that you can hear and learn tagalog but do you know of any for cebuno please if you do email me at clearwater7777@yahoo.com.
Thank you