Chavacano language
| Philippine Creole Spanish (PCS) Chavacano / Chabacano |
||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Philippines, Latin America | |
| Region: | Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Basilan, Cavite City, Ternate, Cotabato, Davao, Sabah, Malaysia | |
| Total speakers: | 607,000 *(2000 Philippine Census) | |
| Language family: | Creole language Spanish creole Philippine Creole Spanish (PCS) |
|
| Writing system: | Latin and Spanish | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | crp | |
| ISO 639-3: | cbk | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
Chavacano (as a proper noun and a derivative of the Spanish adjective "chabacano" and as it is generally accepted in literature, the broadcast media, and Zamboangueños) or Chabacano (from the Spanish adjective) is a creole language or more precisely, the common name for the several varieties of the Philippine Creole Spanish spoken in the Philippines. The word chabacano—which the name Chavacano is derived from—is Spanish for "poor taste," "vulgar," "common," "tasteless," "tacky," or "coarse".
The Chavacano language is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia. It has survived for more than 400 years, thus making it one of the oldest creole languages in the world. It is the only language to have developed in the Philippines (a member of Philippine languages) which does not belong to the family of Austronesian languages although it shows a characteristic common to the Malayo-Polynesian languages, the reduplication.
Chavacano speakers are concentrated mostly in Zamboanga City and in the island province of Basilan. It is also spoken in some areas of the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Cavite City, Ternate, Davao, and Cotabato. According to the official 2000 Philippine census, there were altogether 607,200 Chavacano speakers in the Philippines in that same year. The exact figure could be higher as the 2000 population of Zamboanga City, whose main language is Chavacano, far exceeded that census figure. Also, the figure does not include Chavacano speakers of the Filipino diaspora.
Speakers are also found in Semporna, Sabah in Malaysia—not surprisingly—because this northern part of Borneo is close to the Sulu islands and Zamboanga Peninsula and was once part of Spanish Philippines until the late 19th century. Some people of the Muslim ethnic tribes of Zamboanga such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and of Basilan such as the Yakans also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chabacano de Zamboanga.
There are several varieties of this creole and their classification is based on their substrate languages and the regions where they are commonly spoken. The three known varieties of Chavacano/Chabacano which have Tagalog as their substrate language are Caviteño (spoken in Cavite City), Ternateño (spoken in Ternate, Cavite), and Ermitaño (once spoken in Ermita and now extinct). The other varieties which have Cebuano as their substrate language are Zamboangueño (spoken in Zamboanga City), Davaoeño (spoken in areas of Davao), and Cotabateño (spoken in Cotabato City). Zamboangueño is the variety with the most number of speakers, being the main language of Zamboanga City.
Chavacano is primarily and practically a spoken language than a written language but today it is already gradually becoming both Oral and Written language, thus, also being under gone standardization. Its vocabulary is predominantly derived from the Spanish language, while grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages primarily, Tagalog and Cebuano, and also some influences from the Italian language, Portuguese and from several Native American languages. It is used in education, print media, television and radio.
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Correct Spelling
Zamboangueños usually (but not always) spell the word as Chavacano in reference to their language or to themselves as Chavacanos, and they spell the word as chabacano referring to the original Spanish meaning of the word or as Chabacano referring also to the language itself. Thus, Zamboangueños generally spell the word in two different ways. Caviteños, Ternateños, and Ermitaños spell the word as it is spelled originally in the Spanish language - as chabacano. Davaoeños, Cotabateños and especially those from Basilan province tend to lean more on the Zamboangueño spellings. It is important to take note that the varieties of the language are geographically-related. Thus, Ermitaño, Caviteño, and Ternateño are similar to each other having Tagalog as their substrate language while Zamboangueño, Davaoeño, and Cotabateño are similar having Visayan (mostly Cebuano) as their substrate language(s).
In contrast with the Luzon-based creoles, the Zamboangueño variety has the most borrowings from other Philippine languages including Hiligaynon, Subanon, Sama-Banguingui, Tausug, Tagalog, and Ilocano. Mexican Spanish, Portuguese, and some words of Nahuatl, Quechua, and Taino origin are present in Zamboangueño.
A Zamboangueño would call his variety Zamboangueño or Chavacano de Zamboanga, a Caviteño would call his variety Caviteño or Chabacano de Cavite, and etc. to emphasize the difference from one another using their own geographical location as point of reference.
There are also other alternative names and spellings for this language depending on the varieties and context (whether hispanized or native). Zamboangueños sometimes spell their variety as Chabakano. Caviteño is also known as Caviten, Linguaje di Niso or sometimes spell their variety as Tsabakano while Ermitaño is also known as Ermiteño and Ternateño as Ternateño Chabacano, Bahra or Linguaje di Bahra. Davaoeño is also Davaweño, Davawenyo, Davawenyo Zamboangenyo, Abakay Spanish, or Davao Chabacano/Chavacano. Cotabateño is also known as Cotabato Chabacano/Chavacano.
