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The Little Prince By Antoine De Saint-Exupéry Is Now Available In Chabacano!

While Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) written by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry in 1943 now has over 300 translations in different languages worldwide and is now considered the world’s most translated book (not counting religious works), there have been surprisingly only two translations of his book in the Philippines (Filipino and Bicol). El Diutay Principe is only the third edition featuring a Philippine language. The Little Prince is a classic French novella about a pilot who gets stranded in the desert after a plane crash and encounters a little fellow who asks him to draw a sheep for him. Through the course of their meeting, the pilot rediscovers the true meaning of life and what people should value the most. When I came across the book in 2013, I found that I could relate very well to the negative image given to “growing up” in the book. When the idea to translate the book into my mother tongue was presented to me, I didn’t think twice. I thought, ‘a lot of people my

Differences Between The Chabacano of Zamboanga and the Chavacano in Cavite city

Just a few hours ago, I encountered a very interesting blog called Habla Chabacano. The said blog is about Cavite city and it's Chabacano. I found this amusing because I speak Chabacano de Zamboanga. As I read the posts in Habla Chabacano (which were partly in Chabacano), I quickly spotted the differences/similarities between the two Chabacanos.


First off, the Chavacano of Cavite looks more Spanish sounding than that of Zamboanga. The sentence structure is also closer to Spanish.

Here's an example:

Chavacano de Cavite: Cosa ta haci Gina?

Enlish: What is Gina doing?

Chabacano de Zamboanga: Cosa ta hace si Gina?

Spanish: ¿Qué está haciendo Gina?

As you can observe, the Chavacano de Cavite comes closer to Spanish in terms of grammar. In Chabacano de Zamboanga, you would use the word si (which comes from Tagalog), added to the subject if it's a person. Meanwhile, the Chavacano de Cavite uses only the name of the person (without the si) for subjects which are persons (just like in Spanish)

Chavacano de Cavite: Ya culda yo di na ve otro mga vianda ta comi mga Caviteño como bacalao, croquetas, almondigas, etc.

English: It brings to mind other dishes Caviteños eat, such as bacalao, croquetas, almondigas, etc.

Chabacano de Zamboanga: Ya puede yo acorda maga otro comida de Caviteños como el bacalao, croquetas, almondigas, etc.

Spanish: Recuerdo las otras viandas que los caviteños comen como el bacalao, croquetas, almondigas, etc.

This brings me to something I spotted in the Chavacano de Cavite. Most words in the Chabacano of Zamboanga and Cavite are similar but with minor differences in terms of one or few letter(s) only.

Examples:

Zamboanga
Cavite
Difference
acorda
culda
r-l
duele
duli
r-l, ue-u
puede
pudi
ue-e
tarda
talda
r-l
hace
haci
e-i
ele
eli
e-i
come
comi
e-i

As you can see above the r and e in Chabacano de Zamboanga is sometimes an l and i in Chavacano de Cavite, respectively. The ue in the Chabacano of Zamboanga sometimes becomes u in the Chabacano of Cavite.

While the Chabacano de Zamboanga is said to be 20% Tagalog and Bisaya, the Chabacano de Cavite seems to be 20% Tagalog.

Another difference is how we say because. In Zamboanga, we say kay/cay, while in the Chavacano of Cavite city, it is kasi. To show intensity, we use the word bien. For example, bien caliente which means it is so hot. In the Chavacano of Cavite city, they add an -ng- at the end of the word and repeat it, much like in Tagalog. For example: kiereng kiere which means to love or like so much.

Both languages use daw to show that what they're saying is not their idea. Both languages also use ta in front of verbs. They also use ya similarly (to show past tense).

I noticed as well that in the Chabacano of Cavite city, they sometimes shorten haci as ci. Example: ta ci siksik todo which means she's squeezing in all her stuff.

I must admit that there were sentences which I couldn't understand (or at least decipher how it came to be). The thing is I never did any research for this blog post. Big booboo, I should've at least asked the blog owner what some sentences (which I couldn't understand) meant.

Chavacano de Cavite: Di ci babysit Dale mañana cun Marcos kasi tiene fundraising sana Leslee y Alyssa. Ta cumbida comigo kasi tiene daw silent auction. No ma niso di pudi anda na airport ha, kasi di pinta casa esti mi marido.

Here's what I think it means in English: Dale is going to babysit Marcos tomorrow because Leslee and Alyssa will have a fundraising event. They invited me because there will be a silent auction. We won't be able to go to the airport anymore okay? Because my husband still has to paint the house.

Here's what that would look like in Chabacano de Zamboanga: Man babysit si Dale con Marcos mañana kay si Leslee pati/y si Alyssa tiene un fundraising event. Hinde mas kame puede anda na airport kay mio marido nesecita pa pinta conel casa, ha?

