Taglish
Taglish, in the
Philippines, is an informal dialect of
Tagalog that infuses
English terms. Taglish is, perhaps, most common in
Metro Manila where its use has become
stereotype. The influence has been great, none the less, as it is now arguably a
lingua franca in many parts of the country. Akin to Taglish is Englog which, in turn, is English infused with Filipino words, a popular type of which is called
Konyo English (see section below).
An intriguing aspect of Taglish is the fact that any English verb, and even some nouns, can be converted into a Tagalog verb by following the normal verb tense constructions of Tagalog, usually by the addition of one or more prefixes or infixes and by the doubling of the starting sound of the base form of the verb or noun. The English verb drive, can be transformed into the Tagalog magda-drive meaning “will drive”. The English noun Internet can be converted into the Tagalog nag-Internet, meaning “have used the Internet” or even “have logged-on into the Internet”.
Many of these Tagalized forms are even used more often than the native counterpart. For example, the word magmamaneho is the Tagalog equivalent of will drive, but magda-drive is more popular.
Taglish also applies to speech wherein adjacent clauses are either English or Tagalog. The conjuctions used to connect the clauses can come from either language.
Some examples:
- Magsho-shopping ako sa mall mamaya.
- I will shop at the mall later.
- Na-print mo na ba ang report?
- Have you printed the report?
- Mag-MRT ka papuntang school.
- Use the MRT [a local metro rail system] in going to school.
- I went to school, kaso, wala pa palang pasok.
- ..., but, there was no class.
- Nahihiya sila na mag-ask ng favor from you, kasi hindi mo na trabaho ito.
- They are uncomfortable asking a favor from you, because this isn't your job anymore.
Konyo English
A type of Englog—English with some Tagalog words—is called Konyo English. Konyo or conyo is a neologism that refers to certain stereotyped affluent sectors of society. These people are often considered to be the rich kids who are not used to the sufferings of poorer people. They are often typically identified by their variant of English that introduces Tagalog words. The word konyo itself came from the Spanish coño (cunt)—the radical shift in meaning having been lost in history. Konyo people, along with their speech, is often ridiculed in mainstream society.
The most common identifiable aspect of Konyo English is the phrase combining the English verb make with the base form of a Tagalog verb. This phrase replaces perfectly acceptable English equivalents. A classical example of Konyo English is the following sentence:
- Let's make tusok the fishballs.
- Let's pierce [onto the stick] the fishballs.
- NOTE: Fishballs are a Filipino delicacy.
Sometimes, the Tagalog interjections na (or
nah),
e (or
eh), and
o (or
oh) are interjected into the speech. Also some English words are sometimes replaced with their Tagalog translations.
Some other examples are:
- I'm so init na; make paypay me naman o.
- I'm so hot; please fan me now.
- You make hintay here while I make sundo my kaibigan.
- You wait here while I fetch my friend.
There is no definitive explanation why some people use this corrupted form of English, and why only a certain sector of society predominantly uses it. A popular hypothesis is that rich kids, while growing up, are often taught by maids who have a little grasp of correct English grammar. Thus, the type of English picked up by these children reflect the poor attempts by the maids to speak English.
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