Philippine English
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Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Republic of the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, the standardized dialect of Tagalog.
Most Filipinos understand, write and speak English, Tagalog and their respective local language. English is used in education, religious affairs, print and broadcast media, and business, though the number of people who use it as a second language far outnumber those who speak it as a first language (see List of countries by English-speaking population). Still, for highly technical subjects such as medicine, computing, and calculus, English is the preferred medium for textbooks, communication, etc. Very few would prefer highly technical books in the vernacular. Movies and TV programs in English are not subtitled and are expected to be directly understood.
English, as it is taught in the Philippines, is very similar to North American English. However, most schools in the Philippines are staffed by teachers who are not native Anglophones and thus think using Austronesian instead of Germanic grammatical structures. Non-standard usage arises from their second language acquisition of English.
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[edit] Orthography and grammar
Philippine English generally follows American standards, except when it comes to punctuation. For example, a comma almost never precedes the final item in an enumeration.
[edit] Vocabulary and usage
Some words and phrases and their respective definitions or uses are peculiar to Philippine English and may not appear in most English dialects. Some examples are:
- Agroupation - A political group. From the Spanish word "agrupación."
- Ala - Filipinos prefer to spell "a la," or more correctly "à la," as one word.
- Already - Filipinos like to insert this word to state that they have finished doing something, even though it was completed past the original deadline. In standard English, by contrast, "already" is only used when something was completed ahead of schedule.
- Apartelle - A budget hotel. From apartment + hotel + le. Other terms used are "apartel," "apartment-hotel," and "condotel."
- Armalite - Like the British, Filipinos also use this term to refer to the M16 rifle.
- Baby Armalite - An M16A1 carbine. Usually this refers to a Colt Model 653 made under license in the Philippines.
- Bad trip - An unfortunate situation. May mean "bummer." (Example: "Bad trip! I got into a car accident.) In the U.S., a bad trip is usually reserved for drug addicts experiencing a bad experience on a drug high.
- Ballpen - Filipinos prefer to spell "ball pen" as one word, and prefer to use this term rather than ball-point pen, ball-point, or simply pen.
- Bananacue - Sabá (cooking banana, similar to plantain), rolled in brown sugar then deep fried. The hot oil caramelizes the sugar giving the banana cue a crunchy quality.
- Barbecue - Roasted meat must be cut into pieces and put into a skewer in order to qualify as a "barbecue."
- Batch - A graduating class.
- Bedspacer - A person, usually a college student, who pays rent for the use of a bed in a private home.
- Biodata - In liue of a résumé, some employers may ask for this instead.
- Blowout - Taking several people out to a restaurant and paying for everybody.
- Bluebook - Filipinos prefer to spell "blue book" as one word.
- Bold - Nude
- Bold movie - A movie with nude scenes, which may or may not be a pornographic movie. This term is used only for Philippine movies. In the 1970s, the term for such movies was "bomba film," whereas in the 1980s it was "S.T.(sex trip) movie."
- Boodle fight - Originally pre-World War Two West Point slang meaning "a gathering where such luxuries (candy, cake, ice cream, etc.) are served," presently this term refers to food (usually pansít, or steamed rice and sardines) served on old newspapers or banana leaves spread over a table, and eaten with bare hands by a group of people. Although it is the practice for some Filipinos to eat with their hands, a group of people eating this way from one source is an unnatural and contrived practice. This way of eating, which was devised by PMA cadets, does not represent authentic Philippine culture.
- Boundary - An amount public transport drivers pay their operators daily; any excess belongs to the driver as his daily wage.
- Buck - In America and Australia this refers to a dollar, however in the Philippines it refers to a peso.
- By and by - later
- Cabaret - (pronounced /KA ba ret/) A strip club.
- Cabinet (furniture) - Refers to "closet."
- Cadette - A female cadet. From French. Although the French pronunciation of this word is similar to the English pronunciation of "cadet," Filipinos pronounce this word /KAY det/, which is West Point slang.
- Carabao - water buffalo (Anglicized from Tagalog kalabáw, which evolved from the Malay kerbau). Filipinos almost never use "water buffalo" or "buffalo" in English communication when referring to this animal.
- Calling card - Refers to a "business card," not a phone card.
- Canteen - The usual term for cafeteria.
- Carnapper - A car thief.
- Carnapping - Motor vehicle theft, auto theft, or car theft.
- Call Boy or CB - A male prostitute.