Speakers from Basilan consider their Chavacano as Zamboangueño or Chavacano de Zamboanga.
Historical development
Zamboangueño
On June 23, 1635, Zamboanga became a permanent foothold of the Spanish government with the construction of the San José Fortress. Bombardment and harassment from pirates and raiders of the sultans of Mindanao and Jolo and the determination to spread Christianity further south (as Zamboanga was a crucial strategic location) of the Philippines forced the Spanish missionary friars to request reinforcements from the colonial government.
The military authorities decided to import labor from Luzon and the Visayas. Thus, the construction workforce eventually consisted of Spanish and Mexican soldiers, masons from Cavite (who comprised the majority), sacadas from Cebu and Iloilo, and those from the various local tribes of Zamboanga like the Samals and Subanons.
Differences in dialect and culture made it difficult for one tribe to communicate with another. To add to this, work instructions were issued in Spanish. The majority of the workers were unschooled and therefore did not understand Spanish but needed to communicate with each other and the Spaniards. A pidgin developed and became a full-fledged creole language still in use today as a lingua franca, mainly in Zamboanga City.
From then on, constant Spanish military reinforcements as well as increased presence of Spanish religious and educational institutions have fostered the Spanish creole.
Caviteño / Ternateño
The Merdicas were a Malayan tribe of Ternate, in the Moluccas, which was a small Spanish colony. Ternate had been a Portuguese colony before the Spanish rule. In 1574, the Merdicas volunteered to come to Cavite to support the Spaniards against the threat of invasion from the Chinese pirate known as Limahong.
The invasion did not occur but the Merdicas community settled in a place called Barra de Maragondon at a sandbar near the mouth of the Maragondon river.
Today, the place is called Ternate and the community of Merdicas and their generations continued to use their Spanish creole (with Portuguese influence) which came to be called as Ternateño or Ternateño Chavacano.
Samples
(Zamboangueño)
- Donde tu anda?
- Spanish: ¿A dónde vas?
- (‘Where are you going?’)
- Ya mirá yo con José.
- Spanish: Yo miré a José.
- (‘I saw José.’)
- Ele ya empezá buscá que buscá con el sal.
- Spanish: Ella empezó a buscar la sal en todas partes.
- (‘He/She began to search everywhere for the salt.’)
- Ele ya andá na escuela.
- Spanish: Ella fue a la escuela.
- (‘He/She went to school.’)
- Si Mario ya dormí na casa.
- Spanish: Mario durmió en la casa.
- (‘Mario slept in the house.’)
- El hombre, quien ya man encuentro tu, amo mi hermano.
- Spanish: El hombre, a quien conociste, es mi hermano.
- (The man [whom] you met is my brother.)
- El persona con quien ta conversa tu, bien alegre gayot.
- Spanish: La persona con quien conversas, está bien alegre.
- (The person you are talking to is very happy indeed.)
Another sample of Chavacano de Zamboanga
Treinta y cuatro kilometro desde'l pueblo de Zamboanga, el Bunguiao que un barrio chico estaba como un desierto. No hay gente quien ta queda aqui. Abundante este lugar de maga animal particularmente como puerco, gatorgalla, venao y otro mas pa. Maga pajariador lang ta visita con este lugar.
- (Bunguiao, a small village, thirty four kilometers from the city of Zamboanga, was once a wilderness. No people lived here. The place abounded with wild animals like pigs, wildcats, deer, and still others. The place was visited only by bird hunters.)
(Caviteño / Ternateño)
- Nisós ya pidí pabor cun su papang.
- Spanish: Nosotros ya pedimos un favor de tu padre.
- (We have already asked your father for a favor.)
Another sample of Chavacano de Cavite
Puede nisos habla: que grande nga pala el sacrificio del mga heroe para niso independencia. Debe nga pala no niso ulvida con ilos. Ansina ya ba numa? Debe haci niso mga cosa para dale sabi que ta aprecia niso con el mga heroe. Que preparao din niso haci sacrificio para el pueblo. Que laya? Escribi mga novela como Jose Rizal?
Translation in Zamboangueño:
- Quiere decir, puede nosostros habla cay el que grande sacrificio gale ya ofrece nuestro maga heroe para obtene nosotros con nuestro independencia. Entonces, no debe nosostros olvida con ellos. Ancina gane, hende ba? Necesita nosotros manda sabe con todos que nosotros ta aprecia con nuestro maga heroe y nosotros preparado tambien sacrifica para con el nacion. Quemodo ese nosotros hace? Maga clase de novela como ya escribi si Jose Rizal, nosotros hay escribi tambien?
