Bisalog

Last updated

Bisalog, also Tagbis, is a portmanteau of the words "Bisaya" and "Tagalog" which refers to either a Visayan language or Tagalog being infused with words or expressions from the other.

Contents

Speakers of Bisalog may often code-switch with English, as well, resulting in what is sometimes called Bistaglish or Tagbislish.

The word also used by radio station DZRH as a news/talk show where it brings the latest news from around the provinces (via Aksyon Radyo) every Sunday at 7am.

Example of bisalog

Below are some examples of Bisalog from an article written in Davao and translated to highlight the use of Bisaya and Tagalog.

While both Tagalog and Bisaya are Philippine languages, it is important to notice that while some words are similar in spelling and usage, both have differences that distinguishes one language from the other.

Tagalog influence

Tagalog is one of the Philippines' national languages, giving it a strong presence in the country's education system, mostly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Tagalog as a national language was originally opposed by other language groups when it was declared as such in 1937 because such declaration of Tagalog as a national language showed favoritism & dominance to the language, but opposition to its dominant presence decreased over the next forty years. [7] With Tagalog being taught in schools, many Filipinos would adopt it as a second language. In Davao, the older generations speak Tagalog to their children in home settings, and Bisaya is used in everyday settings. Increased usage of Tagalog in younger generations is the result of children paying respect to parents and figures of authority. [8] Despite Tagalog's status as the national language, areas where Tagalog is not heavily used see other ethno-linguistic groups thrive. The majority of Philippine regions do not have Tagalog as the dominant language as many people tend to speak the language from their respective region when in more casual settings. [7]

Code switching practices in the Philippines

The Philippines has seen different periods of colonization (by Spain and the United States), and these eras have influenced the languages spoken in the country. The Philippines also has eight additional languages besides Tagalog that have official statuses within their respective regions. [9] Code switching is common in many places due to the diverse linguistic setting in the country. Along with Tagalog, English is also an official language in the Philippines, resulting in code switching practices also including English words when necessary. [9] Having so many languages present results in language contact, creating an environment for code switching to flourish. Different generations (Generations X and Z) in Davao also speak both Bisaya and English fluently. [8] As stated in the previous section, the younger Davaoeño population often use Tagalog when speaking to their elders and figures of authority, highlighting how age strongly plays a role when code switching.

Code switching practices also somewhat extend to social media. 1,500 tweets from users in different regions were analyzed for the use of code switching. The data returned that the regions used code switching 18.8%-31.4% of the time, with Davao being the region that employed it the most. [9] The need for code switching on social media likely stems from how easy it is to reach wider audiences on the web. The regions studied were Cebu, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental, and Davao. Cebu was found to code switch below the calculated average of these regions. The same study found that northern areas were less likely to engage in code switching than southern regions. [9]

Societal attitudes

The attitude towards Tagalog and speaking it can vary in different provinces and generation. In Davao, there are numerous conflicting viewpoints on the emergence of Bisalog. Some believe the emergence of this language could endanger the use of Bisaya in Davao City. The language is also viewed as a variety of Tagalog that emerged due to Davao's population, which largely consists of Cebuano and Tagalog peoples. Although the Cebuano population greatly outweighs the Tagalog population at 74.56% to 3.86%. [8] While opposition to Tagalog as the country's official language is small, there are still some who hold resentment towards Tagalog. Many Bisaya speakers, for example, are more willing to communicate in English rather than Tagalog. [9] Cebu is one of the largest provinces where Bisaya is commonly spoken. The Bisaya population in Cebu hold strong pride towards their language. This pride has led to the founding of groups like the Cebuano Studies Center, who seek to maintain Bisaya as a prominent language. [9] This leads to tense, negative emotions towards Tagalog. Further more, Cebu has a strong influence over the surrounding area, making others in the vicinity strive to accomplish similar feats. [9]

Part of this sentiment could also stem from how present Tagalog is in the country's education system. Tagalog is taught in schools, meaning those who are unable to attend or complete school and learn the language are put at a severe disadvantage for improving economic status. [7]

However, Generations X and Z in Davao see no problem in having Tagalog as the Philippines' national language despite being fluent in Bisaya. The younger generation in Davao also leans more towards Tagalog. [8] These groups argue that knowing how to speak Tagalog makes communication with people from different provinces and native languages more convenient since the other provinces also speak different Philippine languages. [8] While the Davao people have little opposition to using Tagalog, Bisaya remains the dominant language in the area (Davao Article). Davao is also located further away from Cebu, meaning that it is not as influenced by the pro-Bisaya views that Cebu and the surround areas hold. [9]

Other Visayan regions simply see little use of Tagalog and English outside of school and government settings, [7] showing how the views towards and the usage of code switching differ entirely.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visayas</span> One of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines

The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filipino language</span> National and official language of the Philippines

Filipino, is an Austronesian language. It is the national language of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spoken and written, in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region, and in other urban centers of the archipelago. The 1987 Constitution mandates that Filipino be further enriched and developed by the other languages of the Philippines. Filipino is only used as a tertiary language in the Philippine public sphere.

