Carnap — is that a real word or not? That was the big debate on Twitter recently, after a tweet on the word “carnap” went viral:
I don’t know which Filipino needs to hear this but ‘kidnap’ does not refer specifically to abductions perpetrated on children (‘kid’). As such, ‘carnap’ is a totally local invention. Not real English. 😜
— Dax (@daxlucas) May 21, 2023
Filipinos came to the defense of Philippine English. As linguist Jecon Dreisbach pointed out, “Philippine English is real English.”
Philippine English is real English. It is a variety of the English language that exists in the Philippines.
There is such a thing as World Englishes. “Standard” American and British Englishes are now adapting, albeit slowly, terms from other English varieties. https://t.co/Xgm9TSlc6l
— Jecon Dreisbach (@jecondraysbak) May 21, 2023
Aside from the more well-known American or British Englishes, there are many more kinds of Englishes in the world, which have been localized to match the context of certain countries. And that also applies to our very own Philippine English, which has words and phrases that are unique in the Philippines, but are nonetheless real English:
Carnap
The word that started the debate. In American English (or any other English really), the word “carnap” doesn’t exist. Only Filipinos actually use it, with the first use dating as far back as the 1980s. A combination of “car” and “kidnap”, this word means to steal a vehicle. The word has also been included in the Oxford Dictionary of English in 2015.
When used in a sentence: The neighbor’s new BMW is so eye-catching, so it’s not surprising it was carnapped.
Videoke
Much like “carnap”, “videoke” is only used in the Philippines. It’s also a combination of two words: “video” and “karaoke”, the latter of which is the exact meaning of the derived word.
When used in a sentence: The aunties love to sing, so they use the videoke all day long.
Salvage
In American English, “salvage” means to save or retrieve something from being destroyed or lost. For example, the rescue crew salvaged a box full of gems from the shipwreck.
But in Philippine English, “salvage” means something opposite: to murder or execute someone (often a suspected criminal) without any trial. This came into common usage during martial law. Some believe that the local use of this word may have come from the Filipino word “salbahe.”
When used in a sentence: The families of people who were salvaged cry for justice at the loss of their loved ones.
Gimmick
In American English, “gimmick” refers to a trick or stunt done to attract people’s attention. But in the Philippines, “gimmick” is often used to refer to the act of hanging out with friends, usually during the night.
When used in a sentence: My friends and I love to go on spontaneous gimmicks after work.
Brownout
Americans use “brownout” to refer to a sudden reduction or partial outage of electrical power in an area. But in the Philippines, “brownout” is used in place of “blackout”, or a total electrical power outage.
When used in a sentence: There was a brownout in our village last night due to the storm.
Ref
In American English, “ref” is a shortened version of “referee.” But Filipinos use it to shorten “refrigerator.”
When used in a sentence: Don’t forget to grab your lunch from the ref.
Toga
Americans use the word “toga” to refer to the loose, flowy outer garment worn by ancient Romans. But in the Philippines, it refers to the robe worn by students during graduation ceremonies. (Other countries use the terms “graduation robe” or “graduation gown” instead.)
When used in a sentence: The senior students wore their togas for their graduation photos.
Rubber shoes
While it isn’t used in American English, Filipinos use the phrase “rubber shoes” to refer to sneakers, trainers (in British English), or running shoes. In other parts of the world, the term “rubber shoes” could be mistaken as rain boots or any shoes that are slip-resistant.
When used in a sentence: Going on a hike can be easier when you wear rubber shoes.
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