Taglish: Household Terms
By hereandthere
@hereandthere (45628)
Philippines
June 24, 2017 6:00am CST
My siblings and I were born and raised in Metro Manila so we're used to Taglish, which is a mix of Tagalog/Filipino (the Philippines' national language) and English.
However, Filipino Mylotters based in the provinces probably speak the regional dialects more, so it would be interesting to know if there are regional terms for these household terms, too.
"Isara ang ref." means "Close the refrigerator." (I always change it to ‘fridge’ or ‘refrigerator’ when I post in English sites like Mylot. 'Ref' can also mean ‘referee’ when Filipinos talk about sports.)
"Bukas ang oven." means "The oven is open."
“Initin sa microwave” means “Reheat in the microwave.”
"Bakit nasira ang toaster?" means "Why is the toaster not working?"
"Bumili ng bagong sponge." means "Buy a new sponge." We used to say "Scotch Brite," as in, we write that brand in our grocery list, the same way we used to say and still see signs saying, "Xerox" around here.
"Nag-grocery ka ba?" means "Did you buy groceries?"
"Linisan ang stove." means "Clean the stove." In our house, we seldom say "kalan" (stove).
"Mag-mop ka ng sahig mamaya." means "Mop the floor later."
For English-speakers, there are probably differences in US, CA, UK, AU terms.
For non-English-speaking Mylotters in other countries, do you mix English terms in your everyday language, too?
21 people like this
20 responses
@LadyDuck (502427)
• Italy
24 Jun 17
I mix languages when I write, because I try to use the shortest word available in the three languages I speak better. My native language is Italian, when I write my shopping list instead of "compare lo zucchero" I write buy sugar because it is shorter, but I can also mix French if there are phrases that are shorter in French.
5 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
@LadyDuck being able to quickly choose the shortest words among 4 languages floating in your head is being practical.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
yes, i remember your special skill.
1 person likes this
I am so lazy.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
24 Jun 17
Well, of course, since I'm English and from an English family we have only ever used the English words for things ... oh, wait a moment! NO!
My mother would frequently serve dishes made from beef, pork and mutton (all originally the French words for the meat of cow, pig and sheep, of course). We sometimes eat courgettes and aubergines (both French) and tomatoes (Nahuatl, via Portuguese and Spanish), pizza (Italian) and cook in the kitchen (from the Latin, originally), sometimes using a microwave (part Greek, part English). Outside we have a patio (Spanish) which some people call a terrace (French from the Latin) and I used to live in a bungalow (Hindi) which had a verandah (Hindi) and a garage (French). I am writing this on a computer and I'm wearing spectacles (both from the Latin, I think, via French)
The thing is, when does a foreign word really become naturalised? Sometimes, of course, it's almost immediate because there's no word in one's native language for it or because it's in some way different from the native thing but at other times it may be because the word is just easier to say ('pork' is easier to say than 'pig flesh' and, besides, it was probably a little bit 'posher' because it's the word that the nobility used for ;pig').
4 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
24 Jun 17
@hereandthere There are parts of this country where I wouldn't understand people if they spoke in their normal speech, though I would almost always be perfectly understood by them. We do still have dialects which have their own words for some things, though mostly it's a matter of pronunciation or accent. We also have people who speak entirely different languages (Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic) but most of them also speak English.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
@owlwings yes, that would happen to me, too, if i went to the provinces. if i'm asking about food or directions, they'll understand my tagalog/filipino, but might have a hard time answering or explaining. in the news when reporters are interviewing people from the provinces, you can feel them struggle to express themselves, or they pronounce words differently.
do you live in a diverse community?
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
we say pizza for pizza, and also say terrace, bungalow, and verandah. but for garage we say garahe (gah-rah-heh).
it's easier for us to say ground pork or ground beef, than 'giniling na baboy' or 'giniling na baka,' though i don't know the regional dialects for "giniling."
i thought different parts of england also had regional differences.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
24 Jun 17
I do not speak any other language fluently bar English.
But here there are many who speak the mixed language of English and Spanish. I can understand their speaking well. I do speak some other languages, but only smatterings. Spanish, Sicilian, Irish and English.
They call the Spanish version Spanglish.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
you know, i've always associated colorado with skiing. i didn't know there is a significant spanish population in colorado.
do you find knowing a little of spanish, sicilian, irish, american and uk english an advantage? have you always had an ear for languages?
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
24 Jun 17
@hereandthere Yes as my people are direct so it was what I grew up with the Irish/Sicilian. And Spanish I had learned by ear here in Colorado..yes many Hispanics live here.
And I lived in England so picked up Brit there. It is very different from American English. Yes it is handy to know.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView yes, that's exactly the word - handy. i've been trying to think of a better word for 'useful.' when you're out and hear irish, sicilian or brit, do you find yourself listening in? (without being obvious of course!)
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
24 Jun 17
You reminded me - when I lived in Hawaii I was a Tupperware dealer and met two Filipino sisters who were married to two American servicemen. We got to be quite friendly and when my mom/sister came to visit the one girl was having a baby shower and we were invited. We got to try all kinds of food. I don't remember if they spoke anything but English - it was a long time ago!
