Showing posts with label Tagalog. Show all posts

Ang Mga Hindi Nakakatuwang Pagbabago

ng mga Salitang Nakasanayan Na

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Pinagpipilitan ng ilang sektor ang pagtawag ngayon sa “iskwater” o “squatter” bilang “informal settler”. Kung maging literal sa pag-translate ng katagang “squatter”, ang pinakamalapit na katumbas ay “mang-aagaw”, kaya binaybay o inispel na lang na “iskwater” – noon yan. Pero ngayon, dahil “informal settler” na ang pinagpipilitang itawag, ang tanong ay ano ang katumbas nito sa Tagalog o Filipino…”impormal setler”? At bakit ginamit ang salitang “informal”?...kaylan pa naging “formal” ang pang-iiskwat?

Ang “squatter’s area” naman na simpleng tinatawag na “iskwater” sa Tagalog o Filipino ay pilit na binabago sa tawag na “depressed area”. Pero, ano naman yan sa Tagalog o Filipino”…”malungkot na lugar”? …lalo pang pinasama ang katawagan! Sa mga lugar na yan, kahit maraming kakapusan sa mga materyal na bagay, masaya ang mga nakatira. Nakita ko yan dahil madalas akong mamasyal sa mga kinatatakutan ng iba tulad ng Baseco Compound, Isla Puting Bato sa Tondo, at mga slums sa gilid ng mga riles at ilog ng Reina Regente.

Gumanda nga sa pandinig ang “iskwater” o “squatter”  dahil English ang ginamit, pero ang tinutukoy ay GANOON PA RIN dahil hindi mababago sa anumang katawagan ang tunay na mukha ng kahirapan o poverty.

YAN ANG KAHANGALAN NG MAKABAGONG SISTEMA…PINAPAGANDA SA PANDINIG ANG MARAMING BAGAY NA PARA BANG NAGMI-MAKE UP NG MUKHA UPANG “GUMANDA”.  PARA BANG SA MGA BEAUTY CONTEST…NAGPAPAGANDAHAN NG MGA MUKHA ANG MGA KALAHOK, PERO TANGGALAN MO SILA NG MAKE-UP, ANO ANG MANGYAYARI KAPAG “TUNAY” NA MUKHA ANG MALALANTAD? …ANO ANG MAKIKITA?

Mapapansing hindi man lang pinag-isipan kung ano talaga ang mga katumbas na katawagan sa Filipino o Tagalog ang mga salitang gustong baguhin, kaya ang ginagawa ng taga-media, ginagamit pa rin ang English kapag nagri-report o nagsusulat sa Tagalog o Filipino. Para sa akin ay hindi yan nakakatuwa.

Bakit kailangan pang baguhin ang mga katawagan na hindi na kailangan pang baguhin?...para lang masabing may ginawang pagbabago?... samantalang pwede namang MAG-ISIP NG BAGO NA. 

ANG PAG- ABBREVIATE O PAGPAIKLI NG MGA KATAGA

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Dahil sa makabagong panahon na animo ay kontrolado ng high technology, lalo na ang larangan ng komunikasyon, malaking bagay ang paggamit ng mga pinaikling kataga o words, at kung tawagin sa Ingles ay “abbreviated”. Mahalaga ito sa mga dapat ay maikling mensahe sa cellphone kung nagti-text, yon nga lang ang ibang katagang pinaikli ay hindi na maintindihan ng pinadalhan dahil ang ibang kataga ay tinatanggalan ng verb upang hindi masyadong kumain ng espasyo. Ang pagpapaikli ay hindi lang ginagawa sa mga kataga dahil ginagawa din ito sa mga magkakasunod na kataga, na ang ginagamit ay mga unang letra nila.

Ang mga sumusunod ay ilan sa tanyag o popular:

The Filipino Language and its Conversational

and Scholarly Characteristics

By Apolinario Villalobos

The Filipino as a language is injected with many influences from the different traders who frequented the archipelago during the pre-colonial days. The Spanish and American colonizers who stayed for a long time, practically, impregnated the Filipino culture with their own, that made the latter richer, especially, the language. The result is what today, are being spoken and used in writing by the Filipinos – the language that underwent several stages of transformations.

The unique Filipino language is originally what the Tagalogs of southern Luzon exclusively spoke as their dialect. Aside from Tagalog, other major dialects in the country are Hiligaynon and Karay-a in the provinces of Panay island, the Cebuano in the island of Cebu and other islands of the region as far down south in Davao, Bikol in the Bicol Peninsula,  Ilocano and Pangasinense in the north. The Moroland in Mindanao has its Maguindanaoan, Iranon, Tausug, and Maranao.

To unite the Filipinos, Manuel L. Quezon declared Tagalog as the “common” language, but to give it a bonding character and to remove the exclusive reference to the Tagalogs, it was called “Pilipino”, and still later, “Filipino” which is what it is called until today.

There are Filipino words that are better written than spoken, and vice versa. As a scholarly language, there are also words that are better read in “tula” (poetry), and heard in songs, as well as, part of a formal dissertation. Still, there are words that have better use in speeches, as well as, in swearing. That is what confronts the current generation of Filipinos. Most find difficulty in comprehending some Filipino words that is why, the sympathizing writer has to enclose the English equivalent in parenthesis right after them. Some words that are immoral are translated into English before they can be spoken, too.

The Filipino language further evolved into what is called “Taglish” (Tagalog/English) and is proved to have manifold benefits. The natives of the Cordillera Region who are more exposed to the English language of the missionaries use it, as well as those of the Visayas , who sound awkward when speaking in straight Tagalog, due to their regional accent.

The fast metamorphosis of the Filipino as a language is a manifestation of its steady growth. An outgrowth that many Filipinos did not notice, however, is the “gay lingo” that has become acceptable among the youth. Even the international Aldub TV series employ the “gay lingo” to the delight of its followers. One word worth mentioning is “bey” which is the corrupted form of “baby” and which means “dear”, “love”, “friend”, “sweetheart”, or just anything that connotes closeness. The “pambansang bey” is dearly tagged to Alden Richard, and it means “national love, heartthrob, heart, sweetheart, etc.”

Bloggers are doing their best in spreading the appreciation for the highly- alive Filipino language by using regional words or gay words, at times. The blogs that come in different forms such as free-versed “tula” and free-style essays are in the forms which are not found in any corrupted textbooks used in school. The viewers are then, incited to freely ask for verifications as to what they stand for or what they mean.