In every region in the world that speaks English, you’ll notice unique slang and quirky usage. These different ways of using English add to the language, make it stay alive and keep it evolving.
While Filipinos generally regard American English conventions and rules as their frame of reference for “correct” English, who’s to say the way(s) we use English isn’t (also) correct?
Depending on the way you see it, it’s either a bastardization of a language or an indigenization of it. Now, now, it’s not as if we’re not guilty of doing the same to our own Filipino languages. See how broadcast journalists have been using the Tagalog word kaganapan (fulfillment or consummation) to mean pangyayari (event).
The linguists and dictionary-makers can decide whether some of our more unique Filipino English terms and usage are (already) considered correct or not. Meanwhile, the rest of us non-experts just use them in daily life.
Here are 8 instances of Filipino English terms/usage that may elicit much gnashing of teeth and knotted eyebrows or knowing nods and flat out laughs.
Pinoys have been heard saying “Na stuck-up yung gulong ng sasakyan sa putik.”
Don’t let your eyebrows get stuck-up together (tee hee), but “stuck-up” means arrogant.
Pinoys have been heard saying “Nakahanda na lahat. You have nothing to worry.”
The line is usually with an “about” at the end, but if you’re in the Philippines and you forget the “about,” hey, no worries!
Pinoys have been heard saying “Pull a chair.”
If you simply pull a chair, you could end up pulling it all over the place. If you add the word “up” after “pull,” it will mean to bring a chair close to where you are and to sit on it.
Speaking of “simply,” Pinoys have been heard pronouncing “simpler” as “simplier.”
If you’re having a fight with a pronunciation-Nazi, better not pronounce “simpler” incorrectly, or things could get uglier.
Pinoys have been heard saying “Last 2013.” (Or any other date in the past.)
Usually, the “correct” way is to say “In (date),” and to use “last” only to refer to the most recent occurence. For example, when you say “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,” it would mean you are referring to last year’s Christmas and not the one in 1982.
Bonus: Pinoys also are used to saying “last last (date)” to mean “the (date) before last.” For example, “Last last Christmas” in other English-speaking regions would be said as “The Christmas before last,” or “The Christmas two years ago.”
Pinoys have been seen spelling “homebody” as “home buddy.”
Perhaps it’s not surprising that one of the friendliest people in the world have ascribed a context of friendship into the term “homebody,” transforming it into “home buddy” and making it mean, ostensibly, “a friend who likes to hang out at home”?
That said, homebody means “a person whose life and interests are centred on the home.” It may or may not be one of the characteristics of being an introvert.
Pinoys have been heard saying “I (verb in past tense) already.”
Since we usually append “na” to Tagalog statements that denote actions done in the past, that may be where the “already” counterpart in English comes from.
Just so you know, the “usual” way to say it is “I already (verb in past tense).” Perhaps you knew that already?
Pinoys have been heard saying “Good morning ma’amsir.”
Unless you’re going for the androgynous look, it can be pretty annoying sometimes when you certainly know you look like the gender you’re supposed to be and then to have someone call you a ma’amsir.
However, life is too short to constantly hate on this little quirk. After all, if you put yourself in the shoes of the person greeting you, you can well imagine that it’s no joke to work in the service industry. It can get pretty stressful when you’re up on your feet the whole day on the receiving end of instructions from stressed out (and sometimes rude) customers.
What if we look at “ma’amsir” as a word generated out of a need for efficiency? What if we just look at ma’amsir as a quintessentially Pinoy way of expressing our world-famous courtesy and hospitality (and even gender-equality!)? Onli in da Pilipins!
What other Filipino English terms or usage gets your goat or makes you laugh? Share in the Comments Section.
P.S. Check out 8 Foreigners Who Will Wow You With Their Tagalog Speaking Skills.
34 comments
Everyone says ” Hay” to me here in the Phillipines for ” Hello” . What Phillipine language is this, as it is not English?
Throw this! Rather than “Throw this out” – I always want to just take whatever is handed to me and toss it in the air…
Andaming alam nung ibang nagccomment.. Tska na pag expert na, anez?
#4 is actually wrong because the preposition used for dates should be “on”, not “in”
Wrong
on for exact dates, e.g.,On December 1943. but – In for year only, or for month only.
@OP: “Pull up a chair” is right, though you fail at explaining it. To ‘pull up a chair’, in “FILIPINO ENGLISH (As you oh-so-irritatingly stereotype it” sense means to get a chair that you’ll possibly use, not logically and literally pull up a chair beside you. You try to be cool by complaining about these things, and you even took about… hmm… 1-2 hours of your life composing this article and making those colorful pictures to back it up, yet you can’t even perfect your explanations. Criticizing your own countrymen’s English is not the cruise control for cool, young man.
And also, Ma’am/Sir are used by Americans more than you think to address certain people. Even on the phones, even if they are addressing something to you, they would call you Ma’am or Sir if your name is quite unclear or if they forgot what it was.
Tanga much sa mamsir? The author says pinoy servicecrews and promodisers tend to create or combine those 2 words so as to not call a customer with an incorrect address
We should put more English programming on Phil. TV, especially in News programs on Free TV.
Sorry, it should have been “especially News programs on free TV”.