LOPEZ LINGO: intersection with, and peculiarities from TAYABAS TAGALOG

An excerpt from the paper presented to the 7th ATAGAN: "PANHIK" Tayabas Studies Conference  

 c. 2012 by Maria Gemma A. Suguitan-San Jose

“Ay tano?” doesn’t seem Tagalog to many. But in fact, it is!

Tagalog became the basis for the Philippines’ national language called Filipino, understood by most Filipinos all over the world. However, not all Tagalog-speaking provinces have the same words, meaning and usage. Quezon Province for one, has its own uniqueness and twang that is not familiar in Metro Manila, Bulacan, and even in the Southern Tagalog Provinces namely Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Rizal. Even within Quezon, there are still differences in words in some towns and cities. This study on Lopez Lingo locally known as Salitang Lopez, discusses the similarities of words used within the province--- the so-called Tayabas Tagalog (Manuel 1971), and its pecularities that is only understood by the townspeople in Lopez, the Lopenzes.

Historically, Lopez (old name Talolong) was merely a sitio of Gumaca. Distance from the town and alarming presence of pirates urged the people to file a petition for it to become independent from its mother town. Several petitions were made by Lopenzes in the late 1700s before it became Visita Talolong. Hardwork of the natives in the field of agriculture and natural endowments to the bountiful land opened an avenue for migration of families from other towns in the province like Mauban, Lucban, Tayabas, etc. One of those who migrated was Don Mateo Lopez, said to be from whom its present name was derived. He had been considered the founder as he was cabeza when Talolong was declared a pueblo according to local history, on 30 April 1856--- until I found out that in 1856 it was Carlos Matriano and in 1857 it was Antonio Olivares, and the town’s foundation was actually 30 June 1857. (Errors in our local history is discussed in another book, though).

Being one of the oldest towns in Quezon is but one of the characteristics that probably contributed to the development of its language, or dialect, if we are to accept that some Tagalog words are considered standard and some are provincial. (But why make it appear lesser of a language just because it is not used in Metro Manila?)  There are other factors. Once called Tiangge Capital of Quezon, people from nearby places come to this town on market (tiangge) day to buy agricultural products that occupied six major streets in the poblacion. Moreover, it has the largest and most advanced hospital in the area, the Magsaysay Memorial District Hospital where patients from nearby towns are brought to be treated. The point is, people from other places often come to Lopez and it may have enriched rather than affected the language negatively. Being geographically far from Metro Manila may also be one of the main reasons why the language had remained untouched, and Lopenzes naturally love Salitang Lopez.

The people of Lopez have high regard for education. Once the students graduate from high school, most parents send them to universities in Manila. In case of these students and other Lopenzes working in Metro Manila or any other place outside Quezon Province, Salitang Lopez may have been set aside when talking with other people as they easily adapt to “eh” and “kasi” of the city but with townmates, native language is usually used wherever they meet.

Salitang Lopez is a variety of Tagalog that has evolved through time yet mostly preserved and enjoyed even by the youth of today. More than a thousand words circulate from still unknown origin even before Spanish occupation in the country. This is one of the reasons why it was declared winner in a 2010 national competition called “Doon Po Sa Amin.” Like Filipino Language though, it also has a mixture of words coming from the Chinese, Spanish, English, the Bicol Region, Marinduque, Laguna, Batangas, even from Ilocos and the Visayas; and of course, Quezon. There has not been any prior study to examine each of the words closely but in the hope of preservation so that the future generation will still be able to understand the language of their ancestors, Arella-Suguitan Museum with the help of Lopez Heritage Conservation and Historical Society (formerly Lopez Culture, Arts, and Tourism Council) have compiled the Lopez Words since 2004. I began in 2001, continuously doing it until the present time. We cannot wait for authorities to do it for us but we would be very glad to welcome linguistics experts and lexicographers to make us understand better what we need to know about our mother tongue. Most of Salitang Lopez are not found in the Filipino dictionary. Or if the words are included, they have different meanings. There was even a Fil-Am who asked, ‘How can I teach Lopez Lingo to my kids when they don’t find it in the dictionary?’ That is what we are working for right now. Just because it is not part of the standard Tagalog does not mean that it does not exist. I have come up with a local reference but in fear of being called a pseudo-linguist by those who have advanced study about languages, it is humbly entitled, “Katuturan.”      

