Learn about some Filipino-English false friends
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Intro |
|---|
| Alisha: What are some Filipino-English false friends? |
| Danilo: And what are some words that are often used incorrectly? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee is talking to her husband's boss, Andrea Aquino, during a dinner party. She tells her, |
| "I love the macaroni soup of chicken tinola." |
| Karen Lee: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Andrea Aquino: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Alisha: "I love the macaroni soup of chicken tinola." |
| Andrea Aquino: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Alisha: "Do you mean the soup?" |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: In the conversation, we hear Karen say |
| Danilo: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Alisha: which would translate as, "I love the macaroni soup of chicken tinola." Chicken tinola is a Filipino dish with clear soup, whereas macaroni soup is an entirely different dish with evaporated milk. As a result, Karen's sentence is a bit hard to understand, so Andrea tries to clarify by asking, |
| Danilo: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Alisha: "Do you mean the soup?" |
| Alisha: As you may have guessed, Karen Lee incorrectly used the word |
| Danilo: sopas |
| Alisha: instead of |
| Danilo: sabaw. |
| Alisha: While the Filipino word |
| Danilo: sopas |
| Alisha: may sound like the English word for "soup," its actual meaning is "macaroni soup dish." In order to say "soup" in Filipino, one should instead use the word |
| Danilo: sabaw. |
| Alisha: This is just one example of a "false friend" that exists between Filipino and English. As you know, there are many cognates between Filipino and English, which makes learning between the languages easier to do. However, it is important to also beware of "false friends." For those unfamiliar with the term, "false friends" are words between two languages that look or sound similar, and therefore may be mistaken for cognates, but, in fact, have two distinct meanings. |
| Alisha: Because there are many English and Spanish loanwords in Filipino, these can also often become the basis for false friends. |
| Alisha: Take the word |
| Danilo: yelo |
| Alisha: in Filipino, which comes from the Spanish loanword "hielo," meaning "ice" in English. Based on the appearance of the word alone, an English speaker might wrongfully assume |
| Danilo: yelo |
| Alisha: is a cognate for "yellow." |
| Alisha: Another word that is often used incorrectly, especially among female English speakers and |
| Danilo: Pilipina |
| Alisha: or female Filipino citizens, is the word |
| Danilo: napkin. |
| Alisha: In English, a napkin is a cloth or paper used for wiping your mouth or fingers when eating, while in Filipino, a "napkin" is a Tagalog word for a sanitary pad. |
| 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 love the macaroni soup of chicken tinola." |
| Danilo: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Alisha: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Danilo: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Danilo: Gusto ko ang sopas ng tinolang manok. |
| Alisha: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "Do you mean the soup?" |
| Danilo: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Alisha: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Danilo: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Danilo: Baka sabaw ang ibig mong sabihin? |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Alisha: As a historical colony of both America and Spain, the Filipino language was heavily influenced by English and Spanish, thus resulting in not only thousands of new loanwords and slang but also false friends that English speakers may find confusing. Aside from foreign languages, regional dialects in the Philippines have a number of false friends that even locals can't comprehend, such as |
| Danilo: langgam |
| Alisha: which in Tagalog would translate to "ants" but for locals of Cebu and Pangasinan would translate as "birds." |
| Danilo: Wherever your destination in the Philippines may be, remember to beware of false friends. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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