Coming to grips with Philippine languages

This is my weekly column that appears in SunStar Davao every Friday.  I am publishing a copy of it here for LiP readers to enjoy too.  Much of this information has been covered in my many previous LiP articles on the subject of Language, but perhaps this has a bit of a different angle that you will enjoy.

In my article a couple weeks ago, I told you that I have been studying and learning how to speak Bisaya.  I started learning the language a little over 2 years ago, despite the fact that I have lived here for nearly 10 years.  When I first moved here, in 2000, I figured that I could get by with only knowing English, since almost all Filipinos speak English as a secondary language.

Living here for a while, though, I started realizing how much I was missing out on by not being able to speak the local language (or should I say, “one of the local languages”).  When people specifically wanted to address me, of course they would speak to me in English.  However, when there was a group of people, the language would often shift to Tagalog or Bisaya, unless a comment was directed toward me in particular.  It left me uncomfortable, and feeling like I was not fully part of the conversation.

One day, some Americans were visiting me at my house.  They were not residents of the Philippines, only visitors.  They mentioned the old thing that so many Americans always say…

Immigrants coming to America are rude because they don’t learn English!

Oops!  Suddenly it hit me.  I am an Immigrant to the Philippines, but I have not learned the local language.  I decided that I needed to do something about it.

My first decision was a tough one, though.  What language should I learn?  Tagalog is the National Language.  My wife, and her family, though, mostly speak Bisaya amongst themselves.  Most of the “common people” around the area seem to speak Bisaya, although certainly not all.

Well, I decided that since I don’t live in Manila, or anywhere “up north” that I should go for Bisaya.  So, my language learning journey began.  I went through a few different teachers before I found the one that was right for me.

Being able to speak Bisaya (not perfect, but I can do pretty well), has opened a lot of doors for me, especially among my wife’s family.  Some of my relatives on my wife’s side don’t even speak English, or very little at least.  My mother-in-law, before she passed away, could not speak much English, only a few words.  Mama and I had a nice relationship, but could never directly speak to each other!  Once I learned enough Bisaya to hold a conversation, a lot of the relatives became much closer, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Still, though, sometimes I still feel “left out” of conversations, though.  Why?  Because I am among Tagalog speakers sometimes, and I can’t speak Tagalog!  Knowing Bisaya helps me to understand a bit of Tagalog, but not enough to participate in the conversation, though.  So, now I am starting to think that maybe I need to learn Tagalog too!  I just don’t know, though.

For an American, learning a second or third language is not common.  You know what a person who can speak two languages is called, right?  Bilingual, of course.  A person who can speak more than 2 languages is called multilingual.  You know what a person who can only speak one language is called?  American!  Ha ha…

When it comes to the ability to speak multiple languages, Filipinos are certainly way ahead of us Americans!

Cultural Adjustment

Since it’s Friday, today I’m featuring my column from SunStar Davao Newspaper.  While my LiP Web Magazine is targeted toward foreigner readers who have an interest in visiting or living in the Philippines, my newspaper column is targeted at Filipino readers and trying to foster more understanding toward foreigners who are here.  Because of this, you may notice that this article comes across from a different angle than you are used to, but it might still make interesting reading for you.  This column is appearing in today’s SunStar Davao, October 9, 2009.

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I’ve been living in the Philippines for almost 10 years already, and many days I still learn new things about the place.  When I first came to live here, everything was different for me.  Today, nearly 10 years later, I am already accustomed to most things, but a few things still pop up that catch me off guard.

I am a believer that we are all people, despite our differences.  While we have things about us that are different, we also have many things that we share in common.  However, even though many, probably most things about different peoples are similar, or even the same, when you relocate to a different place, especially if it is halfway around the world, it is the things that are different that really stick out and are very noticeable to you.

What creates most such differences is culture.  The culture is way that we do things, the normal way that the people around us have taught us that things should be done.  We are a product of the culture in which we grew up.  It is through the influence of others, and through observing how others do things that teach us how to do things, and we mimic, or copy how we see others doing things.

When we move to a new place, very far away from our home, we notice that people do things differently than we do the same things.  It does not mean that the way the people do it is wrong, or that we are wrong, we just do it differently.  It can be a difficult adjustment, though.

