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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 ...

Origins of the Chabacano Avisa

The Chabacano avisa means to tell on someone or to squeal. Here are some examples of how this word is used in Chabacano.

Chabacano: Avisa yo con mommy kay late ya tu ya volve ayer.
English: I’ll tell mom that you went home late last night.

Chabacano: Ya avisa conmigo tu amigo na tiene tu otro mujer.
English: Your friend told me that you’re cheating on me. (Literally: your friend told me that you have another woman)

Chabacano: Ta avisa ba aquel ele?
English: Is that person a squealer?

Chabacano: Tiene quien ya avisa conmigo na tu el ya ruba con el cen.
English: Somebody told me that it was you who stole the money.

In Spanish, the word avisar means to inform or to notify.

In both Santos' and Camins' dictionaries, this word is defined as to inform or to give notice. However, I have yet to encounter an individual who uses this word in that manner. Based on my experience, people would use the word habla or informa (in formal settings) when they say 'inform' or 'give notice'. This means that this usage of avisa in Chabacano developed just recently.

In a book about the Chavacano de Ternate by De Ocampo, this word is listed as bisa and is also defined as to tell or to inform.

This article was also published in Riquezas: Chabacano Essays and Studies Volume II (an annual journal published by the Local Government of Zamboanga).

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