Filipijnen spreken vloeisend Engels
Wij denken dat ze goed Engels kunnen. vraag het eens aan een Engelstalige. die snapt er dikwijls niks van. Bob Martin heeft eens een lijst gemaakt van woorden waar een Engelstalige niks van begrijpt. Ze hebben er zelfs een woord voor : "Philippenglish"
So, that, as Shaw said, England and America had a common language, but it was different on each side of the “pond.” In the Philippines, it is the same situation, so here it is…. Philippenglish.
Let’s have a look at some common Filipino uses of the English language, which are different than what you may be used to.
BallpenThere are many kinds of pens. There are fountain pens. There are foller pens. There are felt tip pens. There are ballpoint pens. In the Philippines, most of these kinds of pens are called a “ballpen.” I know of no other part of the world where they have something called a “ballpen.” I assume that ballpen is short for ballpoint pen. But, pens that even do not have a ball point are called ballpens, so how can one be certain? As far as I know, there is only one kind of pen that is not called a ballpen, and that is a felt tipped pen. I’ll cover that next.
Pentel PenAny felt tipped marker is called a Pentel Pen. I own some Pentel brand ball point pens, but those are not Pentel Pens, because they are not felt tipped pens!
ApartelleAn Apartelle is a combination of a Hotel and an Apartment.
MotelA Motel is generally a cheap, pay by the hour place. Not the kind of place where you will go spend a night, rather where you will bring your girlfriend (or the girl you are trying to hide from your girlfriend) for a few hours.
ArtistGenerally, and “artist” is an actor or an actress. In the US, when we say “artist” we usually are thinking of a painter, maybe a musician, but here it is usually an actor or actress.
BananacueCombination of two English words. Banana and Barbecue. A Bananacue is a popular snack item here, it is literally a banana which has been barbecued! Even fried bananas that are put on a stick are often called bananacue, even though they are not barbecued at all.
BBQBBQ, or Barbecue is generally meat cut into tiny pieces and put on a stick, then grilled. Often marinated before cooked. A large piece of meat like brisket or and such like we would consider BBQ in the States, is not BBQ here. BBQ here is generally referred in the rest of the world as a kebob or kabob.
BedspacerA person who instead of renting an apartment or a house, rents just a bed in a private home.
BiodataNearly everybody in the Philippines must have a biodata. It is kind of a crude form of a resume.
Bold MoviePornography is illegal in the Philippines (although it certainly exists), but a movie that is more of a “sexy” movie is called a “bold movie” here. A star who is a “bold star” shows a lot of skin on screen.
BoundaryIn the world where I came from, “boundary” is like a border. The corners and sides of your property are your boundary. A fence might mark your boundary. Here, though, boundary is something completely different. Boundary is rent. It is the amount of rent that a driver pays to the owner of a jeepney, taxi or tricycle to use the vehicle for the day. The driver then charges passengers to make money. The amount the passengers pay is not boundary, it is fare, but the amount paid to the owner is the boundary.
Calling CardIn the States, and I believe in other places, we have business cards. We give clients or potential clients a business card with our contact information. They do that here too, but the card here is called a “calling card.”
CanteenIn the west, a canteen is a metal can that is taken for hiking, used by soldiers and such for carrying a personal supply of water. Here, a canteen is a small restaurant at a school or workplace. Yes, canteen is used this way to a limited extent in some parts of the USA too, but not nearly as widely as in the Philippines.
CarnapperWe have kidnappers in the west. They have kidnappers here too, but they also have carnappers here. People who steal cars are called carnappers.
ChitIn the States, when we go to a restaurant, after eating, when we are ready to go home, we ask for the check. The bill. Here, though, the bill is called the “chit.”
CrocodileThe traffic police here are often called crocodiles, because “they only take a small bite.”
CommuteThis was touched on in another article here last week, but I’ll mention it again. To commute means to ride public transportation.
Bond PaperTyping paper, or paper for your computer printer is called “bond paper” here.
Buy one take oneIn the States, we have sales or promotions where it is “buy one get one free” or in other words it is half price. Here it is called “buy one take one.”
Dine-in or Take-outIn the States, when you go to a fast food place, you will either eat it there, or get it “to go.” Here, it is not “to go” is it “for take out.”
DoctoraA female doctor is a Doctora here.
Dollar SpeakingA Filipino who speaks English too much is often called a “Dollar Speaker” and it is not a compliment, rather an insult in most cases. It generally means that the person has forgotten their Filipino roots, or abandoned the culture, or things highly of themselves. After we moved here from the USA, Feyma was often called a “dollar speaker.”
DormerA person who lives in a dormitory is called a “dormer.”
Eat all you canA buffet type meal in the States is generally referred to as “all you can eat.” Here it is “eat all you can.”
Exclusive School
A school that is expensive or very high quality is called an “exclusive school.”
Fill-upWhen you are handed a document, and they want you to fill out the information, they say “fill up the form.” Where I come from, fill up usually means to put gas in your car!
For a whileIf you call on the phone and somebody answers, then you say “May I speak to John” or “Is John there” they don’t ask you to hold. They say “For a while sir.” This is one of my most favorite terms in Philippenglish!
Get downNo, it’s not modern dancing… if you are riding a jeepney and come to the end of your ride, you don’t “get off” the Jeep, you “get down.”
Go AheadIf you with a group of people, and you will be leaving before the others day, you say “I’ll go ahead” or “I’ll be going ahead.”
Green JokeA dirty joke
GROA “guest relations officer.” Usually this is akin to a prostitute (not always though) who works in a nightclub and is there to provide “relations” to the customers.
KidnapableA person who would make a good target for kidnappers (i.e. – family has money for ransom) is “kidnapable.”
MasteralA Master’s degree. For example, a person pursuing their Master’s degree is taking their Masteral.
Middle NameYour mother’s maiden name is your middle name.
PoloA dress shirt. Like the kind of shirt you would wear with a necktie.
PresidentiableA person who is running for or may run for President of the Philippines is called a “Presidentiable.”
RhumRum. A lot of English words will have an “h” stuck in there for no reason at all!
SalvageExecution. Killing. If a person is shot and left along the street or in a ditch somewhere, they have been “salvaged.”
SlippersFlip flops, or what used to be called thongs. They are slippers here.
TogaThe gown you wear for graduation ceremonies.
TomboyIn the west, a tomboy is usually a young girl who likes to do boy things like play sports. It has nothing to do with sexuality. Here, a tomboy is a lesbian.
So, this is a rundown of some of the more common Philippenglish expressions that I hear often. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been living here long enough now that sometimes I find myself using these idioms myself! Another 5 or 10 years, I may even be fluent in Philippenglish!
