Alin, alin, alin ang naiba? Ang pagkakaiba ng Tagalog at Filipino

Ayon sa Google, matagumpay ang naturang akda sapagkat kabilang ito sa unang limang resulta ng search na “pagkakaiba ng tagalog sa filipino” o “pagkakaiba ng tagalog at filipino”. Samakatuwid, kinagigiliwan ng mga estudyanteng nabigyan ng naturang asaynment ang aking blog.

Higit pa sa 25 na comment ang tunay na bilang ng comment sa post na iyan… marami diyang comment na hindi ko na in-approve. Ang ilan sa mga comment na iyon ay nakakairita lamang sapagkat nagtatanong sila ng mga bagay ukol sa wikang Filipino na higit pa sa nasasaad, e.g., mga tanong tungkol sa balarila at panitikan.

Patawad, mga bords. Hindi ako guro sa Filipino. Kinagigiliwan ko lamang ang pagsusulat sa wika na ‘to.

Maligayang Araw ng mga Ama!

Over the comments at the blog post linked above, I saw her say something about being called “uragon” as an insult when I had the impression that it had a positive connotation. See, the Legaspi chapter of IPMS Philippines – Bert Anido calls itself the Uragon chapter, and that made me think that “uragon” was actually positive thru-and-thru.

Reynz explained that, if a person close to her called her “uragon”, it may sound positive and treated like a term of endearment, but if it was someone else, “uragon” would actually be an insult.

It took me a while to get it, but I realized that, among gay Filipinos, if one is called “bakla” by a person close to him, it is likewise treated as a term of endearment. However, it would be insulting if that same gay person is called “bakla” by someone he doesn’t know.

Later in the day, Wake T-Rex posted an entry positing that Desperate Housewives was taken out of context and illustrates through this videoclip:

Likewise, Tess, a practicing physician, and Benj, a med student, both stated that they didn’t find the statement offensive. Tess even laments that a person is annoyed that she wasn’t offended.

There are valid points on both sides of the argument, but at the end of the day, I might ask, were we genuinely offended because the statement was invalid? Or were we riled because the person stating it is a foreigner — an American at that? Forget the fact that it’s actually a comedy show — because the joke is on us? Forget the fact that we’re just as guilty of having racial stereotypes?

Or are we reeling because it rubs salt on the wound opened by the nursing board exam fiasco of 2006?

Apl.d.Ap, in the lyrics of “The APL Song”, a song that was released internationally, laments that life in the Philippines is a mess. Why aren’t we offended despite the fact that he’s American? Or is it okay because he was born here and he’s half-Filipino anyway? If a Filipino character in Desperate Housewives said the offensive statement, would we have been offended?

I agree with those who find the calls for a boycott of Desperate Housewives unnecessary, and I seriously think that this might be a case of oversensitivity. Oversensitivity that can actually be a telling sign of a deep insecurity — a deep insecurity fueled by the painful truth that there are diploma-mill med schools in the country, and many of these schools churn out graduates who has the United States in mind.

Honestly, tell me, are you offended that I am not offended?

The youngster’s dad, 45-year-old Alex Hell, has expressed outrage after the primary school in the southern city of Melbourne allegedly refused to admit his son, Max.

“We are victims of our name,” said Hell, whose name is of Austrian origin.

“We’re quite devastated by the whole thing,” the Catholic father of three told the Australian Associated Press.

“It’s 2007, not 1407 — it’s not the Dark Ages.”[AFP via Inquirer.net]

So I was mistaken in my previous post — it’s not fundamentalist Christians: it’s Catholic bigots.

In an age of religious tolerance and moderation, it is unfortunate that some conservatives feel threatened enough to lash out at just about anything to “preserve the integrity of their religion.” Whatever integrity that is however is eroded by irresponsible policies — something rampant in Catholic schools.

In some local Catholic schools, for example, illegitimate children or children of single parents aren’t accepted on that basis. As if the child had a choice in the matter.

When will these so called “Christians” start practicing the real message of their God that they supposedly preach? Jesus was supposed to have taught understanding, forgiveness and compassion, not narrow-minded bigotry as exhibited above.

The outpouring of support in the subsequent comments not only showed people approving of the contextual use of the word “sexy” on her blog; her son BA argued that his mother’s blog is redefining the word sexy vis-a-vis the image of a Filipina by using it in a very wholesome manner.

I wonder where such narrow-minded bigots who give little emphasis to context come from?

On the other side of the globe, Simon Jones describes how his blog got an NC-17 rating, and an unusual trend where the word “hell” is treated as a dirty word.

I especially find the bit on “hell” as amusing. In traditional Judeo-Christian tradition, hell is where the evil and the damned are banished. I wonder if the parents Simon talked about where Jews or Christians, and what word they actually use to describe hell. “That place of eternal damnation that must not be named” perhaps?