The Chabacano that I know is the modern Chabacano. But even the modern Chabacano is now becoming 'more modern'. The modern Chabacano is currently undergoing another evolution. The migrants who come here are putting certain words in the vocabulary of Chabacano. For example, today you would hear some people saying: nuay pa ka come? The correct form (that I know) is no hay pa tu come? Most of the people who talk like this are people from the nearby provinces who come to Zamboanga city to work. These people then influence other people and now we have a lot of young people who speak like this. Whenever I hear my friends talking like this, I usually tell them off.

The problem that Chabacano de Zamboanga faces is nothing though compared to the Chavacano de Cavite because the latter is virtually dead. I am hoping that the local governments can do something about this problem. Let us love the Chabacano language because it is unique and it's a legacy of the 400 years of history that Spain and Mexico gave to us.

Habla Chabacano! Conversa Chabacano!

This article was also published in Riquezas: Chabacano Essays and Studies Volume II (an annual journal published by the Local Government of Zamboanga) as well as in the International Year of Indigenous Languages Philippines website.

Comments

  1. chavacano de zamboanga is very unique at sana manatili ito hangang sa susunod pa na henerasyon
    im from pagadian zamboanga del sur

    ReplyDelete
  2. alegre que yo nunca ta usa esos palabras o escribi en esa forma.

    porque mas prefiero yo usa "yo, mi, mio, de mi, de mio, de tu, de tuyo, usted, de usted, de ila o de ellos, ellos, sila, vosotros de vosotros, aton, amon, de aton o diaton, de amon o diamon"

    ejemplo:
    donde gaja yo hay anda?
    mi nombre es Ron.
    mio este laptop.
    de usted ba este?
    amon gane este libro.
    aton libros estos.
    loco man vos...
    tu gale, jendeh come?

    pero si rabiao yo, este el palabra comun para conmig..

    Evos ya! loco este...;-)


    buenas noches y Dios te Bendiga!;-)
    Ron 29años,,, uno del mana nuevo generaciones Zamboangueño hablantes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deberas gayot, si ta uwi yo mga bata ta usa ka/ikaw imbies tu/ytu ta duele gayot di mi orejas. el mga bisaya bien plojo gayot aprende di aton lenguahe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Este generacion de maga jovenes ta usa mucho palabra tagalog por causa del influencia na escuela. Poreso bueno este ahora curiculum K-!2. Hay implimenta ya el uso del chabacano principia na Kindergarten. Viva Zamboanga!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Este generacion de jovenes ta usa mucho maga palabra tagalog ta mescla na chavacano. Poreso bueno este ahora nuevo curiculim donde el chavacano usa como medium of instruction para preserva el cultura de chavacano, K-12.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BUENAS! :)

    afaik, ang chabacano de cavite - is a mix of tagalog and spanish. and i agree with you when you said that cavite chabs is almost close w/ regards to the spanish grammar. while chabs de zambo is a mix of spanish and bisaya (some include moro and ilonggo terms as well) -- this is because of the intermarriage of different cultures. inavoidable yan.

    i wish though i could talk more in chabacano - though sabi yo chabacano, no mucho habla.. hehe. :)

    good blog! bookmarked by the way. if you haven't stumbled upon this site - do check it out... na mi pensamiento, quiel writer esti site queda na Cavite. :v www.angelfire.com/art2/roger_santos/pensamiento.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gracia por el informacion. yo tambien estaba na nuevo generacion de chavacano. Mucho ya cosa cosa ya cambia en nuestro lenguaje. Este por causa mucho ya ganet de Zamboanga que ta vivir en otros lugares. El maga nuevo gente na Zamboanga amo el una causa de cambio na Chavacano. Nececita nosotro mismo hace correcto el cosa error en hablada o conversada de nuevo generacion 'y mas malo ya el quien ta pricura aprede con este lindo lenguaje.

    ReplyDelete
  8. hola....lo que mas me gusta es...chabacano de zamboanga...porque en este dialecto casi todas palabras...were from spanish...95% spanish...

    ReplyDelete
  9. In Cavite it is referred to a Chabacano.
    In Zamboanga it is CHAVACANO.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The sad is rare ya Lang yo ta uwi ta contesta chavacano aqui na Pueblo de Zamboanga karamihan Tagalog gayud. Hays!

