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
In Chabacano, there are verbs which when we add the suffix han will have a different meaning altogether and will become nouns. In this post, we shall be looking at these kinds of nouns.
1. Mirahan
Root word: Mira (to look or watch)
Definition: To meet with someone
This is what it looks like:
2. Peleahan
Root word: Pelea (to quarrel)
Definition: A fight or quarrel with someone
This is what it looks like:
3. Tomahan
Root word: Toma (to drink)
Definition: A situation wherein you have a drink (specifically alcoholic drinks) with your friends or with other people
This is what it looks like:
Root word: Tira (to shoot)
Definition: Literally, two parties shooting at each other but is often used to refer to a shooting incident
This is what it looks like:
Root word: Corre (to run)
Definition: To run in panic with other people. It can also be a noun which means an incident wherein a group of people fleeing in terror. A synonym is (man) corre-corre.
This is what it looks like:
6. Ayudahan
Root word: Ayuda (to help)
Definition: People helping one another. 😀
This is what it looks like:
As you may have observed, all these words refer to an action being done with someone else.
Here are some sentences using the words above.
Chabacano: Que hora kita man mirahan na parque?
English: What time shall we meet at the park?
Chabacano: Ya man peleahan el dos bata porcausa na un jorgueza.
English: The two kids fought over a toy.
Chabacano: Todo'l dia ya lang el peleahan na camino.
English: There is fighting in the streets everyday.
Chabacano: Ta man tomahan ya tambien el mga borrachon.
English: The drunkards are drinking again.
Chabacano: Que hora man ya acaba el tomahan anoche?
English: What time did you stop drinking last night?
Chabacano: Ya man tirahan el mga rebelde y policia na monte.
English: Gunfire was exchanged yesterday in the mountains by rebel and police forces.
Chabacano: Tiene ya tambien tirahan na Tetuan ayer tarde.
English: There was another shooting incident in Tetuan yesterday afternoon.
Chabacano: Ya man corrihan el mga gente ayer na pueblo.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Chabacano: Ya tiene corrihan ayer na pueblo.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Chabacano: Necesita kita todo man ayudahan para resolve el de aton mga problema.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Since these words ending in han are considered as nouns, we have to add man in front of them for them to become verbs again. However, although these words ending in han are treated as nouns, not all of them can be used as nouns. If you speak the language, you know that mirahan and ayudahan can't be used as nouns and that they are always used as verbs. Words ending in han like mirahan and ayudahan will always have man in front of them.
Isn't it fascinating how we turned a verb into a noun, changed its meaning, and turned it again into a verb simply by adding the word man in front of it? 😃
If you are Hispano-centric, you might spell these words differently (with a 'j' instead of an 'h' e.g. tirajan instead of tirahan).
A friend who speaks the Chabacano variety in Ternate (also called Bahra) said that the equivalent of the suffix han in their language is the word huga which comes before the verb. Here are some examples that my friend gave.
Bahra: Ya huga mira mijoto ayer
English: We saw each other yesterday
Bahra: Ta huga pelea ya tamien el mga creatura
English: The kids are fighting again
Bahra: Ta huga bebe ya tamien el mga bohrachero
English: The drunkards are drinking again.
If you can come up with other words that end in the suffix han, feel free to post them in the comments section (no R18 stuff, please). 😊
This article was also published in Riquezas: Chabacano Essays and Studies Volume II (an annual journal published by the Local Government of Zamboanga).
1. Mirahan
Root word: Mira (to look or watch)
Definition: To meet with someone
This is what it looks like:
source: cliparts.co
2. Peleahan
Root word: Pelea (to quarrel)
Definition: A fight or quarrel with someone
This is what it looks like:
source: literaryyard.com
3. Tomahan
Root word: Toma (to drink)
Definition: A situation wherein you have a drink (specifically alcoholic drinks) with your friends or with other people
This is what it looks like:
source: www.deviantart.com
4. Tirahan Root word: Tira (to shoot)
Definition: Literally, two parties shooting at each other but is often used to refer to a shooting incident
This is what it looks like:
source: steadfastlutherans.org
5. Corrihan Root word: Corre (to run)
Definition: To run in panic with other people. It can also be a noun which means an incident wherein a group of people fleeing in terror. A synonym is (man) corre-corre.
This is what it looks like:
source: www.dreamstime.com
6. Ayudahan
Root word: Ayuda (to help)
Definition: People helping one another. 😀
This is what it looks like:
source: http://renanimatronics.blogspot.com
As you may have observed, all these words refer to an action being done with someone else.
Here are some sentences using the words above.
Chabacano: Que hora kita man mirahan na parque?
English: What time shall we meet at the park?
Chabacano: Ya man peleahan el dos bata porcausa na un jorgueza.
English: The two kids fought over a toy.
Chabacano: Todo'l dia ya lang el peleahan na camino.
English: There is fighting in the streets everyday.
Chabacano: Ta man tomahan ya tambien el mga borrachon.
English: The drunkards are drinking again.
Chabacano: Que hora man ya acaba el tomahan anoche?
English: What time did you stop drinking last night?
Chabacano: Ya man tirahan el mga rebelde y policia na monte.
English: Gunfire was exchanged yesterday in the mountains by rebel and police forces.
Chabacano: Tiene ya tambien tirahan na Tetuan ayer tarde.
English: There was another shooting incident in Tetuan yesterday afternoon.
Chabacano: Ya man corrihan el mga gente ayer na pueblo.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Chabacano: Ya tiene corrihan ayer na pueblo.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Chabacano: Necesita kita todo man ayudahan para resolve el de aton mga problema.
English: The people in downtown Zamboanga ran in panic yesterday.
Since these words ending in han are considered as nouns, we have to add man in front of them for them to become verbs again. However, although these words ending in han are treated as nouns, not all of them can be used as nouns. If you speak the language, you know that mirahan and ayudahan can't be used as nouns and that they are always used as verbs. Words ending in han like mirahan and ayudahan will always have man in front of them.
Isn't it fascinating how we turned a verb into a noun, changed its meaning, and turned it again into a verb simply by adding the word man in front of it? 😃
If you are Hispano-centric, you might spell these words differently (with a 'j' instead of an 'h' e.g. tirajan instead of tirahan).
A friend who speaks the Chabacano variety in Ternate (also called Bahra) said that the equivalent of the suffix han in their language is the word huga which comes before the verb. Here are some examples that my friend gave.
Bahra: Ya huga mira mijoto ayer
English: We saw each other yesterday
Bahra: Ta huga pelea ya tamien el mga creatura
English: The kids are fighting again
Bahra: Ta huga bebe ya tamien el mga bohrachero
English: The drunkards are drinking again.
If you can come up with other words that end in the suffix han, feel free to post them in the comments section (no R18 stuff, please). 😊
This article was also published in Riquezas: Chabacano Essays and Studies Volume II (an annual journal published by the Local Government of Zamboanga).
Is there any counterpart in Caviteño/Ermiteño, or they shared it with Bahra?
ReplyDeleteHi Ramones. Sorry, but I don't know its counterpart in Caviteno/Ermiteno. :-(
ReplyDelete