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 ...
I recently became friends with a Chabacano Speaker in Manila. This new friend learned her Chabacano from her Zamboangueño father. She, however, has never set foot on Zamboanga soil. Growing up in Manila and having only her family to practice her Chabacano with, she speaks the language with some nuances. For instance, I noticed that she never uses conversa and would only use habla. I noticed too that Spanish speakers trying to speak in Chabacano would do the same thing.
Chabacano is a complex language with grammar rules that are hard to explain but are imperative when learning to speak the language fluently. 😀
Here is a quick guide on when to use 'Habla' and 'Conversa' in Chabacano.
When to use Habla
1. Reported Speech
Example:
Chabacano: Ya habla si Maria a las cinco daw tu conele encontra na airport.
English: Maria said that you would fetch her from the airport at five o clock.
Chabacano: Ya habla ya gayod yo contigo! Ladron aquel gente!
English: I told you so! That person was a thief!
2. To Ask Someone to Repeat Something
Example:
Chabacano: Cosa tu ya habla?
English: What did you say?
3. Command (specific *there is something specific that the speaker wishes someone to say)
Example:
Chabacano: Habla tu si cosa tu quiere.
English Translation: Tell me what you want.
Chabacano: Habla tu con tuyo tata no mas ya le vene aqui.
English Translation: Tell your father not to come here anymore.
When to use Conversa
1. To Refer to the Act of Speaking
Example:
Chabacano: Ya conversa conmigo ayer si Maria.
English: Maria spoke to me yesterday.
Chabacano: Otra clase man ese mujer ta conversa.
English: That woman speaks differently.
Chabacano: Sabe tu conversa Tausug?
English: Do you know how to speak Tausug?
2. Command (General)
Example:
Chabacano: Conversa daw tu mas suena.
English: Could you speak louder?
Chabacano: Conversa tu con tuyo nana.
English Translation: Talk to your mom.
Most people pronounce and spell this word (especially young Chabacano speakers) as kumbersa. Instead of the word conversa, one can also use man cuento.
I'm not sure about the Chabacano languages in Cavite city and Ternate, but I think both of them use platica instead of conversa.
For Spanish speakers trying to learn Chabacano, just remember to use habla whenever you would say decir in Spanish and conversa whenever you would say hablar in Spanish.
Chabacano is a complex language with grammar rules that are hard to explain but are imperative when learning to speak the language fluently. 😀
Here is a quick guide on when to use 'Habla' and 'Conversa' in Chabacano.
When to use Habla
1. Reported Speech
Example:
Chabacano: Ya habla si Maria a las cinco daw tu conele encontra na airport.
English: Maria said that you would fetch her from the airport at five o clock.
Chabacano: Ya habla ya gayod yo contigo! Ladron aquel gente!
English: I told you so! That person was a thief!
2. To Ask Someone to Repeat Something
Example:
Chabacano: Cosa tu ya habla?
English: What did you say?
3. Command (specific *there is something specific that the speaker wishes someone to say)
Example:
Chabacano: Habla tu si cosa tu quiere.
English Translation: Tell me what you want.
Chabacano: Habla tu con tuyo tata no mas ya le vene aqui.
English Translation: Tell your father not to come here anymore.
When to use Conversa
1. To Refer to the Act of Speaking
Example:
Chabacano: Ya conversa conmigo ayer si Maria.
English: Maria spoke to me yesterday.
Chabacano: Otra clase man ese mujer ta conversa.
English: That woman speaks differently.
Chabacano: Sabe tu conversa Tausug?
English: Do you know how to speak Tausug?
2. Command (General)
Example:
Chabacano: Conversa daw tu mas suena.
English: Could you speak louder?
Chabacano: Conversa tu con tuyo nana.
English Translation: Talk to your mom.
Most people pronounce and spell this word (especially young Chabacano speakers) as kumbersa. Instead of the word conversa, one can also use man cuento.
I'm not sure about the Chabacano languages in Cavite city and Ternate, but I think both of them use platica instead of conversa.
For Spanish speakers trying to learn Chabacano, just remember to use habla whenever you would say decir in Spanish and conversa whenever you would say hablar in Spanish.
Mi comento: The use of "plática" (platicar) is the lingua franca term used in general Mexican Spanish, used when one is having deep, meaningful conversations (al nivel de 'tener un polémica', por ejemplo) or when troubleshooting non-material, usually emotional, matters.
ReplyDeleteAnd it makes sense, since the old Philippine Spanish is considered as a sub-dialect of Mexican Spanish mismo by linguists, and most Spanish terminologies absorbed and currently being used by the the indigenous Filipinos languages are mostly of Latin American dialectal varietyies, but more specifically, from Nueva España's querido México.
So for both Ternate and Caviteño, both of which had also been influenced by the Portuguese language, to use "platicar" is already amazing by itself.
Other than that, I realize that el chabacano heavily uses more Spanish verbs than the usual dale or entende. I have been reading some more Chabacano text samples lately, and they really use Spanish verbs, even heavy "big words"; it's like Chabacano speakers know them innately, without having a real exposure to a physical hispanohablante person or from a form of Spanish-language media. Seriously, this creole language has managed to preserve all of that, even after most of the archipelago (meaning "Filipinas") has managed to distance itself away from the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. (even Timor-Leste has managed to salvaged its Portuguese roots after the wars and isolation.)
'Yun lang.
Keep on posting, Mister blogger, sir. ¡Mantenga la fe!
Alli na Caviteño Chabacano, cuando ta mangplaticahan yo con mga genti que ta platica na Caviteño, ta hablá nisos "platica" para "speak" (we say "platica" for "speak") mientras "conversa" y "charla" para "converse" y "chat" respectivamenti. si el palabra "habla" naman, el que quiere habla dequel "say". Dimas, pudi rin "bisa" tambien, pero el palabra "bisa" pudi ta significa rin "inform" or "dale sabe" na Idioma Caviteño. Buenas!
ReplyDelete