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
Today, because I am unable to sleep and my housemate has the radio’s volume on maximum, I have decided to translate one article from that blog which was written in the Chavacano de Cavite to the Chabacano de Zamboanga.
Here is the original article written in Chavacano de Cavite:
Ung anyo ya desde ya escribi yo aqui na blog. Que mucho ya ya pasa. Tiene ya niso nuevo presidente y nuevo gobyerno.
Pero maski no ma yo ta hace post aqui, tiene pa rin ta le, y ta escribi conmigo.
Abajo el comment de Senior Gallo, porcasa fiesta ya naman, y tiempo ya tambien para culda el mga cuento de ayer:
Un cuento del pasado. Hola para los legitimos chabacanos del ciudad del Cavite. Fiesta ya naman. Celebaracion katakot takot. Mucho handa puro gastos hasta el ano nuevo.
Ta culda yo cuando diquel chiquito pa nisos mi mga hermano y hermana, ta desperta nisos temprano porcasa ta oi nisos con el mga banda del musico qui ta pasa na calle Lopez Jaena.
Y mi aguelo ta cumpra el potu y cochinta para con nisos. Ta manda muda con nisos bonito ropa para anda na iglesia para oi misa y cabando para pasia na calle P. Burgos para anda na mercado.
Que alegri nisos todo. El mga parientes y amigos ta visita y ta lleva pasalubong. Mucho comida que sabroso.
Y la nochi ta pasia nisos na carnaval cabando el procesion.
Un cuento chabacano de mi pasado..... Senor Gallo.
Here now is my Chabacano translation:
Un ano ya desde ya escribi yo aqui na blog. Bien mucho ya ya pasa. Tiene ya kita nuevo president y nuevo gobierno.
Pero maskin no hay mas yo man post aqui, tiene pa siempre quien ta le y ta escribi conmigo.
But even though I haven’t been posting anything, there are still people who read (my blog) and write to me.
Abajo el comento de Senor Gallo. Porcausa fiesta ya otra vez, tiempo ya tamen para acorda el mga cuento de antes:
Un cuento de antes. Que tal na mga verdadero Chabacanos de la ciudad de Cavite. Fiesta ya tamen. Taqui ya tamen el mga engrande celebracion. Mucho comida y puro gastos ya tamen hasta el ano nuevo.
Ta acorda yo cuando joven pa yo y mga hermano y hermana mio ta despierta temprano porcausa ta oi kame con el mga banda de musico que ta pasa na calle Lopez Jaena.
Y mi abuelo ta compra puto y cochinta para conamon. Ta manda conamon vesti bonito ropa para anda na iglesia y oi misa. Acabar, ta anda kame na calle P. Burgos y na changue.
Bien alegre gayod kame todo. El mga parientes y amigos deamon ta visita y ta lleva pasalubong. Bien mucho comida sabroso.
De noche, ta pasea kame na carnaval despues del procesion.
Un cuento chabacano de mi pasado. Senor Gallo.
For the benefit of people who don’t speak Chabacano, here is a English translation of the article:
It has been a year since I’ve written in my blog. A lot has happened. We already have a new president and a new government.
But even though I haven’t been posting anything, there are still people who read (my blog) and write to me.
Below is the comment of Mr. Gallo. Because it is again the feast (of our patron Saint), it is again time for us to reminisce the stories from the past.
A story from the past. Hello to the true Chabacanos of the city of Cavite. It is again the feast (of our patron Saint).
I remember when me and my brothers and sisters were still young and we would wake up early to listen to the music band (this probably refers to the music that a marching band makes in a parade) which passes by Lopez Jaena street.
My grandpa would buy us puto and cochinta. We are made to wear our best clothes to go to church and hear mass. Then, we go to P. Burgos sreet and then to the market.
How happy we all are. Our relatives and friends would visit and bring us gifts. There are also lots of delicious foods.
At night, we go to the carnival after the religious procession (of religious images).
A story in Chabacano from my past. Mr. Gallo.
Before anything else, let me just say that I am a native speaker of the Chabacano de Zamboanga and I don’t (and probably never will) speak the Chavacano de Cavite.
