This is the last of a series of blog entries that will attempt to tackle various Filipino slang words that have their roots in English but have been appropriated for our own. I am no logophile though so if you have something to add on my subjective history, feel free to comment. Next week, I will have a new feature replacing this segment.
During one of my fiction classes, the writer Alfred "Krip" Yuson reminded us about the nuances of Philippine English and how it's not 100% identical to American English. Case in point is how we use the word province. There are I think two Filipino cultural attributes to take into account when hearing the word province. One is that the Philippines is Metro Manila-centric, which is quite an urban setting. The other is that many Filipinos weren't born in Metro Manila and still retain their houses in the province. Strictly speaking, we're not using the word province incorrectly, but it does carry with it a certain connotation that others might miss. When Filipinos mention "I'm going to the province" or that they're taga-probinsiya ("from the province"), the American English equivalent would be that they're going to "the country" or that they're country-folk. When we use the word province, it's really more a comparison to the busy urban activity in the metro and the province is more of a tranquil, laid-back lifestyle which is why Filipinos use the word in romantic, utopian tones.
Showing posts with label slang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slang. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Filipino Slang: In Fairness
This is a series of blog entries that will attempt to tackle various Filipino slang words that have their roots in English but have been appropriated for our own. I am no logophile though so if you have something to add on my subjective history, feel free to comment. Also, I am constantly looking for words to tackle so if you have suggestions, just leave a comment. Currently scheduled to appear every Tuesday.
One of the ways we've managed to bastardize English is our use of the slang "in fairness". Strictly speaking, the correct usage would be to say "to be fair" but casual talk drops that formality and instead uses "in fairness" as a precursor to a compliment after giving criticism to someone or something. One of the more interesting developments in my opinion is how the term has evolved in local gay lingo. Another alternative to "in fairness" is "in Fairview", where Fairview is a location in Metro Manila.
One of the ways we've managed to bastardize English is our use of the slang "in fairness". Strictly speaking, the correct usage would be to say "to be fair" but casual talk drops that formality and instead uses "in fairness" as a precursor to a compliment after giving criticism to someone or something. One of the more interesting developments in my opinion is how the term has evolved in local gay lingo. Another alternative to "in fairness" is "in Fairview", where Fairview is a location in Metro Manila.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Filipino Slang: Susmaryosep
This is a series of blog entries that will attempt to tackle various Filipino slang words that have their roots in English but have been appropriated for our own. I am no logophile though so if you have something to add on my subjective history, feel free to comment. Also, I am constantly looking for words to tackle so if you have suggestions, just leave a comment. Currently scheduled to appear every Tuesday.
For me, one of the more "basic" expressions is the slang Oh My God (or its l33t-speak equivalent, OMG). It can convey everything from surprise to dismay. Susmaryosep isn't as versatile and is probably more of the latter than the former but it also invokes the name of a deity. In this case, it's the amalgam of three prominent Christian figures (and the latter two almost achieve deity-like status in certain parts of the country): Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Unfortunately, as much as one of the ten commandments is to not take the Lord's name in vain (which is more interesting in the Jewish context and why they never spell God's name with vowels), Filipinos probably break this precept often by their use of swear words. Amalgamations also aren't uncommon in Philippine history. The other, more popular amalgam name is Gomburza from the martyrs Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.
For me, one of the more "basic" expressions is the slang Oh My God (or its l33t-speak equivalent, OMG). It can convey everything from surprise to dismay. Susmaryosep isn't as versatile and is probably more of the latter than the former but it also invokes the name of a deity. In this case, it's the amalgam of three prominent Christian figures (and the latter two almost achieve deity-like status in certain parts of the country): Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Unfortunately, as much as one of the ten commandments is to not take the Lord's name in vain (which is more interesting in the Jewish context and why they never spell God's name with vowels), Filipinos probably break this precept often by their use of swear words. Amalgamations also aren't uncommon in Philippine history. The other, more popular amalgam name is Gomburza from the martyrs Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Filipino Slang: Deadma
This is a series of blog entries that will attempt to tackle various Filipino slang words that have their roots in English but have been appropriated for our own. I am no logophile though so if you have something to add on my subjective history, feel free to comment. Also, I am constantly looking for words to tackle so if you have suggestions, just leave a comment. Currently scheduled to appear every Tuesday.
