Swardspeak
Swardspeak | |
---|---|
Chuva | |
Native to | Philippines |
Ethnicity | Gay community |
Creole
| |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | cpe |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Swardspeak (or Chuva) is a secret language that came from the mixed language with the names Taglish and Englog. It is used by gay people in the Philippines.[1]
Swardspeak uses word from Tagalog, English, Spanish, Cebuano, Japanese, Sanskrit, and other languages. Names of Celebrities and trademark brands are also used.[2][3]
Gay people use Swardpeak to make themselves feel special.[4] The language changes a lot.[5] People who use the language are called Bekimons. This word is from the words bakla (gay) and Jejemon.[2][6]
The word "Swardspeak" came from the 1970's book called "Swardspeak: A Preliminary Study".[7] "Sward" is slang for "gay male" in the Philippines.[8]
Rules[change | change source]
Swardspeak is a form of slang.[9] It changes a lot and the meaning of words are hard to know.[10] The rules are explained below.[11]
- The first sound changes to the letter "J" or "Sh" or to the sounds "Jo-", "Sho-", "Ju-", "Shu-", "Ky-", or "Ny-".
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
shorts | English | trousers | nyorts | trousers |
alalay | Tagalog | assistant | julaylay | assistant |
asawa | Tagalog | spouse | jowa | lover |
asawa | Tagalog | spouse | jowabelle | lover |
bata | Tagalog | child | kyota | child |
kapatid | Tagalog | sibling | shupatid | sibling |
mabaho | Tagalog | stinky | kyoho | stinky |
punta | Tagalog | to go [to a place] | jonta | to go [to a place] |
- The last sound changes to "-ash", "-is", "-iz", "-ish", "-itch", "-ech", "-ush", or "-oosh" as a suffix.
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
dyotay | Cebuano | a small amount | jotis | a very small amount |
ano | Tagalog | what | anech | exclamatory what |
ito | Tagalog | this one | itich | this one |
taba | Tagalog | fat | jubis | very fat |
taray | Tagalog | bitchy | taroosh | very bitchy |
wala | Tagalog | nothing | wash | nothing |
- Changing "a", "o", or "u" sounds with "or", "er", or "ur", especially with "l".
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
hello | English | hello | heller | hello (used as a wake up call) |
kaloka | Tagalog | maddening or insanely [entertaining] | kalurkey | maddening or insanely [entertaining] |
ganda | Tagalog | beautiful | gander | beautiful |
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
dili | Cebuano | no, not | ilij | no, not |
lain | Cebuano | bad, unpleasant | nial | bad, unpleasant |
uyab | Cebuano | lover | bayu | lover |
- Puns, code-switching, onomatopoeic Anglicization of words.
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
bayot | Cebuano | gay | biyuti | beautiful, pretty |
drama | English | drama | drama | melodrama, exaggeration, drama [queen] |
career | English | job | karir | to take seriously (used as a verb) |
carry | English | carry | keri | to carry [oneself well] |
feel | English | to sympathize | fillet o'fish | to be attracted to someone |
G.I. | English | a member of the United States armed forces | g.i. joe | a foreign lover, particularly American |
opposition party | English | opposition party | opposition party | a party with a lot of unexpected problems |
gurang | Hiligaynon | old | wrangler | old gay man |
Wake up and smell the coffee. | Philippine English | Wake up and smell the roses. | kape | to be realistic |
madre | Spanish | mother | mudra | female friends with children |
antipatika | Tagalog | obnoxious, unpleasant | antibiotic | obnoxious, unpleasant |
baboy | Tagalog | pig | boy band | fat kid |
libre | Tagalog | free (as in the price of goods), to treat someone out for free | liberty | free (as in the price of goods), to treat someone out for free |
pokpok | Tagalog | prostitute, to pound, to hammer | hammer | prostitute |
silahis | Tagalog | [sun]beam, ray | silahis | bisexual male |
- Words from popular culture, mostly celebrities or TV shows. Based the things they were famous for, because parts of the words rhyme, or both.
