Gayspeak made in the Philippines

September 17, 2010

In a country that is both conservative and free-thinking, the issue of sexual orientation still remains within certain boundaries of social, moral and political correctness. To this day, few can deny the lingering negative connotations on homosexuality and the propensity of some towards condemnation of the members of the third sex. These, ironically, are said to have spawned what is now considered a mainstream subculture that not only accepts the gay community, but one that is originally exclusively theirs.

According to Danton Remoto, gayspeak—or swardspeak (as attributed to radio announcer Tita Swarding)—was created by the gay community as “a way of fictioning their integration into society.” The colorful, unique gaybonics coined from a seemingly complicated combination of literal or denotative associations, phonological resonance, Filipino, English or other foreign words, celebrity names, product brands and some other phonetic inventions, serve as a code among gay people—a distinct verbal staple that unites them against the social isolation usually caused by their gender preferences. Gayspeak is also used to tame or disguise what may be offending words to others, and sublimate the negative denotation of certain words and ideas associated with the third sex into euphemistic or humorous terms.

Below are some of the most colorful examples of gay words:

48 years – matagal
10,000 years AD – sobrang tagal
aketch – ako
Alicia Alonso – umalis mag-isa
ambulansya hanggang china – yes!
andalucia – money
antibiotic – antipatika
Ate Vi – atrebida
Bitter Ocampo – bitter, may halong selos
borlog – matulog
bradirsung – brother
Carmi Martin – karma
Chaka-khan – shocking
chenes – joke
chopopo – beauty, gwapo
ditech – dito
dyontild – buntis
Eat-ang Ditcher – dito na kumain (eat na dito)
enter the dragon – pasok (come in)
flanggana – yes!
flangganang butas – yes!
flangak – exactly!
Gelli De Belen – selos (jealous)
gomburza – smells so bad! (body odor)
havana – mahabang mukha
in fairness – to console
Janno Gibbs – bigay (to give)
jowabelles – asawa, BF, GF
junakis – child
kyotatalet – baby
lafang – kain (eat)
Luz Valdez – natalo, loser, loss
Ma at Pa – malay ko at pakialam ko
warla – crazy (baliw)
watashi – ako
Zsa Zsa Padilla – sya! Sya! Sige

Filipino gay speak has reached a high degree of acceptance in the Philippine society today. A lot of women, termed “babaeng bakla” or “gay hags”, can even speak swardspeak as fluently as the next gay, and there are some straight men who don’t feel too awkward using words like “chorva”. Even classic, children folk songs are translated into gay speak.

Bahay Kubo
Original Version
Bahay kubo, kahit munti
Ang halaman duon,
Ay sari-sari
Singkamas, at talong,
Sigarilyas at mani
Sitaw, bataw, patani
Kundol, patola, upo’t kalabasa
At saka meron pa
Labanos, mustasa
Sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya
Sa paligid-ligid
Ay puno ng linga

Translation in Gayspeak
Valer kuberch, kahit jutay
Ang julamantrax denchi,
Ay anek-anek.
Nyongkamas at nutring,
Nyogarilyas at kipay.
Nyipay, nyotaw, jutani.
Kundol, jotola, jupot jolabastrax
At mega join-join pa
Jobanos, nyustasa,
Nyubuyak, nyomatis, nyowang at luyax
And around the keme
Ay fulnes ng linga.

Ako ay may Lobo
Original Version
Ako ay may lobo
Lumipad sa langit
Di ko na nakita
Pumutok na pala
Sayang lang ang pera,
Pinambili ng lobo
Sa pagkain sana,
Nabusog pa ako.

Translation in Gayspeak
Aketch ai may lobing
Flylalou sa heaven
Witchels ko na nasightness
Jumutok lang pala
Sayang lang ang anda
Pinang buysung ng lobing
Kung lafangertz sana
Nabusog pa aketch

Langit-Lupa
Original Version
Langit, lupa, impiyerno
Im-im-impiyerno,
Saksak puso, tulo and dugo
Patay, buhay, dalhin sa ospital

Translation in Gayspeak
Langit, lupa, infairness
In, in, infairness
chugi heartness, flowing ang dugesh
Chugi, alayv, dis-a-pir na u jan

Penpen de sarapen
Original Version
Penpen de sarapen,
De kutsilyo, de almasen
How, how de carabao, de bantuten,
Sipit namimilipit, gintong pilak
Namumulaklak sa tabi ng dagat
Sayang pula, tatlong pera
Sayang puti, tatlong salapi
Boom boom kalaboom, manggang hinog

Translation in Gayspeak
Penpen de chuvarloo
De kemerloo, de eklavoo
Hao, hao de chenelyn, de big uten
Sifit dapat iipit, goldness filak
chumuchorva sa tabi ng chenes!
Shoyang fula, talong na pula
Shoyang fute, talong na mapute
Chuk chak chenes namo ek ek

Tagu-taguan
Original Version
Tagu-taguan maliwanag ang buwan,
Pagbilang kong sampu nakatago na kayo
Isa, dala, tatlo, apat, lima,
anim, pito, walo, siyam, sampu

Translation in Gayspeak
Shogu-shoguan ningning galore ang buwan
Pagcounting ng krompu nakashogu na kayez
Jisa, krolawa, shotlo, kyopat, jima
Kyonim, nyitoert, walochi, syamert, krompu

Of course, there are still resistance to gay speak in some sectors of society, but as Remoto puts it, swardspeak is “forever advent, forever beginning, forever new”—a creative language that is “at once sophisticated and vulgar, serious and light, timely and timeless”, a part of contemporary culture that is originally and undeniably Filipino.

Sources:
Gay Language: Defying The Structural Limits of English Language in the Philippines by Norberto V. Casabal
“On Philippine Gay Lingo.” 8 May 2008. 10 June 2008 by Remoto, Danton
“Would Jesus say ‘chorva’?’” by Pastor Emil L. Galang
Gay Speak Lesson 1

Filed under: Pinoy Culture