Let me begin by stating some observations that I have on the writing style above. Now, I don’t know if this is really how they construct sentences in Chavacano de Cavite but I seemed to have noticed that the sentences above are clipped and look more like phrases. I’m not sure but it looks as if he was writing a poem.
Some sentences I find too long. There are some sentences which have a lot of ideas in them and could have been separated into different sentences.
But enough about the writing style, let’s talk about the lexicon in both languages.
If you haven’t noticed, Chabacano de Zamboanga uses the word bien to mean very while the Chavacano de Cavite seems to put que in front of the sentence. This reminds me of how in Spanish, some expressions are formed by putting que in front like que bonito eres or que frio hace.
The word bien though according to my research, to mean 'very', is used colloquially in Latin America. It would be interesting to know if the word bien is also used in the Chavacano de Cavite.
Just a cultural note, in the Philippines every city has its own patron Saint. When it is a city’s patron Saint’s feast day, people go to church, a carnival goes to town, people from nearby towns get invited for lunch or dinner, and of course, there is liquor. A procession is actually a procession of religious images which are carried in carts full of decorations like flowers. These traditions are Catholic and came from the country’s colonial past with Spain.
One observation that I made is that Chavacano de Cavite uses the word cabando when saying after. The word in Chabacano would be despues de or acabar de. Another would be the usage of the word muda in the Chavacano de Cavite. The word muda is also used in Chabacano de Zamboanga however it wouldn’t be used like in the sentence above. An example of how we use the word muda in Chabacano de Zamboanga is:
-Ya muda ya ba tu?
-Have you already changed/ put on clothes?
-Ta muda pa yo.
-I’m still putting on/changing clothes.
Muda in Chabacano de Zamboanga is the act of putting on or changing clothes. When one means to wear clothes, the word we use in Chabacano de Zamboanga is vesti or usa.
The fact that I am able to understand the article above written in Chavacano de Cavite is so amazing to me. I am not sure though if my little knowledge in Spanish also helps. It would be great to hear from other Chabacano de Zamboanga speakers. Are you guys able to understand the Chavacano de Cavite article above? Let me know.
Here is the original article written in Chavacano de Cavite:
Ung anyo ya desde ya escribi yo aqui na blog. Que mucho ya ya pasa. Tiene ya niso nuevo presidente y nuevo gobyerno.
Pero maski no ma yo ta hace post aqui, tiene pa rin ta le, y ta escribi conmigo.
Abajo el comment de Senior Gallo, porcasa fiesta ya naman, y tiempo ya tambien para culda el mga cuento de ayer:
Un cuento del pasado. Hola para los legitimos chabacanos del ciudad del Cavite. Fiesta ya naman. Celebaracion katakot takot. Mucho handa puro gastos hasta el ano nuevo.
Ta culda yo cuando diquel chiquito pa nisos mi mga hermano y hermana, ta desperta nisos temprano porcasa ta oi nisos con el mga banda del musico qui ta pasa na calle Lopez Jaena.
Y mi aguelo ta cumpra el potu y cochinta para con nisos. Ta manda muda con nisos bonito ropa para anda na iglesia para oi misa y cabando para pasia na calle P. Burgos para anda na mercado.
Que alegri nisos todo. El mga parientes y amigos ta visita y ta lleva pasalubong. Mucho comida que sabroso.
Y la nochi ta pasia nisos na carnaval cabando el procesion.
Un cuento chabacano de mi pasado..... Senor Gallo.
Here now is my Chabacano translation:
Un ano ya desde ya escribi yo aqui na blog. Bien mucho ya ya pasa. Tiene ya kita nuevo president y nuevo gobierno.
Pero maskin no hay mas yo man post aqui, tiene pa siempre quien ta le y ta escribi conmigo.
But even though I haven’t been posting anything, there are still people who read (my blog) and write to me.
Abajo el comento de Senor Gallo. Porcausa fiesta ya otra vez, tiempo ya tamen para acorda el mga cuento de antes:
Un cuento de antes. Que tal na mga verdadero Chabacanos de la ciudad de Cavite. Fiesta ya tamen. Taqui ya tamen el mga engrande celebracion. Mucho comida y puro gastos ya tamen hasta el ano nuevo.