Person / Object | Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crayola | cry | English | cry | crayola | to be sad |
X-Men | ex-man | English | a male person who came out | X-Men | a male person who came out |
Gelli de Belen | jealous | English | jealous | gelli de belen | jealous |
Noel Coward | no | English | no | noel coward | no |
Oprah Winfrey | promise | English | promise | oprah winfrey | promise |
Sharon Cuneta | sure | English | sure | sharon cuneta | yes, sure |
Jesus Christ Superstar | resurrection | English | resurrection | jesus christ superstar | fashion make-over, to change into [more fashionable] clothing |
Maxine Hong Kingston | taxi | English | taxi | taxina hong kingston | [to wait for a] taxicab |
Optimus Prime | transformation | English | transformation | optimus prime | fashion make-over, to change into [more fashionable] clothing |
Coffeemate | Wake up and smell the coffee. | Philippine English | Wake up and smell the roses. | coffeemate | to be realistic |
Carmi Martin | karma | Sanskrit | karma | carmi martin | karma |
Anaconda (film) | ahas | Tagalog | "snake", slang for "to betray" | anaconda | traitor, to betray |
Mazinger Z | bading | Tagalog | gay | badinger z | homosexual) |
Barbara Streisand | bara | Tagalog | to block | barbra streisand | to be rejected bluntly, blocked |
Jiminey Cricket | chimay | Tagalog | housemaid | chiminey cricket | housmaid |
Tommy Lee Jones | gutom | Tagalog | hungry | tommy lee jones | hungry |
Julie Yap-Daza (famous the book Etiquette for Mistresses) |
huli | Tagalog | to be caught | julie yap-daza | to be caught [cheating][13] |
Jupiter | kapatid | Tagalog | sibling | jupiter | sibling |
Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara | lupit | Tagalog | cruel | lupita kashiwahara | cruel |
Mahalia Jackson | mahal | Tagalog | expensive, precious, dear | mahalia jackson | expensive |
Mariah Carrey | mura | Tagalog | cheap | murriah carrey | cheap |
Rita Gomez | nakakairita | Tagalog | irritating | rita gomez | irritating, annoying |
Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion | pagod | Tagalog | tired, exhausted | pagoda cold wave lotion | tired, exhausted |
Ayatollah Khomeini | payat | Tagalog | thin | fayatollah kumenis | thin |
Pocahontas | pokpok | Tagalog | prostitute | pocahontas | prostitute |
Winston Churchill | sosyal | Tagalog | high society | churchill | high society |
Tom Jones | tomguts | Tagalog | hungry | tom jones | hungry |
- From other languages like Japanese.[14]
Word | Language | Meaning | Swardspeak | Swardspeak meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|
ビール (bīru) | Japanese | beer | berru | beer |
男 (otoko) | Japanese | male | otoko | manly man |
私 (watashi) | Japanese | me, I | watashi | me, I |
chiquito | Spanish | small | chiquito | small |
coño | Spanish | vagina | coño | high society |
coño | Spanish | vagina | coño | speaker of Coño English |
puñeta | Spanish | obscenity, means "in a fist" | puñeta | profanity, equal to "fuck" |
Siete Pecados | Spanish | seven deadly sins | siete pecados | nosy, gossipmonger |
Examples[change | change source]
- Tagalog nursery rhyme "Ako ay may lobo" (I Have a Balloon) into Swardspeak.[3]
Tagalog | Swardspeak | English |
---|---|---|
Ako ay may lobo Lumipad sa langit |
Aketch ai may lobing Flylalou sa heaven |
I had a balloon It flew up in the sky |
- Tagalog nursery rhyme "Bahay Kubo" (Nipa Hut) into Swardspeak.
Tagalog | Swardspeak | English[15] |
---|---|---|
Bahay kubo, kahit munti Ang halaman duon, |
Valer kuberch, kahit jutay Ang julamantrax denchi, |
Nipa hut, even though it is small The plants it houses |
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Deciphering Filipino Gay Lingo". United SEA. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Gayspeak: Not for gays only". http://www.thepoc.net. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "GAY LANGUAGE: DEFYING THE STRUCTURAL LIMITS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES". Kritika Kultura, Issue 11. Kritika Kultura. August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "swardspeak". http://www.doubletongued.org. Retrieved 23 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "A SEMANTIC LOOK AT FEMININE SEX AND GENDER TERMS IN PHILIPPINE GAY LINGO" (PDF). University of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Ang Bekimon (Baklang Jejemon)". http://pinoylgbt.com. July 7, 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "The Filipino Gayspeak (Filipino Gay Lingo)". http://www.ncca.gov.ph/. June 5, 2006. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "GAY SPEAKS on "SWARDSPEAK"". http://badinggerzie.blogspot.com. May 13, 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "On Philippine gay lingo". http://www.abs-cbnnews.com. 2008-05-05. Retrieved 25 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "Gay Lingo (Made in the Philippines)". http://www.doubletongued.org. November 16, 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "Deciphering Filipino Gay Lingo". United SEA. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "The Filipino Gayspeak (Filipino Gay Lingo". http://www.ncca.gov.ph/. June 5, 2006. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link) - ↑ "Etiquette for Mistresses". April 28, 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Gay Lingo Collections". July 5, 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Philippines Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes". http://www.mamalisa.com/. Retrieved 25 December 2010. External link in
|publisher=
(help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
Books[change | change source]
- Visayan Swardspeak: The language of a gay community in the Philippines" - Crossroads, 1990
- “’Performing’ the Filipino Gay Experiences in America: Linguistic Strategies in a Transnational Context.” Beyond the Lavender Lexicon: Authenticity, Imagination and Appropriation in Lesbian and Gay Language. New York: Gordon and Breach, 1997. 249–266
- “Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora”, Duke University Press Books, November 19, 2003. ISBN 978-0822332176