Learn what topics you should avoid during small talk in Filipino
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Alisha: What topics are taboo in Filipino? |
| Danilo: And what are some things you should avoid doing? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: Karen Lee and Marian Mercado are chatting in a good atmosphere while drinking coffee. Everything changes when Karen asks the forbidden question. |
| "Who is your favorite politician?" |
| Karen Lee: Sino ang paborito mong politiko? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Sino ang paborito mong politiko? |
| Marian Mercado: Iba na lang pag-usapan natin. |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Sino ang paborito mong politiko? |
| Alisha: "Who is your favorite politician?" |
| Marian Mercado: Iba na lang pag-usapan natin. |
| Alisha: "Let's talk about something else." |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: Filipinos are friendly by nature, but while they may be comfortable sharing a conversation with anyone, they still try to maintain their traditional views as much as possible. In many cases, most Filipinos consider themselves as |
| Danilo: makaluma |
| Alisha: or old-fashioned. The older generation are especially conservative, or |
| Danilo: konserbatibo |
| Alisha: and would avoid any topic they consider taboo, forbidden, or |
| Danilo: bawal pag-usapan |
| Alisha: These are topics that can't be spoken of in public discussions. You may talk about them with people you trust, but never with strangers or people who you don't have a deep relationship with, like a colleague, or |
| Danilo: kasamahan sa trabaho |
| Alisha: So, what topics are considered taboo in Filipino? |
| [Recall 1] |
| Alisha: To answer the question, let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen asks "Who is your favorite politician?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Danilo as Karen Lee: Sino ang paborito mong politiko? |
| [Recall 2] |
| Alisha: And do you remember how Marian answers "Let's talk about something else?" |
| Danilo as Marian Mercado: Iba na lang pag-usapan natin. |
| Alisha: The Philippines has a complex history when it comes to politics. Since the archipelago is divided into several regions, huge differences in political views cannot be avoided as a result of regionalism. Here, we see that Marian wants to change the subject because she's not comfortable talking about her political views, or |
| Danilo: pananaw pampulitika |
| Alisha: To Marian, and to many Filipinos, one's political views are personal and should not be shared with just anybody. Perhaps she's not that close with Karen yet, which is why she reacted in such a way. Aside from politics. or |
| Danilo: pulitika, |
| Alisha: another topic that many Filipinos might find a bit sensitive is |
| Danilo: relihiyon |
| Alisha: or "religion.” The Philippines is primarily a Christian nation, but, since Christianity itself is divided into many different denominations and sects, talking about one's religion in public may cause some issues. In the Philippines, it is best to keep your political or religious views to yourself unless you have been asked to share them. Otherwise, you will risk starting a debate or argument. |
| [Summary] |
| Alisha: In this lesson, you learned about some of the topics that you should avoid discussing in public when talking to Filipinos. If you're not sure whether a topic is taboo or not, it's better not to open the subject at all, or at least ask the person first whether they mind talking about it or not. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Alisha: Some Filipinos are very superstitious and religious. Even before the Spanish came and introduced Christianity to the country, the natives were already worshipping different deities. This is one of the reasons the Spaniards didn't find it too difficult to convince them to convert to the Christian religion, or |
| Danilo: Kristiyanismo |
| Alisha: To Filipinos, religious leaders are sent by God and should be respected and given due honor. This is why the friars, or |
| Danilo: prayle, |
| Alisha: had so much power during the Spanish era in the country. And, even if religious leaders were abusive, the Filipinos would still show them respect, out of fear that God would punish them if they defied his ministers. Men like Jose Rizal and Graciano Lopez Jaena were famous for exposing the abusive behavior of religious leaders during their time. But, even then, these men didn't consider themselves atheists. That said, most Filipinos look down on the idea of irreligiosity, or |
| Danilo: kawalang-relihiyon. |
| Alisha: Any stance that questions the existence of God is shunned. Young Filipinos today are more open-minded, though, and wouldn't mind whether or not you share the same views with them about religion. |
| Alisha: Two other taboos in Philippine society are related to hygiene |
| Danilo: kalinisan |
| Alisha: and sexuality |
| Danilo: sekswalidad. |
| Alisha: Filipinos take hygiene seriously, particularly when it comes to the practice of taking a shower every day. The Philippines is a tropical country, which means that it's hot and humid most of the time. When you're in the Philippines, you can't afford not to take a shower, or |
| Danilo: maligo, |
| Alisha: because people will immediately notice and be repulsed. Filipinos take sexuality just as seriously. They don't usually talk about sex and sexuality in public. You can't just go ahead and ask someone you're not very close to what their gender is. Speaking of which, another cultural taboo in the Philippines is being direct and straightforward. Filipinos refer to this as being |
| Danilo: prangka. |
| Alisha: Filipinos in general are quite sensitive and may get hurt and offended easily. Even if you're being frank with someone out of love and concern, always find the right time to confront them. It's always ideal to wait until it's just the two of you before correcting someone for a mistake they made. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
Comments
Hide