A little over 2 years ago, I decided that if I was going to live here permanently, I really should learn how to speak the language.  Having decided that, it presented an entirely new problem… which language should I learn?  Tagalog?  Bisaya?  Some other language like Ilonggo?  I settled in on Bisaya, because my wife’s family is Bisaya.  Living in Mindanao, there is a majority of Bisaya speakers too, so I decided that Bisaya was the right language for me to learn.  I searched and was able to find a very good linguist to teach me how to speak Bisaya, Bebe Metillo.  Bebe had, in the past, taught Missionaries living here, and I was her first non-Missionary student.

In learning to speak Bisaya, I found myself also learning a lot of cultural things about the Philippines too.  Things that I didn’t understand well became clearer to me.  In the past, when I saw something being done a certain way, I thought that the thing was being done “the wrong” way.  As I learned from Bebe, I came to understand that the Filipino way of doing something was not “wrong,” but only different from the way I was used to.  There were cultural reasons for things being done differently.  If something works, it is not wrong, just different.

Over the past 2 years that I have been studying with Bebe, it has really opened up my mind and also helped me understand my new home in a better way, and also helped me adjust my attitude and acceptance of the Philippines.  Frankly, it’s been a God-send for me, because it has made my life happier, more stress-free, and given me a better understanding of the Philippines, and of Filipinos too.

I often think back to my time before I was studying language and culture from Bebe.  It was not as enjoyable a life.  Learning the language (I’m not 100% fluent, but I can get by) has helped me a lot too, and made my life better.  Being able to understand what is going on around you makes you feel better about living here too, and I am happy for that.

Next week, I’ll look at my decision of what language to learn, and I’ll let you know if I think I made the right choice by deciding to learn Bisaya.

Possessive Markers

Lesson  #14

Possessive Markers

Today we are only going to learn the possessive markers of  the Proper Nouns. Next lesson we will learn the possessive markers of the common noun.
Singular        Plural
Proper Noun:             ni        nila ni
Common Noun:        sa        sa mga

Example for Proper Nouns:

• Bebe’s family    or  the family of Bebe        pamilya ni Bebe
• Kathy’s cat    or  the cat of Kathy        iring ni Kathy
• Pedro’s wife    or  the wife of Pedro        asawa ni Pedro

Toto and Tata’s toys:  mga dulaan nila ni Toto ug Tata

Pedro and Maria’s farm:  uma nila ni Pedro ug Maria

Bob and Lucky’s friends: mga higala nila ni Bob ug Lucky

Sentences without action word.

1. Daku ang pamilya ni Bebe.        Bebe’s family is big.
2. Saba ang iring ni Kathy.        The cat of Kathy is noisy.
3. Buotan ang asawa ni Pedro.    Pedro’s wife is nice.

Sentences with Action Word:

1. Nagdala ko sa mga dulaan nila ni Toto ug Tata sa gawas.
   I brought Toto and Tata’s toys outside.
2. Mag-adto ‘ta sa uma nila ni Pedro ug Maria.
   We will go to Pedro and Maria’s farm.
3. Magbisita ang mga higala nila ni Bob ug Lucky sa simbahan.
   Bob and Lucky’s friend will visit the Church.

Showing beneficiary of the action

Lesson 13

Showing Beneficiary of the Action or The Reciever of the Action or the location.

In showing the direction or the beneficiary of the action we need to have a marker.

Markers for the reciever or the direction of the action

Singular    Plural
Proper Noun    Kang        kang ________ ug kang ________
Common Noun    Sa         sa mga

*The plural markers for the proper noun kang ______ug kang _________, the second kang is optional. You can say kang _____ug _______.

Para – it means for (para usually uses the marker kang when it’s proper noun and sa when it is a common noun)

Examples of  para kang or kang:

1. Moluto ang among katabang ug bulad para kang Simon.
   Our helper will cook dried fish for Simon.
2. Palihog hulam ug kwarta para kang Toto ug Tata.
   Please borrow money for Toto and Tata.
3. Mibasa ang akong lola ug libro para kang Alan
   My grandmother is reading the book for Alan.
4. Moadto kita kang Jessica.
   We (excl) will go to Jessica.
5. Palihog bisita kang Inday.
   Please visit Inday.