- Call Girl or CG - Any female prostitute. In American English, a call girl is a prostitute contacted by phone.
- Cent - A centavo. "¢" the symbol for "cent" is also used as a symbol for "centavo." Formerly, "ctvs" was commonly used as the abbreviation for "centavo." "ctvs" appears to be a combination of "ctvo" the correct English abbreviation for "centavo(s)" and "cs" the correct Spanish abbreviation of "centavos."
- Change oil - An oil change.
- Chancing - To make a sexual advance; to cop a feel.
- Chicken - Something which is easy or easily accomplished. Example: "The final exam was chicken." This statement simply means: "The final exam was easy."
- Chit - A restaurant bill.
- Chocolate Man or Crocodile - Refers mostly to policemen in charge of traffic in Manila, due to their record amongst the people to be corrupt.
- Coke - Term for a carbonated drink, usually referred to sodas with dark color.
- Colegiala - A female high schooler attending a well-known Catholic exclusive school in the Philippines. From Spanish.
- Colgate - Term for toothpaste. Used to refer to all brands of toothpaste.
- Combo - A musical band.
- Commute - Refers to the act of taking public transportation.
- Commuter - One who takes public transport (rarely used to refer to motorists, often excluding them).
- Coupon Bond - Bond paper. Coupon here is pronounced /kopon/ not /kyupon/.
- Course - While also used to refer to individual classes/subjects (as in US English), a "course" often refers to an entire degree program (as in UK English).
- CR (Comfort Room) - Toilet, bathroom.
- De hilo - A white suit, commonly used during the American colonial period.
- Dine-in - "Eat in," "for here."
- Dormer - A dormitory resident.
- Drawer (furniture) - Refers to the whole "dresser," rather than to individual drawers.
- Duster - A sun dress. Example: "Although she is wealthy, she wore a duster to the market so she would not be over charged." A duster in U.S. English refers to an instrument to remove dust from items (usually furniture) and is usually is made up of feathers.
- Eat-All-You-Can - All You Can Eat
- English-speaking - Someone whose native language is English. More specifically, someone who can only communicate to others in an English language.
- Estafa - Spanish for "con art," but used in English communication to mean "embezzlement."
- Ex. - E.g., from the abbreviation of the words "for example". This is used in writing and not as spoken word.
- Feeling - Arrogant, self-flattering; also, delusional.
- Exclusive School - Used to refer to an all-girls school. May be seldomly used to refer to an all-boys school.
- Fill-up - to fill out a paper or document. E.g. "Please fill-up this form".
- Fishball - Filipinos prefer to spell "fish ball" as one word.
- Flyover - This British English word is the preferred term for overpass.
- For a while - Used on the telephone to mean "please wait."
- FX Taxi - A type of share taxi.
- Gay - As well as homosexuals, in the Philippines, it includes transsexuals, cross-dressers and effeminate men. (See Homosexuality in the Philippines.)
- Gay bar - in the Phils, the term refers to a gay strip club.
- Get down / go down (a vehicle) - "Get off." Derived from Tagalog context ("Bumaba ka", literally meaning "(you) get down").
- Gets - Expression meaning "to understand". ("Ahh, gets." - "Ahh, I understand." or "Gets?" - "Do you understand?")
- Gig - Hang out with friends, watching others play music, etc.[citation needed]
- Gimmick - A planned or unplanned night out with friends.
- Green jokes - Dirty jokes (subsequently, to be "green-minded" is to have a dirty mind, e.g. always giving sexual connotations to everything.)
- Guinit helmet - A sun helmet made from coconut fiber (ginít), used by Filipinos serving in the American colonial army from 1935 through 1942. The American colonial gendarmerie also used this headgear about the same period. The Axis Second Philippine Republic's military, known as the Bureau of Constabulary, was another user of this type of sun helmet. Generally viewed as an inappropriate headgear for war it should however be noted that the German Afrika Korps and Italian elite units deployed in North Africa during World War Two also used sun helmets.
- Hard drink - Beer or any alcoholic drink.
- High blood - An adjective used to describe a person who is highly-strung. From the term "high blood pressure."
- Holdupper - A holdup man, or stickup man.
- Hostess - A prostitute.
- Hyper - This prefix is used as an adjective to describe a person who is highly-strung. From the term "hypertension."
- Jeepney - Mass transit trams originally made from US military jeeps. (See "Owner" below)
- Jingle - To urinate
- Jueteng - An illegal numbers game.