Today, Lopez is a First Class Municipality that is home to five major learning institutions mostly state universities like Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Lopez, Philippine Normal University (PNU) Quezon Campus, Laguna State Polytechnic College (LSPU) Lopez, Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Lopez, and Quezon Provincial Training Center of the TESDA. There is an influx of students from all over the neighboring towns, in the Bondoc Peninsula, and even from the nearby municipalities in the Bicol Region. Some graduates from these institutions have married and settled in Lopez. This has become one of the reasons for urgency in the documentation of Lopez Lingo. Deterioration of native language cannot be compromised to the development brought about by the growing population. We cannot be complacent that the language will be preserved without extra effort from its people. There is a need for new settlers to adapt to the local language.   

When internet was created, it seemed like the end for cultural awareness to proliferate. It seemed like everything will be global and diversity will totally be gone. But looking at the things happening right now, the social media undoubtedly encouraged love for country, citizens are picking up the pieces of what still remains of local culture, constantly searching for roots and history, reminiscing what the local places were like before they got busy with work either in the Philippines or overseas. Those who thought that internet would transform the diversity of cultures into one global thing were all wrong. The social media has become an important vehicle for connection and "re-connecting."

I opened a page on Facebook in 2008 where I put pictures and encouraged discussions about our town, including Lopez Lingo. In no time, it has reached the maximum number of friends that it can accommodate. Everybody was happily interacting, communicating, reminiscing the past, using Salitang Lopez which most of the Filipinos abroad have not used nor read for a long time. And it has become their routine to chat and once again, use the words that had been kept in their memories for quite sometime. The World Wide Web has become a friend to local language which used to circulate only within the community. It has become easier to introduce or re-introduce it to the most number of people just with one click of the mouse. The world has gone smaller but the colors have gone brighter! Preservation of the language is one good practice alright, but promotion is another. Through the use of the social media, the language has been promoted and the joys of those involved don’t seem to end.

The book of E. Arsenio Manuel published by Diliman Review “A Lexicographic Study of Tayabas Tagalog of Quezon Province” was the primary basis that I used for delineating which belong to Quezon and which belong to Lopez alone. Since it was published more than forty years ago, changes must have already transpired in time. Nonetheless, PANHIK Tayabas (Quezon) Studies Conference is one of the few instances where Salitang Lopez had taken center stage as we proved our uniqueness as a town and sharing Tayabas Tagalog with the rest of Quezon with which we also share one heritage. A few more words have already found their own space in the Filipino Dictionary. Hence, we have to settle to the research that is done this year, hoping that this initiates a longer and more detailed study on the “other” Tagalog referred to as Lopez Lingo, Lopezspeak, Lopez Words, or simply, Salitang Lopez!

And now, a few examples…Note that the words with asterisk are Tayabas (Quezon) Tagalog. Otherwise, it’s from Lopez:

1.    alab-alab/ bala-bala mean kunwari or to pretend:

Alab-alab ay tayo ay magkababag.

Let us pretend that we are enemies.

2.    alagiag* means di-mapakali or uncomfortable, anxious

Tano at ikaw ay alagiag?

Why are you anxious?

3.    alik-ik* means ipit na tawa or giggle

Nag-aalik-ik sa isang sulok ang kanilang angkin.

Their adopted child is giggling in the corner.

4.    asapmo’y/ isimo’y mean tila, parang, or looks like, acting like

Isimo’y mayaman yung ale.

The woman looks like she's wealthy.

5.    atas* means tanggal or detached, unbound

Hirap namang sulatan nung kuwaderno, atas-atas na.

It’s difficult to write on that notebook, the pages are detached.

6.    balho* means bago or before

Manabo ka muna balho magbaldeyo.

Fetch water first before washing the floor.

7.    bangkiya* means sumama or to tag along 

Huwag ka ng bumangkiya at ika’y may abyarin.

Don’t tag along anymore because you have tasks to attend to.

8.    bunghalit means tawang malakas or to suddenly laugh aloud

Napabunghalit ako nang nakita ko syang bitbit ang mga abubot.

I suddenly laughed aloud as I saw him/her carrying knickknacks.

9.    butbot* means kuwago or owl

Bait, takot ka nga ba tuo sa butbot?

Little child, are you really scared of the owl?

10. butwa* means angatin or lift

Butwain mo ng bahagya para malaman mo kung mabig-at.

Lift it slightly so you will know whether it is heavy.

The examples given here are but a few of the words that have been in use in Quezon and Lopez. Though they may still be known at this point in time, the possibility that it will vanish is always there--- just as the abuhan has been replaced by electic stove or microwave, abaniko has been replaced by electric fan or air conditioner, tambo has been replaced by the vacuum cleaner--- therefore, there is no time to waste now that there is still opportunity to preserve and document everything. The whole Tagalog speaking population has not even known these words yet. Should we lose it or use it? Ay tano’t babayaang mawala?