Examples with para sa

1. Moluto siya ug isda para sa mga bisita.
   She will cook fish for the visitors.
2. Mibasa sila sa Biblia para sa mga estudyante.
   They are reading the Bible for the students.
3. Palihog kanta para sa mga inahan.
   Please sing for the mothers.
4. Mitrabaho ang amahan para sa iyang pamilya.
   The father is working for his family.
5. Palihog palit ug bugas para sa imong silingan.
   Please buy rice for your neighbor.

Lesson 12 – Locative Pronouns

Today where are going to learn what to use for direction and location.

Locative Pronouns

Long form        short form        English

Dinhi                         diri                   here
Dinha                       diha            there (near the speaker)
Didto                           –            there (far from the speaker)

Note: You can use the locative pronouns in the beginning of the sentence, middle or at the end.

Examples:

1. Mopalit ko ug mangga didto.
I will buy the mango there.

2. Palihog anhi diri.
Please come here!

3. Mihatag ang mga maestra ug mga libro diha.
The teachers gave the books there.

4. Palihog basa sa imong libro didto.
Please read your book there.

5. Lingkod diri.
Sit here.

New Words:

anhi – to come (here)
anha – to go there (near)
bisita – to visit
uyab – girlfriend or boyfriend
kusina – kitchen
manok – chicken
uma – farm
bugas – uncooked rice

Another usage of sa – is a marker to show direction.

sa – means in, to, at, from, for   (but the word from is gikan and for is para. Sometimes they are understood  through context so you can just mark it with sa).

Examples:

1. Mobisita si Peter sa iyang uyab.
Peter will visit to his girlfriend.

2. Mibisita ang among pamilya sa ilang uma.
Our (excl) family visited their farm.

3. Luto ug manok sa kusina.
Cook chicken in the kitchen.

4. Mikuha sila sa ilang bugas sa tindahan.
They got their rice (uncooked) at the store.

5. Motan-aw ta ug sine sa SM.
We (incl) will watch a movie in SM.

You can also combine the locative pronouns and the sa marker to give more emphasis and very common in Visayas and Mindanao

Examples:

1. Mopalit ko ug mga pantalon didto sa Gaisano.
I will buy pants there (far) in Gaisano.

2. Anha diha sa balay ni Pedro.
Go there(near) to Pedro’s house.

3. Motan-aw ug sine ang akong mga anak diri sa NCCC Mall.
My children will watch a movie here in NCCC Mall.

4. Mihulam sila ug mga tsinelas diha sa ilang silingan.
They borrowed the slippers there (near) at their neighbor.

5. Kaon diri sa kusina.
Eat here in the kitchen.

Asking I'm Sorry

What?  Asking I’m sorry?  What happened to Bob today?  That doesn’t make sense.

OK, calm down, don’t get too worried.  I haven’t blown a gasket or anything.  As I’ve said many times on this site, the Philippines and the rest of the English speaking world are separated by a common language, borrowing from a famous quote.  The way that the English is used here is not the same as Americans use it.  It’s just like how American English is different from British English and so on.  OK, perhaps Philippine English is a little more different, but that’s OK.

One phrase that I had to hear a number of times before I came to understand what it really meant was when somebody told me that they want to “ask for I’m sorry.“  What?

I don’t recall the exact circumstances where I heard that for the first time.  I think, though, that I was at a restaurant.  I ordered some food, and somehow my order was not correct.  I got the wrong food, or maybe it was not cooked the way that I asked.  I was still new here and had not gotten into the culture much yet.  Yeah, OK… I was the ugly American, what can I say?  Well, I got upset with the waiter and voiced my anger.  My food was taken and the proper item was brought to me.

Well, then the waiter got me more upset.  He told me:

Sir, I want to ask for I’m sorry.

“What?” I said, “you are asking me to apologize to you?”  “Yes, sir,” he told me.  “Well, there is no way I am going to apologize to you, you are the one who messed up, you should apologize to me!”  “Yes, sir, I am asking for I’m sorry.”