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
you know what, we call any plastic food container tupperware here, including those transparent disposable microwavable ones. maybe because it was the only brand back in the day, so it became a generic term. just like xerox.
you've lived in many us states so i know you're familiar with regional differences in american english.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
@AbbyGreenhill here we say softdrink, although i've heard of people saying coke when they meant pepsi. that's why i always write softdrink/soda when i post on international sites. colgate is another generic term here for toothpaste.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
24 Jun 17
@hereandthere Or like 'soda' LOL
Yes, I have lived in a few places and the dialogue is different.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
25 Jun 17
speaking about our national language and our regional language (Iloco). there is a set of questions and their answers here that we find them amusing.
examples are: "anjan da na" (here they are), and the "awan da pa" (they are not yet here).
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
1 Jul 17
i think 'awan ti kwarta' is a phrase non-ilocanos have heard of
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
2 Jul 17
@hereandthere yes, and it means "no money". "awan is none, and kwarta is self-explanatory- money.
1 person likes this
@atoz1to10 (6780)
• Australia
24 Jun 17
Yes, we do it almost all the time. I myself try to use my language as I don't want others to think that I am showing off, but then there are words that I don't use all the time and they just...disappear in my dictionary so I have no choice but to use mix language.. If you listen to songs from different languages you will hear that they also have mix English and their own language in there.
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
it's possible that there are tagalog words for the english words i used in the post, but i'm not aware of them.
we also mix/use some words from my parent's dialect because sometimes it's more precise than the tagalog/filipino word.
so you're bilingual?
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
24 Jun 17
The line ..I love you...Being commonly inserted in many local language love songs
@atoz1to10 (6780)
• Australia
24 Jun 17
@responsiveme yes, I agree.. and the words no and yes too...
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169459)
• United States
24 Jun 17
I speak Kansas American English. I know that there are different words even in other types of English--such as my front yard to someone who is British would be my front garden, and instead of a hood and trunk my car would have a bonnet and boot. I do not think I would know any Tagalog, possibly I would pick up a few Spanish words, but not many. The same for several other languages.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
i do know about the boot/bonnet/trunk/hood, as well as the lift and elevator, flat and apartment, etc. i can even do the puzzles and word games in magazines.
so how is kansas english different from other parts of the us?
how diverse is marion, kansas?
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
26 Jun 17
I am sure that we have some words that we use in Connecticut like "grinder" for sub or soda for pop are local.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
27 Jun 17
does grinder mean ground meat and sub a type of sandwich?
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
27 Jun 17
@hereandthere "grinder" is what all sub sandwiches are called in Connecticut. So veggie, ham, sausage etc.
1 person likes this
@carexing25 (1822)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
it's really hard to speak straight English and there are words from our language that are offensive to native English speakers. .. just like when i was in chatabout before, I stopped posting there when my no-offense-meant post gone wrong.. it was a total epic fail.. and so.. i stopped..
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
for some filipinos, straight tagalog might be difficult if their more used to their own dialect. what tagalog word is offensive in english?
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
6 Jul 17
with the internet and globalization and people scattered everywhere, it's hard not to adopt and adapt english words into local languages.
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (28380)
• Singapore
6 Jul 17
I am fluent in two Indian languages apart from English.
Also, working knowledge in another Indian language and Indonesian.
I speak my mother tongue at home with few English words.
The accent is different even among English speakers like in other languages depending on the area - siva
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
6 Jul 17
i agree. that's the experience of filipinos who work or live overseas.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
1 Jul 17
i think in the us there are also differences among states.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
1 Jul 17
when you're in the philippines and you hear someone speaking in german, do you turn around to see who's speaking?
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
4 Jul 17
@thelme55 and when you're back in germany and you hear tagalog or bisaya, do you turn around too? hehe.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (79324)
• Germany
3 Jul 17
@hereandthere No, not immediately. I want to listen what he or she is saying and don't want them to know that I could understand what they are talking about. So naughty of me, isn't it?
. I want to listen what he or she is saying and don't want them to know that I could understand what they are talking about. So naughty of me, isn't it?1 person likes this
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
24 Jun 17
Yes, English words have crept up in local languages but the pronunciation is different.Foe eg mug in English but when I would say it in my local languages I say mog.....No idea why?
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Jun 17
we pronounce english words differently, too. i think that's why there are english words we don't misspell that native english speakers commonly misspell.
@popciclecold (40214)
• United States
1 Jul 17
Thanks for tip. I only speak English.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
1 Jul 17
i have to remind myself to change some words or add a synonym to make sure what i post is understood. do you live in a diverse area?
@allen0187 (59721)
• Philippines
25 Jun 17
As much as possible, when I speak in English, I strictly speak in English. Same thing when I speak in Tagalog. I do not frown upon speaking in 'Taglish' but both languages are beautiful as is so I try my best to speak in straight English/Tagalog when I do.
@allen0187 (59721)
• Philippines
26 Jun 17
@hereandthere for the sake of discussion it should sound like 'Nakapag-rehistro ka na ba sa mga klase mo?' (Have you registered for your classes?)
We are at fault for trying to come up with a direct translation of an English word by spelling it in Tagalog/Filipino as it is pronounced in English.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
25 Jun 17
i never had a job where i had to speak straight english all the time. i do not have the skills of those in the tagalog regions outside the capital. my default example is always this: "nag-enrol ka na ba?" i don't know how to say that in 100% tagalog.
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (52665)
• Philippines
25 Jun 17
That is just normal because we also speak english but it's not practiced everyday. It's nothing phenomenal or something.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
1 Jul 17
when i write down what i need to buy in the wet market and grocery store, it always ends up taglish. sometime i silently giggle when i see signs that misspell xerox as zerox.