Ta acorda yo cuando joven pa yo y mga hermano y hermana mio ta despierta temprano porcausa ta oi kame con el mga banda de musico que ta pasa na calle Lopez Jaena.
Y mi abuelo ta compra puto y cochinta para conamon. Ta manda conamon vesti bonito ropa para anda na iglesia y oi misa. Acabar, ta anda kame na calle P. Burgos y na changue.
Bien alegre gayod kame todo. El mga parientes y amigos deamon ta visita y ta lleva pasalubong. Bien mucho comida sabroso.
De noche, ta pasea kame na carnaval despues del procesion.
Un cuento chabacano de mi pasado. Senor Gallo.
For the benefit of people who don’t speak Chabacano, here is a English translation of the article:
It has been a year since I’ve written in my blog. A lot has happened. We already have a new president and a new government.
But even though I haven’t been posting anything, there are still people who read (my blog) and write to me.
Below is the comment of Mr. Gallo. Because it is again the feast (of our patron Saint), it is again time for us to reminisce the stories from the past.
A story from the past. Hello to the true Chabacanos of the city of Cavite. It is again the feast (of our patron Saint).
I remember when me and my brothers and sisters were still young and we would wake up early to listen to the music band (this probably refers to the music that a marching band makes in a parade) which passes by Lopez Jaena street.
My grandpa would buy us puto and cochinta. We are made to wear our best clothes to go to church and hear mass. Then, we go to P. Burgos sreet and then to the market.
How happy we all are. Our relatives and friends would visit and bring us gifts. There are also lots of delicious foods.
At night, we go to the carnival after the religious procession (of religious images).
A story in Chabacano from my past. Mr. Gallo.
Before anything else, let me just say that I am a native speaker of the Chabacano de Zamboanga and I don’t (and probably never will) speak the Chavacano de Cavite.
Let me begin by stating some observations that I have on the writing style above. Now, I don’t know if this is really how they construct sentences in Chavacano de Cavite but I seemed to have noticed that the sentences above are clipped and look more like phrases. I’m not sure but it looks as if he was writing a poem.
Some sentences I find too long. There are some sentences which have a lot of ideas in them and could have been separated into different sentences.
But enough about the writing style, let’s talk about the lexicon in both languages.
If you haven’t noticed, Chabacano de Zamboanga uses the word bien to mean very while the Chavacano de Cavite seems to put que in front of the sentence. This reminds me of how in Spanish, some expressions are formed by putting que in front like que bonito eres or que frio hace.
The word bien though according to my research, to mean 'very', is used colloquially in Latin America. It would be interesting to know if the word bien is also used in the Chavacano de Cavite.
Just a cultural note, in the Philippines every city has its own patron Saint. When it is a city’s patron Saint’s feast day, people go to church, a carnival goes to town, people from nearby towns get invited for lunch or dinner, and of course, there is liquor. A procession is actually a procession of religious images which are carried in carts full of decorations like flowers. These traditions are Catholic and came from the country’s colonial past with Spain.
One observation that I made is that Chavacano de Cavite uses the word cabando when saying after. The word in Chabacano would be despues de or acabar de. Another would be the usage of the word muda in the Chavacano de Cavite. The word muda is also used in Chabacano de Zamboanga however it wouldn’t be used like in the sentence above. An example of how we use the word muda in Chabacano de Zamboanga is:
-Ya muda ya ba tu?
-Have you already changed/ put on clothes?
-Ta muda pa yo.
-I’m still putting on/changing clothes.
Muda in Chabacano de Zamboanga is the act of putting on or changing clothes. When one means to wear clothes, the word we use in Chabacano de Zamboanga is vesti or usa.
The fact that I am able to understand the article above written in Chavacano de Cavite is so amazing to me. I am not sure though if my little knowledge in Spanish also helps. It would be great to hear from other Chabacano de Zamboanga speakers. Are you guys able to understand the Chavacano de Cavite article above? Let me know.
This article was also published in the International Year of Indigenous Languages Philippines website.
Muy bien :D
ReplyDeleteChabacano is the preferred spelling amongst Caviteños.
ReplyDeleteCabando is from the Spanish gerund alcabando (finishing, ending), not to far off from ~alcabar de~ in Zamboangueño.
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful article.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for supplying this info.