Well, it didn’t sit well for me.  The way he said it, I thought that he was asking me to say “I’m sorry” to him.  To be frank, I probably did owe him an apology since I got mad at him over something that was probably just a communication problem between us.  He probably didn’t properly understand me when I told him what I wanted to order.  But, I sure wasn’t going to apologize to him!  I was in the right, after all! Or so I thought!

Well, I have heard this phrase a number of times over my years here, and now, thankfully, I understand what it means.

A person “asking for I’m sorry” is not asking for you to apologize.  That is how he is offering his apology to you!  Yeah, in English it doesn’t make sense, but that is just how they say it here!

Oh my….  talk about being separated by a common language! It’s important to learn how the language is used here if you decide to live here.  Sometimes, what you hear and understand can be the exact opposite of what is intended.

What should I call him?

Here in the Philippines, names are not used much of the time when addressing people.  Or, if a name is used, it will often have a “prefix” code word affixed ahead of it.  As an example, our Vice Mayor here in Davao City is Sara Duterte, the daughter of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.  But, people don’t call her “Sara” or “Vice Mayor Duterte.”  No, she is most commonly known as “Inday Sara” to the people.  This is just an example of how a “code name” is used with people.  But, the problem for us foreigners is… how do we know what “code name” to use with different people?  Well, you can never know for sure, except by hearing what others are calling a certain person.  But, this article is meant as a sort of guide of what kinds of things you might expect to call people.  The names in this article are sort of the “standard” names that are used in most cases, but they are not universal, just the most common.  Also, keep in mind that while some of these names may apply in various parts of the country, these names are the names commonly used in Bisaya areas of the Philippines, in other words in the Visayas Region and Mindanao.  Names in other regions may be the same, or may differ.

So, what do I call them?

A younger lady is often called “Inday” or just “Day” for short.  You pronounce that like “IN – DIE” or the short version would be pronounced “DIE”.  This name is mainly used as a term used for a younger sister in most cases, but the use has expanded, and is now used for any younger girl.  It is not used for any woman older than yourself, unless that is really their name (which does happen sometimes).  When you go somewhere and you see a young lady, or even a young girl, if you do not know her name, it is perfectly acceptable to just call her “Day” or “Inday” when you want to talk to her.  It is, after all, used as a term of endearment.  I have been told that up in Manila, the term “Day” can have a slightly negative connotation, in that it is a Bisayan term, and the people up north sometimes equate it with a lady being a maid.  However, I don’t know for sure how accurate that is today.  Within the family, Feyma has always been called “Inday” because she is the youngest girl in the family.  Even some of our younger nieces and nephews call her “Day” or “Inday” because the name is so strongly connected with Feyma within the family.  Alternatively, if you want to use a less endearing, slightly politer form of address for a young lady, you can also call her “Miss,” but “Day” is much more widely used.  It is a term that I use all the time myself.

A young man, younger than yourself can appropriately be addressed as “Dong” or “Dodong.”  This is very similar to the use of the term “Day” except it is used for a male instead of a female.  The term “Dong” is again a term of endearment, often reserved for a younger brother, cousin or nephew.  However, it is also appropriate to use the term “Dong” for any male that is younger than you, if you do not know their name.  For example, if you are in a restaurant, or a store, and you want to address a clerk or waiter, giving a little shout… “Dong…” is perfectly acceptable and appropriate in addressing a male member of the staff.  Many of my nephews are always called Dodong.  Also, just like with the term “Day,” if the male is older than you are,  you should never call him “Dodong” or “Dong” unless that really is his name, or a nickname that he is called.  If it is just a matter of not knowing his name and he is your age or older, do not call him “Dong” that would be disrespectful.

If you are going to address an older lady you can call her Manang, particularly if she is quite senior to you in age.  Manang is a term for an older lady and a way to show respect to such a lady.  If you are not sure of the lady’s age, do not call her Manang if she may be younger than you are, as that would be an insult to her.  If it is an older male that you are addressing, the term is similar, just changing one letter – Manong.  Again, never call a man younger than you Manong, as that would be an insult to him.  Be sure to be clear in pronouncing these two – Manang or Manong – emphasize that last vowel – ong or aaang.  You don’t want to call a lady Manong, or a man Manang, that would be disrespectful to do.  By using these terms, if you do not know their names, you are showing respect for the person.  If you do know their names, you can still show respect by attaching this prefix to the name.  For example, let’s say there is a man named “Rey” and you respect him, you would call him “Manong Rey” to show both respect, and a certain familiarity.  Same would be the case by using something like “Manang Shirley.”  By the way, a way of using these terms, but also making them slightly less formal and more endearing is shortening them to either “Nong” or “Nang.”