- Maniac - (pronounced MAN-YAK) Pervert.
- Metro Aid - Refers to public street cleaners or broom sweepers.
- Monito-Monita - Secret Santa, Kris Kringle
- Motel - Used mostly to refer to a love hotel, a hotel or a motel paid at an hourly rate, used primarily for sex. Often used with the word "short-time" as in the construction "short-time motel."
- Middle name - Mother's maiden name. In America or the UK, middle name refers to one's 2nd (or 3rd) given name.
- Nightclub - Used to refer exclusively to strip clubs, especially among the older generation. To avoid confusion, nightclubs are instead referred to as "dance clubs" or simply as "clubs."
- Officemate - a co-worker
- Open/close the light/computer/TV - Turn/switch on /off the light/computer/TV.
- Owner-type - (pronounced AWE-NEHR) A Jeep-derived vehicle for private, non-commercial use.
- Pack Up - Used instead of "wrap up" when referring to movie sets, presentations, etc.
- Parlor - Hair salon, i.e. beauty parlor = beauty salon.
- Payola - Filipinos prefer to use this term when referring to bribes or payoffs.
- Payphone - Filipinos prefer to spell "pay phone" as one word.
- Pensionne - The usual spelling of pensione or pension.
- Pentel pen - A marker.
- Pershing cap - A service cap.
- Pistolized - An adjective to describe a long gun with its shoulder stock removed and replaced with a pistol grip.
- Polo shirt - A dress shirt.
- Practicumer - Refers to a student who participates in a course of study that involves the supervised practical application of previously studied theory; an intern. (Practicum - internship)
- Remembrance - A souvenir or memento.
- Restroom - Filipinos prefer to spell "rest room" as one word.
- Rotonda - Spanish loanword assimilated into many Filipino languages, meaning "rotary intersection," "roundabout," or "traffic circle." It should be noted that in Spanish the terms for "circle" or "rotary" are: "cruce giratorio;" "glorieta;" or "redondel."
- Rhum - This French word listed in Webster's Third New International Dictionary is the preferred spelling of rum in the Philippines. This variation in spelling is a little similar to "whiskey" (U.S. and Ireland) and "whisky" (Scotland and Canada).
- Rubber shoes - Sneakers or athletic shoes.
- Rugby - Rubber cement.
- Sala - A courtroom. Another word for living room. From Spanish.
- Salvage - A slang word for summary execution. The meaning evolved from frequent usage in sentences such as 'The corpse was salvaged from the Pasig river,' from the actual meaning: recovered or found. The victim would usually be a victim of summary execution. The word may also be related to the Spanish-derived Tagalog slang "sinalbahe" (literally "turned bad").
Better Usage: 'The corpse of a salvaged person was found floating on the Pasig River.' The above sentence would mean the person was salvaged on the Pasig River.
- Sari-Sari Store - Refers to a convenience store or booth. Sari-sari is Tagalog for "mixed variety," but the term is generally used in English communication. Sometimes called a "variety store" in the Canadian sense.
- Scalawag - A rogue police or military man.
- See-through fence - A chain link fence.
- Shooting - Used in the movie industry instead of "filming."
- Short-time - Used to describe a short-time stay (2 to 3 hours) at a love hotel for sex. Origin of the Tagalog syota which is slang for lover (romantic or sexual).
Nota bene : "Syota" is from "bata" (with a Tagalog slang prefix "syo-." "Bata" is Tagalog for "child" but in Tagalog slang, = "boyfriend" or "girlfriend." Therefore, "Bata/Syota ko na siya." = "He/She is now my boy/girlfriend."
- Slippers - Flip flops.
- Softdrink - Filipinos prefer to spell "soft drink" as one word.
- Step-in - Stylish ladies' sandals minus the strap.
- Stow away - To run away from home.
- Subdivision - A gated community.
- Tablea - Chocolate in the form of a roll, usually used for making Spanish-style thick hot chocolate. This comes from the Filipino word "tabliya," which in turn comes from the Spanish word "tablilla."
- The other day - Used specifically to refer to the "day before yesterday" (from the Tagalog expression "noong isang araw").
- Thrice - Three times. While it is also used in other forms of English, it is much more prevalent in Philippine English. Very few Filipinos use "three times."
- Toga - Refers to the commencement/graduation gown.
- Tomboy - A boyish lesbian. A "tomboy" is almost always presumed to be a lesbian, although the word is rarely used for feminine-looking lesbians.