    ReplyDelete
  11. ambos mis padres es bisaya pero yo na zamboanga ya nace y yan engranda. ya conoce amigo de cavite que ta conversa tambien el mismo lenguaje pero mas vale oi con el diatun chabacano de zamboanga.
    creo que mas intende kanatun el mga espanol kay sa na chabacano de cavite

    ReplyDelete
  12. Adelante zamboanga !!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. El verdadero, antes cuando tiempo di Maria Clara lobregat y de su generacion igual con Cesar climaco el chavacano del ciudad zamboanga mas iguales de España. No Mas ustedes compara el conversada ahora, por casa desde tiempo bien manada estranjero del otro ciudad ya esta junto con el Zamboangeños. Especialmente de esos bisaya estaba Dela ciudad zamboanga del Norte. Por eso bien asco oji el chavacano mesclado de bisaya. Un buen ejemplo, Dos bes ya sucede el concierto di Gloria Estefan en mi ciudad. La mayor Maria Clara Lobregat del Zamboanga una española. Para sabe todo mundo, el translacion del chavacano de zamboanga palabra con palabra iguales del español por eso la reina Sofia de españa ya visita en mi ciudad. Pero el mas importante punto aqui, manada Filipino quiere conversa español. No se puede negar la sangre española en tus venas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Si bien amo gat se tu mga palabras.

      Delete
  14. El kosa yo ya puede le aki,todo man amo,nuay kien mali,de piende ya lang si kien ta kombersa,kien ta iskribi y kien ta ohi.
    Basta el importante!ta man entendihan.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Un Nativo de zamboanga io....un zamboangeña..

    Si ay uwi lang bosotros el chavacano tiempo del dmi aguelo y aguelo bien lejos kompara este mga tiempo..

    Tiempo dila nuay mesklaw tagalog....este tiempo mas manada kien kiera mn kuanto usando el tagalog.

    maskin kosa pa,maskin kilaya pa li basta ta intende el hente kunkien tu tan kwento amo ya kel😅😅😅😅😅

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hopefully Kcc De Zamboanga Staff they will speak the language of Chavacano De Zamboanga, ( From the mall name mention above, Zamboanga so the owner and staff should follows the Culture, tradition and the like.. Another things i don't feel the spirir of Zamboanga when i go shopping to the said mall. How come the sales agent will speak you in Tagalog and visayan when you asked in Chavacano.. Sad to say Majority in the City they speak the language of Filipino not the dialect of The city..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sad to say most employees are from zambo del norte 'bisaya people' and from other islands of basulta. kay el mga hente aqui na Zamboanga bien ploho ki ploha poreso ya dura nuay man asenso el diatun ciudad

      Delete
  17. chene tambien diperensya el chavacao de Basilan pati Zambo. si huwi ustedes bunamente mas hondo el mga palabra aki na zamboanga kabar tsene pa tono si ta combersa komo ta lama sila de alya-alya

    ReplyDelete
  18. ojala pikura preserva el chavacano y dale esfuerzo para na maga estabisimiento na ciudad. Cuando ya volve yo alli del año pasado bien muchu tan tagalog. Entraw ya mga jovenes ya puede yo oi na jeep, de tagalog gayot pero makarisas oi kay bien hilaw. Hope you can have more materials comparing both dialects, I came across one with a Poem. I think chavacano de zambo has a lot of spanish words than the Cavite.

    ReplyDelete
  19. EL prigunta, kien El orihinal.. El chavacano de cavite o cHavaCano de Zamboanga.

    ReplyDelete
  20. EbOs,de bos, de tuyu, de ustedes, Como selyama palabra chavacano ta kombersa kwando elementarya pa u. Pero este Nuevo henerasyon ultimo bijeha y bijeho ta kombersa chavacano. De ikaw imbes de tuyu. Kosa de ikaw nombre. Donde ka ta keda. Hinay hinay ya ta pede El lenguaje del puro chavacano.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Please save Cavite's Chabacano, sound great, grettings from Latin America

    ReplyDelete
  22. Chavacano de Cavite is not dead, but still widely spoken in the small town of Ternate....but just there....they address this language as "Bahara" (I might have mispelled it)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. Bahra (Ternateno) is different from Caviteno (which is spoken in Cavite city).

      Related link: https://bienchabacano.blogspot.com/2012/04/differences-between-chavacano-in.html

      Delete
  23. Buenas dias. Yo un nativo de Zamboanga. Ya le yo el maga otros comento aqui. El mi entendimiento porcausa del usada y entrada del maga otros palabras na Chavacano de Zbga este maga dia , ta abla lamg cay vivo el lengguaje Chavacano aqui na Zbga. Dificil quita abla mumas usa este, numas usa aquel maga palabra cay gendeh verdadero Chavacano de Zbga . Cosa ba el verdadero chavacano , el de antes o el de aura? Ansina siguro el un lengguaje, pirmi ta cambia si tan encuentro maga otros lengguaje. Abla pa na ingles, tan “evolve”. Basta man Chabacano / chavacano lang quita siempre, sojeta si debe sojeta, pero pirmi siempre combersa chavacano con orgullo, cay diaton este. Viva el Chavacano de Zamboanga!

    ReplyDelete

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