One Filipino expression is patay malisya which when literally translated into English was dead malice. Perhaps the original intent of the phrase was not to reveal that one took offense, in the same way that to be a gentleman meant not being rude when insulted. However, it slowly changed over time into just not taking offense but not reacting at all. It could be a joke, an insult, an attempt to make you jealous, or a simple surprise, but as long as you show no emotional signs, one referred to you as being deadma or dedma, a shortened form of dead malice. In some circumstances, a person who is deadma is also referred to as KJ, an abbreviated term for killjoy.
One Filipino expression is patay malisya which when literally translated into English was dead malice. Perhaps the original intent of the phrase was not to reveal that one took offense, in the same way that to be a gentleman meant not being rude when insulted. However, it slowly changed over time into just not taking offense but not reacting at all. It could be a joke, an insult, an attempt to make you jealous, or a simple surprise, but as long as you show no emotional signs, one referred to you as being deadma or dedma, a shortened form of dead malice. In some circumstances, a person who is deadma is also referred to as KJ, an abbreviated term for killjoy.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Filipino Slang: ST
This is a series of blog entries that will attempt to tackle various Filipino slang words that have their roots in English but have been appropriated for our own. I am no logophile though so if you have something to add on my subjective history, feel free to comment. Also, I am constantly looking for words to tackle so if you have suggestions, just leave a comment. Currently scheduled to appear every Tuesday.
Back in the relatively conservative 80's, some beautiful female celebrities started appearing in revealing ads and movies. Which isn't normally a big cause for concern if it weren't for the fact that said celebrities previously had a family-friendly reputation. One good example of this was Gretchen Baretto, a teen model who suddenly appeared in sultry films. She wasn't the last celebrity to do so however and this phenomenon was called sex-trip or ST for short. The term ST was so popular in the 80's that it was the basis of an infantile joke. The questioner would ask "Is the spelling of rust R-U-S-T?" and if you answered in the affirmative, you admitted to being a bold star.
Back in the relatively conservative 80's, some beautiful female celebrities started appearing in revealing ads and movies. Which isn't normally a big cause for concern if it weren't for the fact that said celebrities previously had a family-friendly reputation. One good example of this was Gretchen Baretto, a teen model who suddenly appeared in sultry films. She wasn't the last celebrity to do so however and this phenomenon was called sex-trip or ST for short. The term ST was so popular in the 80's that it was the basis of an infantile joke. The questioner would ask "Is the spelling of rust R-U-S-T?" and if you answered in the affirmative, you admitted to being a bold star.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Filipino Slang: Salvage
The word salvage for me is interesting because in the Philippines, it's an example of an autoantonym and it's opposite is probably more well-known than its regular definition.
Normally, salvage means to rescue something or to make the most out of a bad situation. I don't profess to know the entire history of how the Filipino term came about but I expect in the beginning, the English definition of salvage was being used. Its present definition started to pop up when dead bodies where frequently found in unexpected places like rivers or garbage dumps (which are places you'd expect to salvage material and goods that one can presumably still use). Many suspect that the dead bodies were the work of either criminal elements or vigilantes. The initial reports to the public probably used the correct terminology, referring to the discovery as "dead bodies were salvaged in location XX". However, the association between dead bodies and the word salvage would slowly work its way up to the Filipino psyche that instead of stating that entire phrase, to salvage someone conveyed the entire idea (we Filipinos love shortcuts!).
Currently, to use the word to salvage someone doesn't mean to rescue someone but rather to have them killed and supposedly dispose their body in an anonymous way.
Normally, salvage means to rescue something or to make the most out of a bad situation. I don't profess to know the entire history of how the Filipino term came about but I expect in the beginning, the English definition of salvage was being used. Its present definition started to pop up when dead bodies where frequently found in unexpected places like rivers or garbage dumps (which are places you'd expect to salvage material and goods that one can presumably still use). Many suspect that the dead bodies were the work of either criminal elements or vigilantes. The initial reports to the public probably used the correct terminology, referring to the discovery as "dead bodies were salvaged in location XX". However, the association between dead bodies and the word salvage would slowly work its way up to the Filipino psyche that instead of stating that entire phrase, to salvage someone conveyed the entire idea (we Filipinos love shortcuts!).
Currently, to use the word to salvage someone doesn't mean to rescue someone but rather to have them killed and supposedly dispose their body in an anonymous way.
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