The first time I heard Bikol, the local dialect in Naga, I was struck by its lovely melodic quality that was immediately familiar to my ear. It turns out that thanks to the Spanish conquest of the PH and Naga's particular status as a former royal city, many Tagalog and Bikol words are Spanish in origin. For example, anyone who has taken a high school Spanish course might remember that 'como estas?' means 'how are you?' In Tagalog and Bikol, 'how are you?' is 'kumusta?'
I've mentioned it at least a few times to date that I've been amazed by the quality of the English spoken in the Philippines. The downside of this is that there's been little imperative to learn any Tagalog or Bikol. The other day, I was shocked and embarrassed when I realized that I've already been here for three months but have really only mastered two words: 'Salamat' (thank you) and 'Bayad' (to pay). While the last three months would seem to contradict this, I really do love words and languages -- along with more than a handful of language classes, one of my all-time favourite university courses was dedicated to studying the etymology of English words. For a brief period in my early youth (I think it lasted three weeks), I tried to read the dictionary, starting with the letter S.
I've decided that it's time to shrug off the laziness and commit to learning as much Tagalog and Bikol in the second half of my stay in the PH. To be realistic in my expectations, I've decided to try to learn one new phrase a day. That seems manageable, no? I've enlisted a slightly mischievous local coworker to supply me with my daily phrase...to be on the safe side, I'll be testing these phrases out on trusted friends before unleashing them on strangers. My favourite phrase to date? Ingat, pinangat! 'Ingat' is Bikol for 'take care,' and is a way of saying goodbye. Pinangat is a Bicolano culinary speciality involving taro leaves stewed in coconut milk. 'Ingat, pinangat' is roughly equivalent to 'see you later, alligator!' The few times I've used it so far, it's been universally met with expressions of shock and laughter. I sort of suspect that 'ingat, pinangat' will be hard to top, but I'll keep you posted if anything else nearly as charming comes up. In the meantime, ingat, pinangat!
I've mentioned it at least a few times to date that I've been amazed by the quality of the English spoken in the Philippines. The downside of this is that there's been little imperative to learn any Tagalog or Bikol. The other day, I was shocked and embarrassed when I realized that I've already been here for three months but have really only mastered two words: 'Salamat' (thank you) and 'Bayad' (to pay). While the last three months would seem to contradict this, I really do love words and languages -- along with more than a handful of language classes, one of my all-time favourite university courses was dedicated to studying the etymology of English words. For a brief period in my early youth (I think it lasted three weeks), I tried to read the dictionary, starting with the letter S.
I've decided that it's time to shrug off the laziness and commit to learning as much Tagalog and Bikol in the second half of my stay in the PH. To be realistic in my expectations, I've decided to try to learn one new phrase a day. That seems manageable, no? I've enlisted a slightly mischievous local coworker to supply me with my daily phrase...to be on the safe side, I'll be testing these phrases out on trusted friends before unleashing them on strangers. My favourite phrase to date? Ingat, pinangat! 'Ingat' is Bikol for 'take care,' and is a way of saying goodbye. Pinangat is a Bicolano culinary speciality involving taro leaves stewed in coconut milk. 'Ingat, pinangat' is roughly equivalent to 'see you later, alligator!' The few times I've used it so far, it's been universally met with expressions of shock and laughter. I sort of suspect that 'ingat, pinangat' will be hard to top, but I'll keep you posted if anything else nearly as charming comes up. In the meantime, ingat, pinangat!
Unstewed pinangat
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