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?
