Skip to main content

Why is the 'H' in some Chabacano words of Spanish origin pronounced like in English?

Do we Pronounce the 'H' in Spanish words like in English?

A long time ago, a linguist asked me this question. While we do pronounce the 'H' in words that aren't from Spanish similar to English, I told him that in words of Spanish origin, we pronounce the 'H' just like in Spanish. In fact, I was baffled why he would ask that question.

But later, I realized that we DO pronounce the 'H' like in English even in certain words that are from Spanish. Here are some examples: moho, almohada, harta, hinca, hermosa, and haragan.

In last names beginning with a 'H' like mine, the 'H' is pronounced like in English by Filipinos, in general. In fact, when I heard a teacher in high school pronounce my last name with a silent 'H', I remember being perplexed by it. At that time though, there were still many people who were acquainted with Spanish pronunciation so I have heard other family names beginning with a 'H' sometimes pronounced with a silent 'H'. So I concluded that it was simply a different preference of saying things.

Today though, if I say my last name with a silent 'H', most people can't recognize it. I think this shift merely reflects the fact that people today no longer have any knowledge about Spanish and hence we tend to pronounce the 'H' in last names like mine like in English.

But is this also the reason why the 'H' in certain Chabacano words from Spanish is pronounced like in English? We have to remember that people today are no longer exposed to the Spanish spelling of these words unlike the spelling of surnames which constantly appear in everyday life activities such as watching the credits of a movie or browsing your social media newsfeed.

It is also noteworthy to remember that this phenomenon occurs in ONLY a limited number of Spanish words in Chabacano. I think majority of the Spanish words in Chabacano with a 'H' still follow Spanish pronunciation.

A few examples are habla and hasta. There is a tendency at times for the 'H' in these words to be pronounced like in English but I don't think it's being consciously done.

Interestingly, the word harina is said with a silent 'H' in Chabacano however in Tagalog, the 'H' is pronounced like in English.

In an incredible twist of fate, our tendency to spells words in Chabacano the way they are pronounced using Tagalog spelling is the only reason why most people will spell these words correctly with a 'H'. Chabacano words from Spanish that contain the English 'H' pronunciation and spelled with a 'J' or 'G' in that language will ironically be spelled with a 'H' by Chabacano speakers.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Porque by Maldita Lyrics (Original Chabacano and Translated Spanish version)

Here are the original lyrics of the song Porque by Maldita as well as a rough Spanish translation below. 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 Nunc...
19 comments
Read more

How To Say 'I Love You' And 'I Hate You' In Chabacano

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...
98 comments
Read more

The F Word in Chabacano

One of the things that my friend picked up from his Chabacano roommates is the word chinga, he tells me. Indeed, if you listen to Chabacano spoken between friends, you would hear a lot of chinga. According to urbandictionary.com, chingar is a Mexican Spanish word that is the equivalent of the English f word. Another word I presume is derived from chingar which is used often in Chabacano is 'chingona'. It is used towards a female and means whatever it is you think it means. It is sometimes used affectionately among female friends though. When you hear a girl saying chingona vos to another girl, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're quarreling. Another bad word in Chabacano is coño de vos nana (mother). Most Chabacano speakers though would not pronounce the de and s in vos and would say conyobohnana. Now this is something you say to someone you're very angry with. Other adjectives which has a bad meaning in Chabacano are: -pendejo -animal -de mal herencia...
5 comments
Read more