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Showing posts from September, 2020

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

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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
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Lava Versus Hugas (Chabacano Versus Tagalog)

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One of the mistakes I would often commit when I was new in Manila when speaking Tagalog was using the world laba instead of hugas . When I used the word laba on plates, my coworker thought I was referring to my bag. That was when I was given a huge lecture on the difference between the Tagalog words laba and hugas . Apparently, the former is used only for apparel and accessories while the latter is used for kitchen utensils and other tools. My confusion on these two words stem from my native language, Chabacano wherein the word lava is used for everything. Here are some examples Tagalog; Naghugas ako ng pinggan kanina. Chabacano: Ya lava yo plato enante*. English: I washed the dishes earlier. Tagalog: Nilabhan ko ang damit ko Chabacano: Ya lava yo mio ropa. English: I washed my clothes. Today, the difference between these two words is firmly etched into my mind that I never confuse them even when I am with a group of people with whom I have to constantly switch between the two lang
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Speaking Chabacano In The Voice Teens Philippines

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I decided to feature a teen artist from Zamboanga City who is currently a contestant in The Voice Teens Philippines season 2 because she is obviously very proud of the Chabacano language. The video is an interview with CZ Baylosis conducted by Jeremy Glinoga and KaladKaren. In the interview, CZ speaks in Chabacano when thanking her supporters. The video is an extract from an episode of The Voice Teens Philippines DigiTV aired last June 28, 2020. CZ Baylosis is 16 years old and is part of Apl de AP's team in the show. Considering that she is only 16 years old, I found it rather surprising that she chose to showcase Chabacano in that show. My friend tells me that most teenagers and even adults in Zamboanga city nowadays feel that it is more posh  to speak in Tagalog. Interestingly, her name when spelled backwards is ZC which is the abbreviation for Zamboanga city.
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The Chabacano Word 'Culo'

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I was very amused one day when I watched a travel video featuring Zamboangacity on Youtube. One of the highlights of the video was the vlogger eating chupaculo . Chupaculo  is a dish consisting of snails and ferns. Apparently, the dish's name chupaculo  [ which is Spanish for suck ( chupa)  and butt or bottom of certain things ( culo )]  came from the fact that you  have to suck the meat out from the shell  of the snail. In Chabacano, the word culo  means 'vagina'. It is considered a very vulgar word and so you won't hear it in everyday conversations. Where does this word come from? It is very likely that this Chabacano word came from Spanish. However, the word culo usually means 'buttocks' in Spanish and (as far as I know) would never mean 'vagina'. If you take into consideration however, the Spanish definition extremidad inferior o posterior de algunas cosas  and the location of the vagina, it kind of makes sense. 😏 What do Chabacano dictionarie
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What?! Idol Raffy Tulfo Speaks Chabacano? 😲 😲 😲

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In the August 12 episode of Idol In Action, we learn that the host of the show can speak Chabacano! Raffy Tulfo reveals that his family lived in Zamboanga city for a year and a half when he was five years old and that was how he picked up the language. His father was a member of the Philippine Constabulary which probably explains his family's presence in Zamboanga city for a brief period of time. Although, it has been already a long time that his family lived in Zamboanga city, Raffy Tulfo says in the video that he still speaks Chabacano sometimes with his brother which is why he hasn't forgotten it yet. Idol Raffy Tulfo's Chabacano conversation with  a lucky fan who won five thousand pesos can be viewed starting at 28:43. Idol in Action is a Philippine TV show which airs on TV5.
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Porque by Maldita Lyrics (Original Chabacano and Translated Spanish version)

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Original Chabacano Version: Solo-solo na mi cuarto Hinde ta puede dormi Vira-vira na cabeza El dolor yo ya senti Por que pa contigo yo ya quiere? Como bula lang tu ya perde Por que contigo yo ya escoge? Ahora mi corazon ta sufri Bien simple lang yo ta pedi Era senti tu el cosa yo ya senti Ta pedi milagro, vira'l tiempo El mali hace derecho Na de mio rezo ta pedi yo Era olvida yo contigo Todo-todo yo ya dale Ahora ta arrepenti Sobra-sobra el dolencia Tormento para vivi Por que pa contigo yo ya quiere? Como bula lang tu ya perde Por que contigo yo ya escoge? Ahora mi corazon ta sufri Bien simple lang yo ta pedi Era senti tu el cosa yo ya senti Ta pedi milagro, vira'l tiempo El mali hace derecho Na de mio rezo ta pedi yo Era olvida yo contigo No tu distorba Y no atraca kay baka palmadea yo contigo Nunca acepta Si tu ay vira por el dolor ya senti Por que contigo yo ya escoge? Ahora mi corazon ta suf
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How To Say 'I Love You' And 'I Hate You' In Chabacano

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Saying I love you in Chabacano is a bit tricky. Most people just say 'I love you' (pronouncing the word love as lab ). But in songs or formal occasions, Chabacano speakers say 'I love you like this': ta ama yo contigo . Let’s dissect this sentence. Ta= Present tense indicator Ama= love Yo= I Contigo= you Again, you’ll only hear this in songs. You really won’t hear people saying to each other  ta ama yo contigo. Saying I hate you in Chabacano is also a bit difficult. In the dictionary of Santos (2010), the word hate in Chabacano is rabia or odia . However I’m not really sure how to use these two words in a sentence because to me ta rabia yo contigo or ta odia yo contigo just doesn’t sound natural. Rabiao yo contigo (which is something people frequently say in Chabacano) just doesn't convey the correct emotion because it means something like I am angry at you (milder than hate). So how do we say the English 'I hate you' in Chabacano? One of
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How to say I Miss You in Chabacano

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In Facebook groups, a lot of people, even Chabacano speakers themselves, seem to be wondering how to say 'I miss you' in Chabacano. Most Chabacano speakers get away with just saying tan miss ya yo contigo . However, the verb miss is still untranslated. The English verb to miss (someone or something) may very well be untranslatable. I googled I miss you in Tagalog  and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw what Google Translate had to say: In very formal Tagalog, one can say nangungulila ako sa iyo although it will probably make you cringe saying it. Most formal Chabacano translations of I miss you  are similar; they will make you cringe saying them. Besides, most people wouldn't understand you anyway, if you use them. In Cebuano, they actually have a translation for I miss you  and that is gimingaw kaayo ko nimo. I'm not sure though if Cebuano speakers actually say this. My friend tells me that it's more common to hear people say namiss na ta ka which if yo
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