- Traffic - Implies a traffic jam, or heavy traffic. In the Phils, often used as an adjective, referring to heavy traffic volume.
- University belt - A part of the Philippine capital Manila, which has a large number of colleges. Also called "u-belt." This term is similar to American terms such as: "bible belt," "farm belt," "rust belt," and "sunbelt."
- Village - A gated community.
- Xerox - as noun, it means a photocopier; as verb, to make a photocopy of.
- Yaya - This word means grandmother in Spain (Albacete, Aragon), but in the Philippines it means nanny. It is also possible that is an adopted Hindi word (aya) for nanny. Strictly not an English word, often used out of a lack of a better term.
[edit] Phonology
Among mother-tongue speakers, the phonology of Philippine English almost completely resembles that of the North American variant (thus, Philippine English is a rhotic accent), while the speech of those who are not native speakers is influenced to varying degrees by Tagalog and other indigenous Philippine languages. Since many English phonemes are not found in most Philippine languages, pronunciation approximations are extremely common.
Some examples of non-native pronunciation include:
- Filipino = [pili'pino] or [pʰili'pʰino]
- Victor = [bik'tor]
- Family = ['pɐmili] or ['pʰamili]
- Varnish = ['barnis]
- Fun = [pɐn] or [pʰan]
- Vehicle = ['bɛhikel] or ['bɛhikol]
- Lover = ['lɐber] or loob-er
- Find = ['pɐjnd] or ['pʰɐjnd]
- Official = [o'pisʲɐl] or [o'pʰisʲɐl]
- Very = ['bɛri] or ['bejri]
- Guidon = [gi'don]
- Hamburger = ['hɐmburdzʲɐr]
- High-tech = ['hajtɛts]
- Hubcap = [hab'cab]
- Margarine = [mɐrgɐ'rin]
- Shako = [sha'koo]
The above list applies mainly to Tagalog speakers; a number of other indigenous languages employ phonemes such as [f], [v], and [z]. It should also be noted that this form of mispronunciation, caused by the limited sound inventories of most Philippine languages compared to English (which has more than 40 phonemes), is generally frowned upon by Anglophone Filipinos, in particular, and businesses dealing with international clients.
[edit] History
Although the first exposure to English was in 1762 to 1764 when the British invaded Manila, English from that time never had any lasting influence. English was assimilated when the United States took over the Philippines. In 1898, Spain ceded control of the Philippines to the United States under the Treaty of Paris, and thereafter the Americans controlled the Philippines until it gained its independence in 1946. By the time of the Japanese occupation of World War II, English had become so entrenched as an official language that official proclamations and currency were issued in English as well as Japanese and Tagalog. The Americans established a system of public education wherein English was used as the main language of instruction. After independence, the Philippine government continued public education in English, while simultaneously establishing Filipino as its national language. A parallel system of private schools, many of which were established by the Catholic and the Protestant churches, follows the dual-language system, although private schools tend to use English more than Filipino in their instruction.
[edit] Industries based on English
The abundant supply of English speakers and competitive labor costs have enabled the Philippines to become a choice destination for foreign companies wishing to establish call centers and other outsourcing operations. English proficiency sustains a major call center industry, and as of 2005, America Online (AOL) has 1,000 people in what used to be the US Air Force's Clark Air Base in Angeles City answering ninety percent of their global e-mail inquiries. Citibank does its global ATM programming in the country, and Procter & Gamble has over 400 employees in Makati, a Manila suburb, doing back office work for their Asian operations including finance, accounting, Human Resources and payments processing. See Call center industry in the Philippines
An influx of foreign students, principally from Korea, has also lead to growth in the number of English language centers, especially in Metro Manila, Baguio City and Metro Cebu.
[edit] See also
- Education in the Philippines
- English language learning and teaching
- Englog (Konyo English), English-Tagalog codeswitching based on English
- Filipino language, the other official language of the Philippines
- Formal written English
- History of the Philippines
- Philippine Literature in English
- Regional accents of English speakers
- Special English
- Taglish, Tagalog-English codeswitching based on Tagalog
- Moroccan Arabic, a language that borrows many words from romance languages
- Tunisian Arabic, an Arabic dialect that does the same as its Moroccan counterpart
[edit] External links
- The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines, by Andrew Gonzalez, FSC, with sections on Philippine English
- Philippine English, by Tom McArthur.
- Reinstatement of English as a medium of instruction by the Department of Education
- English proficiency in Cebu