Taglish or Englog is code-switching and/or code-mixing in the use of Tagalog and English, the most common languages of the Philippines. The words Taglish and Englog are portmanteaux of the words Tagalog and English. The earliest use of the word Taglish dates back to 1973, while the less common form Tanglish is recorded from 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebuano language</span> Austronesian language of the Philippines

Cebuano, natively called by its generic term Bisaya or Binisaya and sometimes referred to in English sources as Cebuan, is an Austronesian language spoken in the southern Philippines. It is spoken by the Visayan ethnolinguistic groups native to the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, the eastern half of Negros, the western half of Leyte, and the northern coastal areas of Northern Mindanao and the Zamboanga Peninsula. In modern times, it has also spread to the Davao Region, Cotabato, Camiguin, parts of the Dinagat Islands, and the lowland regions of Caraga, often displacing native languages in those areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visayans</span> Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups originating from Visayas, in the Philippines

Visayans or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, they are both the most numerous in the entire country at around 33.5 million, as well as the most geographically widespread. The Visayans broadly share a maritime culture with strong Roman Catholic traditions integrated into a precolonial indigenous core through centuries of interaction and migration mainly across the Visayan, Sibuyan, Camotes, Bohol and Sulu seas. In more inland or otherwise secluded areas, ancient animistic-polytheistic beliefs and traditions either were reinterpreted within a Roman Catholic framework or syncretized with the new religion. Visayans are generally speakers of one or more of the Bisayan languages, the most widely spoken being Cebuano, followed by Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) and Waray-Waray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of the Philippines</span>

There are some 120 to 187 languages spoken in the Philippines, depending on the method of classification. Almost all are Malayo-Polynesian languages native to the archipelago. A number of Spanish-influenced creole varieties generally called Chavacano are also spoken in certain communities. The 1987 constitution designates Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog, as the national language and an official language along with English. Filipino is regulated by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and serves as a lingua franca used by Filipinos of various ethnolinguistic backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisayan languages</span> Language family of the Philippines

The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Most Bisayan languages are spoken in the whole Visayas section of the country, but they are also spoken in the southern part of the Bicol Region, islands south of Luzon, such as those that make up Romblon, most of the areas of Mindanao and the province of Sulu located southwest of Mindanao. Some residents of Metro Manila also speak one of the Bisayan languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Diaz</span> Filipina actress and model

Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz is a Filipino actress of film and television, model and beauty queen who rose to fame after being crowned Miss Universe 1969, becoming the first Filipino to hold the Miss Universe title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilar, Cebu</span> Municipality of the Philippines in the province of Cebu

Pilar, officially the Municipality of Pilar, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,506 people. 

The Surigaonon people are an ethnolingustic group who inhabited on the eastern coastal plain of Mindanao, particularly the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands. They are also present in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and in Davao Oriental. They are part of the Bisaya people, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the country.

<i>Pasalubong</i>

Pasalubong is the Filipino tradition of travellers bringing gifts from their destination to people back home. Pasalubong can be any gift or souvenir brought for family or friends after being away for a period of time. It can also be any gift given by someone arriving from a distant place.

Cebuano literature includes both the oral and written literary forms Cebuano of colonial, pre-colonial and post-colonial Philippines.

Imperial Manila is a pejorative epithet used by sectors of Philippine society and non-Manileños to express the idea that all the affairs of the Philippines, whether in politics, economy and business or culture, are decided by what goes on in the capital region, Metro Manila without considering the needs of the rest of the country, largely because of centralized government and urbanite snobbery. Empirical research finds that Imperial Manila and its persistence over time has led to prolonged underdevelopment in Philippine provinces.

Bislish is a portmanteau of the words Bisaya and English, which refers to any of the Visayan languages of the Philippines macaronically infused with English terms. It is an example of code mixing. The earliest use of the term Bislish dates from 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible translations into the languages of the Philippines</span>

The Bible has been translated into multiple Philippine languages, including Filipino language, based on the Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines.

Malay is spoken by a minority of Filipinos, particularly in the Palawan, Sulu Archipelago and parts of Mindanao, mostly in the form of trade and creole languages, such as Sabah Malay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waray language</span> Austronesian language primarily spoken in the islands of Samar and Eastern Leyte

Waray is an Austronesian language and the fifth-most-spoken native regional language of the Philippines, native to Eastern Visayas. It is the native language of the Waray people and second language of the Abaknon people of Capul, Northern Samar, and some Cebuano-speaking peoples of western and southern parts of Leyte island. It is the third most spoken language among the Bisayan languages, only behind Cebuano and Hiligaynon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Visayas</span> Administrative region of the Philippines

Central Visayas is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: and three highly urbanized cities: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABS-CBN Regional Channel</span> Philippine pay TV channel

ABS-CBN Regional Channel was a Philippine pay television channel which aired programming from the regional television and radio stations owned by ABS-CBN. The channel was launched as a test broadcast on 1 August 2016, and was officially launched on 20 March 2017.

Vicente Daclan Rubi was a Filipino Visayan musician from Cebu, Philippines best known for composing the Philippine Christmas carol Kasadyaa Ning Taknaa, which was translated into Tagalog, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, by National Artist Levi Celerio. He was one of the top 100 Cebuano personalities according to The Freeman.

References

  1. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  2. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  3. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  4. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  5. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  6. Sundita, Christopher. "Salita Blog: The Filipino vs. Tagalog Debate". Salita Blog. blogspot.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Porter, Christopher. "Language, Tagalog Regionalism, and Filipino Nationalism: How a Language -Centered Tagalog Regionalism Helped to Develop a Philippine Nationalism". ProQuest .
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Dreisbach, Jeconiah. "Language Use and Preference in the Multilingual Context of Davao City, Philippines".
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Abastillias, Glenn. "Divergence in Cebuano and English Code-Switching Practices in Cebuano Speech Communities in the Central Philippines". ProQuest .