Now, if you have a person who is close to you, but slightly older than you are (maybe within 10 years or less, I’d say) there are different names for them.  For the male, you would call them “Kuya.”  You can just say “Kuya” or you could call him “Kuya Rey.”  If it is a lady that we are talking about, who is a bit older than you are, instead of Kuya, you would call her “Ate” (pronounced Ah-tee).  You can call her just “Ate” or you can say “Ate Bebe” for example.  So, to keep it friendly, but still give a bit of respect, Kuya or Ate are very appropriate.  Again, do not use the terms “Ate” or “Kuya” if the person is younger than you are, it would again be insulting to do so.

How about a friend?  Well, there are a number of terms you can use.  If you are a male, and you have a male friend of a similar age range to yourself, you can call him “Bay” which is pronounced “Buy” (like you are going to buy something).  Now, keep in mind, this term is used only among males. If you are female, you would not use the term Bay, or if you have a female friend, you would not call her Bay.  Another term you can call a male friend (whether you are male or female) is Amigo or just migo.  If you have a female friend, you can call her Amiga or miga.  All of these are very common.  Remember, though, among male friends, a term showing a very close friendship is Bay!  If you call somebody bay, he will know that you really consider him a good friend.

A term that as a foreigner we probably will not use, but many Filipinos use is “Bossing.”  A term of endearment for a boss or employer is Bossing.  A head of household would also be called Bossing.  If you are a foreigner, plenty of Filipinos might call you Bossing, although in practice, I doubt you will call many people Bossing, I know that I never personally use the term.

Finally, let’s look at a few terms that can get very complicated, and indicate a more familial relationship.  I am relating to the Kumpadre system, which is part of the whole SIR system of the Philippine society.  Through marriage or godparenting, you gain familial relationships with others through this Kumpadre system.  For example, last year I served as a Godparent for Cedric, the son of Cathy and Milper (LiP readers!) who live in GenSan.  Now, because of the fact that I am Cedric’s “Ninong,” Cathy is my Kumare (or also just called Mare) and Milper is my Kumpare (also just called Pare).  It is a sort of loose family connection that we have now.  We are more than just friends, we are family now because of our connection through their son, Cedric.  In addition, the other people who served as Godparents, for example, Carol, is also connected with me.  Carol is my Kumare as well, because we are both Godparents to Cedric.  This Kumpare relationship can keep expanding too.  When Cedric is old enough to marry it is possible that I would play some role in his wedding, further widening my Kumpare relationship with others that also serve as Godparents in the wedding.  It can create quite a large circle of family.  So, anyway, whenever I see Cathy or Carol, it would be perfectly normal for me to address either of them as “Mare” (pronounced like Mar-aye) or for me to address Milper as Pare (Par-aye).  We are family after all, right Mare Cathy?

Anyway, I hope that this look at “what you should call them” has been enlightening and helpful to you.  This is real life stuff, not some classroom things.  These are names that you will use everyday if you live in the Philippines or just come for a visit.

A while back, when I talked about the possibility that LiP may introduce a Premium Subscription service, some people asked me to give examples of what Premium articles would be like.  This article, for example, would be an article reserved for Premium Subscribers, should I elect to go in such a direction in the future.  I believe that this article contains information that is useful for anybody who chooses to live in or visit the Philippines.

Putting Objects in the Sentence Structure

Lesson 11 – Putting Objects in the Sentence Structure

We are going to put an object/s in our sentence. In Bisaya or Cebuano, before you put the an object, you need to have a marker before it. It is like an article.

Ug/og    -    is the marker for not specific object. In the previous lessons we have ug it means and.

Sa        -     is a marker for specific object, especially when we are using our possessive pronouns.

