Learn about loanwords in Filipino
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Intro |
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| Alisha: What are some common loanwords in Filipino? |
| Danilo: And are they commonly used? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee sees her neighbor, Feliciano Flores, in a department store. She says to Feliciano, |
| "I want to buy a bag." |
| Karen Lee: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Feliciano Flores: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Alisha: "I want to buy a bag." |
| Feliciano Flores: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Alisha: "And I want to buy a jacket." |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: In the conversation, Karen Lee says that she wants to buy a bag, |
| Danilo: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Alisha: Her neighbor, Feliciano, replies by saying that he wants to buy a jacket, |
| Danilo: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Alisha: If you know a bit of Spanish, you may have noticed that these lines contain both Spanish and English loanwords. |
| Alisha: In both lines, we hear the word |
| Danilo: gusto |
| Alisha: which means "to want." It comes from the Spanish verb "gustar," which means "to like." |
| Alisha: We also hear the words |
| Danilo: bag |
| Alisha: and |
| Danilo: dyaket, |
| Alisha: which come from the English words for "bag" and "jacket." |
| Alisha: The Philippines as a nation has a rich history of cultural influences from around the world, especially during its periods of colonization. Consequently, the Filipino language is linguistically diverse, containing "loanwords," or words from foreign languages that have become part of the vocabulary. |
| In addition to the word we saw in the dialogue, you'll find many other examples of Spanish loanwords in Filipino. This is a result of the Philippines falling under Spanish rule for hundreds of years. Take the word |
| Danilo: asul, |
| Alisha: for example, which means "blue" and comes from the Spanish word, "azul," or the word |
| Danilo: bisikleta, |
| Alisha: which comes from the Spanish word for bicycle, "bicicleta." Another example is the word |
| Danilo: guwapo |
| Alisha: which comes from the Spanish word "guapo," meaning "good-looking" or "handsome." |
| Alisha: Along with Spanish loanwords, you'll also find many English loanwords in Filipino. For example, |
| Danilo: basketbol |
| Alisha: of course comes from the English word "basketball," just as |
| Danilo: gradweyt |
| Alisha: comes from the English word "graduate," and |
| Danilo: iskedyul |
| Alisha: comes from the English word, "schedule." |
| Alisha: Recognizing loanwords in Filipino not only makes comprehension fun and easy to do, but also allows you to learn important parts of Philippine culture and history which are ever-present in the country today. |
| Practice Section |
| Alisha: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Danilo models the correct answer. Repeat after him, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "I want to buy a bag." |
| Danilo: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Alisha: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Danilo: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Danilo: Gusto kong bumili ng bag. |
| Alisha: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "And I want to buy a jacket." |
| Danilo: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Alisha: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Danilo: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Danilo: At gusto kong bumili ng dyaket. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Alisha: Aside from centuries of Spanish, American, and Japanese rule, the Philippines has also been highly active with merchants and migrants from China since even before 1521. With this, hundreds of loanwords from Hokkien Chinese have become a part of the Filipino language, such as |
| Danilo: hikaw meaning "earrings," susi meaning "key," suki meaning "patron," bimpo meaning "face towel," and hopia, which is a Filipino-style mooncake. |
| Alisha: Chinese New Year has been an official holiday in the Philippines since 2012. Filipinos, Chinese, and the many Filipino-Chinese communities share blessings |
| Danilo: by giving ampao, or red envelopes with monetary gifts, and sharing sticky rice cakes called tikoy and fried noodles known as pansit, |
| Alisha: thus demonstrating how diverse Filipino language and culture can be. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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