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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 ...
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Lava Versus Hugas (Chabacano Versus Tagalog)



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 languages from one minute to another.

*variations; endenate/s, denante/s, enantes
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  1. יאן סבייסקי דייוטSeptember 27, 2020 at 5:50 AM

    I use the word "Lava" regardless "Lava la ropa" o "Lava el maga platos". masquen habla pa yo se na Tagalo...

    MagLAVA aco ng manga damit co at magLAVA aco ng mga platos. ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

    It doesn't matter, it is always us wwho has to adjust.

    ReplyDelete

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