Formula:     Verb    +      doer      +       object    +      ………..

[table id=8 /]

[table id=9 /]

[table id=10 /]

Note: sa marker usually marks this possessive pronouns

[table id=11 /]

Note: About is bahin in Cebuano but in this sentence, it is understood.   The marker sa will take care of it.

Sentence Structure with different doers

Sentence Structure with different doers

[table id=5 /]

Grammar Note: Only use si and sila si when you use it for name of a person
or pet. Aside from that use ang or ang mga.

We are going to use our previous verbs.

Formula:   Verb   +   doer

[table id=6 /]

Note: In number 4 the second si is optional. Either you put it there or not it is okay.

[table id=7 /]

Philippenglish

No, the title of my article today is not a typo.  Philippenglish.  Misspelled, you say?  No, it is not a misspelled word!  Not a word at all, you say?  It is indeed a word.  I know it’s a word, because I invented this word a few years ago!  Yes, Philippenglish!  I know, Mr. Webster didn’t pick up on it yet.  Cambridge hasn’t included it in their latest dictionary on the market.  Maybe after seeing this article they will come to their senses, though.

What is Philippenglish?  Well, it is the name for the way that Filipinos use the English language!  They don’t use it the same way that we do.  Filipinos don’t speak English the way Americans do.  They don’t speak English the way that Britons do.  They don’t speak English the way Australians or Canadians do either.  Filipinos have their own version of the English language.  Oh, it can be understood by those of us from other countries, but many times it takes a little pondering to figure out exactly what they are talking about.  On some phrases, even though I have been here for 9 years, I don’t have the slightest idea of what certain phrases mean or where they came from.

George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright penned a quote that is very relevant here.

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

So, that, as Shaw said, England and America had a common language, but it was different on each side of the “pond.”  In the Philippines, it is the same situation, so here it is…. Philippenglish.

Let’s have a look at some common Filipino uses of the English language, which are different than what you may be used to.

Ballpen

There are many kinds of pens.  There are fountain pens.  There are foller pens.  There are felt tip pens.  There are ballpoint pens.  In the Philippines, most of these kinds of pens are called a “ballpen.”  I know of no other part of the world where they have something called a “ballpen.”  I assume that ballpen is short for ballpoint pen.  But, pens that even do not have a ball point are called ballpens, so how can one be certain?  As far as I know, there is only one kind of pen that is not called a ballpen, and that is a felt tipped pen.  I’ll cover that next.

Pentel Pen

Any felt tipped marker is called a Pentel Pen.  I own some Pentel brand ball point pens, but those are not Pentel Pens, because they are not felt tipped pens!

Apartelle

An Apartelle is a combination of a Hotel and an Apartment.

Motel

A Motel is generally a cheap, pay by the hour place.  Not the kind of place where you will go spend a night, rather where you will bring your girlfriend (or the girl you are trying to hide from your girlfriend) for a few hours.

Artist

Generally, and “artist” is an actor or an actress.  In the US, when we say “artist” we usually are thinking of a painter, maybe a musician, but here it is usually an actor or actress.

Bananacue

Combination of two English words.  Banana and Barbecue.  A Bananacue is a popular snack item here, it is literally a banana which has been barbecued!  Even fried bananas that are put on a stick are often called bananacue, even though they are not barbecued at all.

BBQ

BBQ, or Barbecue is generally meat cut into tiny pieces and put on a stick, then grilled.  Often marinated before cooked.  A large piece of meat like brisket or and such like we would consider BBQ in the States, is not BBQ here.  BBQ here is generally referred in the rest of the world as a kebob or kabob.

Bedspacer

A person who instead of renting an apartment or a house, rents just a bed in a private home.

Biodata

Nearly everybody in the Philippines must have a biodata.  It is kind of a crude form of a resume.

Bold Movie

Pornography is illegal in the Philippines (although it certainly exists), but a movie that is more of a “sexy” movie is called a “bold movie” here.  A star who is a “bold star”  shows a lot of skin on screen.