I’m also curious on the semantics of the reasoning behind this trend. Do they believe that merely uttering “hell” would bring a child there? Are they trying to avoid them picking up “go to hell!” expression? Is uttering the word an invocation of the devil? Did the Bible suddenly sprout a verse that says that saying “hell” does not please God?

Or is it just another case of extremist overzealous Christianity?

Both of these remind me of my post asking why Tagalog words pertaining to sexuality were considered dirty vis-a-vis their English counterparts.

Kamakailan, nag-announce ang Snap ng paghingi ng pagtulong sa pagsasalin ng kanilang serbisyo sa iba’t-ibang wika. Tumugon ako sa kanilang anunsyo, at isinalin ko ang iba’t ibang mesahe ng Snap plugin sa Filipino at sa Tagalog. Hindi ko pa alam kung kailan ito lalabas, subalit kapag lumabas nga ito, sana’y masiyahan kayo sa pagsasalin na aking ginawa.

Sa ilan na nagtatanong: ano ba ang pagkakaiban ng Filipino at Tagalog? Makakatulong kung babasahin niyo ang post na ito.

Noong una’y hindi ako sang-ayon sa paggamit na ito lalo pa’t palaging nag-iimbento ng salita ang mga brodkaster maging sa radyo (halimbawa, paggamit ng salitang “pesante” sa halip na “magsasaka”, “kaganapan” imbis na “pangyayari”, “kalalakihan” imbis na “mga lalaki”, etc.). Kaya’t akin itong sinuri.

Malinaw na sa wikang Filipino, madalas ginagamit ang “karera” upang tukuyin ang isang uri ng paligsahan kung saan ang una (o pinakamabilis) na makararating magmula sa isang lugar tungo sa pangalawang lugar ang mananalo. Sa kulturang kontemporaryo, pinakamadalas ginagamit ang “karera” sa “Karera ng Kabayo.” Galing ang salitang ito sa wikang Español; ang Kastila para sa kabayong pangarera ay “caballo de carreras”.

Kung maghahanap ng ibang salita sa Filipino na maaaring gamitin para sa “career”, maaaring gamitin ang mga salitang “propesyon” o “kabuhayan”, subalit kung isasalin sa Inggles, malinaw na iba ang konteksto ng salitang “profession” at “livelihood” kaysa sa “career”.

Sa kabilang banda naman, ang Kastila para sa salitang “career” ay “carrera” din. At maaaring wasto nga itong pagsasalin kung susuriin ang etimolohiya o pinagmulan ng salitang career:

career (n.)

c.1534, “a running course” (especially of the sun, etc., across the sky), from M.Fr. carriere “road, racecourse,” from O.Prov. carriera, from V.L. *(via) cararia “carriage (road), track for wheeled vehicles,” from L. carrus “chariot” (see car). Sense of “course of a working life” first attested 1803. The verb is first attested in 1594 from the notion of a horse “passing a career” on the jousting field, etc. Careerist is from 1917. [Online Etymology Dictionary]

Sapagkat makikitang na ang pinagmulan ng salita ay maaaring gamitin upang tukuyin ang “pabilisan” o “landas na tinatahak sa propesyon”, malinaw na sa pagkakataong ito, tama ang mga brodkaster sa paggamit ng salitang “karera” bilang pagsasalin sa salitang “career”.

Ilan lamang dito ang mga sumusunod:

• Kalalakihan – ginagamit sa pamamalita ang salitang “kalalakihan” sa pamamaraang ito: “Tatlong kalalakihan ang nakitang nanghimasok sa isang bahay…”. Samantalang ang tamang paggamit ay ito: “Tatlong mga lalaki ang nakitang nanghimasok sa isang bahay…” Ayon sa ilan sa aking mga kaibigan, si Pangalawang Pangulong Noli De Castro ang isa sa mga naunang gumamit ng salitang ito.
• Aspeto – ang tamang pagsalin ay “aspekto”, subalit marahil nawala ang “k” dahil sa kakailanganang mabilis na magsalita ng naguulat.
• Kaganapan – Ginagamit ito ng ibang mang-uulat bilang salitang ibig-sabihin ay “event.” Ang tamang pagsasalin ng salitang “event” ay “pangyayari.” Maaaring gamitin ang salitang “kaganapan” kapag ang tinutukoy ay “fulfillment.”
• Dayalogo – Ang tamang salita ay “pag-uusap”
• Pesante – Maaaring isisi ito sa ilang mga propesor sa UP. Ang tamang pagsasalin ng “peasant” ay “magsasaka.”

Maaaring ituring ng ilang tao na hindi nga wasto ang paggamit ng mga salitang ito. Subalit sa kabilang banda, ipinapakita lamang nito ang pagiging buhay at daynamik ng wikangFilipino.

Ano sa tingin ninyo?