Boundary

In the world where I came from, “boundary” is like a border.  The corners and sides of your property are your boundary.  A fence might mark your boundary.  Here, though, boundary is something completely different.  Boundary is rent.  It is the amount of rent that a driver pays to the owner of a jeepney, taxi or tricycle to use the vehicle for the day.  The driver then charges passengers to make money.  The amount the passengers pay is not boundary, it is fare, but the amount paid to the owner is the boundary.

Calling Card

In the States, and I believe in other places, we have business cards.  We give clients or potential clients a business card with our contact information.  They do that here too, but the card here is called a “calling card.”

Canteen

In the west, a canteen is a metal can that is taken for hiking, used by soldiers and such for carrying a personal supply of water.  Here, a canteen is a small restaurant at a school or workplace.  Yes, canteen is used this way to a limited extent in some parts of the USA too, but not nearly as widely as in the Philippines.

Carnapper

We have kidnappers in the west.  They have kidnappers here too, but they also have carnappers here.  People who steal cars are called carnappers.

Chit

In the States, when we go to a restaurant, after eating, when we are ready to go home, we ask for the check.  The bill.  Here, though, the bill is called the “chit.”

Crocodile

The traffic police here are often called crocodiles, because “they only take a small bite.”

Commute

This was touched on in another article here last week, but I’ll mention it again.  To commute means to ride public transportation.

Bond Paper

Typing paper, or paper for your computer printer is called “bond paper” here.

Buy one take one

In the States, we have sales or promotions where it is “buy one get one free” or in other words it is half price.  Here it is called “buy one take one.”

Dine-in or Take-out

In the States, when you go to a fast food place, you will either eat it there, or get it “to go.”  Here, it is not “to go” is it “for take out.”

Doctora

A female doctor is a Doctora here.

Dollar Speaking

A Filipino who speaks English too much is often called a “Dollar Speaker” and it is not  a compliment, rather an insult in most cases.  It generally means that the person has forgotten their Filipino roots, or abandoned the culture, or things highly of themselves.  After we moved here from the USA, Feyma was often called a “dollar speaker.”

Dormer

A person who lives in a dormitory is called a “dormer.”

Eat all you can

A buffet type meal in the States is generally referred to as “all you can eat.”  Here it is “eat all you can.”

Exclusive School

A school that is expensive or very high quality is called an “exclusive school.”

Fill-up

When you are handed a document, and they want you to fill out the information, they say “fill up the form.”  Where I come from, fill up usually means to put gas in your car!

For a while

If you call on the phone and somebody answers, then you say “May I speak to John” or “Is John there” they don’t ask you to hold.  They say “For a while sir.”  This is one of my most favorite terms in Philippenglish!

Get down

No, it’s not modern dancing…  if you are riding a jeepney and come to the end of your ride, you don’t “get off” the Jeep, you “get down.”

Go Ahead

If you with a group of people, and you will be leaving before the others day, you say “I’ll go ahead” or “I’ll be going ahead.”

Green Joke

A dirty joke

GRO

A “guest relations officer.”  Usually this is akin to a prostitute (not always though) who works in a nightclub and is there to provide “relations” to the customers.

Kidnapable

A person who would make a good target for kidnappers (i.e. – family has money for ransom) is “kidnapable.”

Masteral

A Master’s degree.  For example, a person pursuing their Master’s degree is taking their Masteral.

Middle Name

Your mother’s maiden name is your middle name.

Polo

A dress shirt.  Like the kind of shirt you would wear with a necktie.

Presidentiable

A person who is running for or may run for President of the Philippines is called a “Presidentiable.”

Rhum

Rum.  A lot of English words will have an “h” stuck in there for no reason at all!

Salvage

Execution.  Killing.  If a person is shot and left along the street or in a ditch somewhere, they have been “salvaged.”

Slippers

Flip flops, or what used to be called thongs.  They are slippers here.

Toga

The gown you wear for graduation ceremonies.

Tomboy

In the west, a tomboy is usually a young girl who likes to do boy things like play sports.  It has nothing to do with sexuality.  Here, a tomboy is a lesbian.

So, this is a rundown of some of the more common Philippenglish expressions that I hear often.  To be perfectly honest, I’ve been living here long enough now that sometimes I find myself using these idioms myself!  Another 5 or 10 years, I may even be fluent in Philippenglish!

How about you?

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