In English:
- (We can say what great sacrifices our heroes have done to achieve our independence. We should therefore not forget them. Is it like this? We should do things to let it be known that we appreciate the heroes; that we are prepared to make sacrifices for our people. How? [should we] write novels like José Rizal?)
Translation of the Lord's Prayer
Zamboangueño
Zamboangueño (common)
Tata de amon talli na cielo,
bendito el de Usted nombre.
Manda vene con el de Usted reino;
Hace el de Usted voluntad aqui na tierra,
igual como alli na cielo.
Dale kanamon el pan para cada dia.
Perdona el de amon maga culpa,
como ta perdona kame con aquellos
quien tiene culpa kanamon.
No deja que hay cae kame na tentacion
y libra kanamon na mal.
Zamboangueño (formal)
Nuestro Tata talli na cielo,
bendito el de Usted nombre.
Manda vene con el de Usted reino;
Hace el de Usted voluntad aqui na tierra,
igual como alli na cielo.
Dale con nosotros el pan para cada dia.
Perdona el de nuestro maga culpa,
como nosotros ta perdona con aquellos
quien tiene culpa con nosotros.
No deja que nosotros hay cae na tentacion
y libra con nosotros de mal.
Caviteño
Niso Tata Qui ta na cielo,
quida santificao Tu nombre.
Manda vini con niso Tu reino;
Sigui el qui quiere Tu aqui na tierra,
igual como na cielo!
Dali con niso ahora,
niso comida para todo el dia.
Perdona el mga culpa di niso,
si que laya ta perdona niso con aquel
mga qui tiene culpa con niso.
No dija qui cai niso na tentacion,
pero salva con niso na malo.
Ternateño
Padri di mijotru ta allí na cielo,
quidá alabaó Bo nombre.
Llevá cun mijotru Bo trono; Viní con mijotru Bo reino;
Siguí cosa qui Bo mandá aquí na tiehra,
parejo allí na cielo!
Dali con mijotro esti día,
el cumida di mijotro para cada día.
Perdoná quél mgá culpa ya hací mijotro con Bo,
como ta perdoná mijotro ‘quel
mga culpa ya hací el mga otro genti cun mijotro.
No dijá qui caí mijotru na tintación,
sinó hací librá con mijotro na malo.
Months, days, numbers, and phrases
Names of months, days, and numbers in Chavacano are the same as in Spanish:
| English | Spanish | Chavacano |
|---|---|---|
| January | enero | Enero |
| February | febrero | Febrero |
| March | marzo | Marzo |
| April | abril | Abril |
| May | mayo | Mayo |
| June | junio | Junio |
| July | julio | Julio |
| August | agosto | Agosto |
| September | septiembre | Septiembre |
| October | octubre | Octubre |
| November | noviembre | Noviembre |
| December | diciembre | Diciembre |
| Monday | lunes | Lunes |
| Tuesday | martes | Martes |
| Wednesday | miércoles | Miercoles |
| Thursday | jueves | Jueves |
| Friday | viernes | Viernes |
| Saturday | sábado | Sabado |
| Sunday | domingo | Domingo |
| one | uno | uno |
| ten | diez | diez |
| hundred | cien | ciento |
| five hundred | quinientos | quinientos |
| one o'clock | Es la una | a la una |
| five o'clock | Son las cinco | a las cinco |
| now | ahora | ahora |
| today | hoy (or este día) | este dia |
| tomorrow | mañana | mañana |
| this afternoon | esta tarde | este tarde |
| on the street | en la calle | na calle/na camino |
| on the table | sobre la mesa | encima mesa/na la mesa |
| in the room | en el cuarto | adentro cuarto |
| the door | la puerta | el puerta |
| one peso | un peso | un peso |
| twenty centavos | una peseta | un peseta |
| good | bueno | bueno |
| better | mejor | mejor/mas bueno |
| best | el mejor (de) | el con todo mejor/el mejor de todo |
Writing system
Chavacano orthography
Chavacano words of Spanish origin are written using the Latin alphabet with some special characters from the Spanish alphabet: the vowels with the acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú), the vowel u with diaeresis (ü), and ñ.
Chavacano words of local origin are also written using the Latin alphabet and are spelled in the manner according to their origin. Thus, the letter k appear mostly in words of Austronesian origin or in loanwords from other Philippine languages (words such as kame, kita, kanamon, kaninyo, kilo or karate).
Some additional characters like the ñ (eñe, representing the phoneme /ɲ/, a letter distinct from n, although typographically composed of an n with a tilde), the digraph ch (che, representing the phoneme /tʃ/), the ll (elle, representing the phoneme /ʎ/), and the digraph rr (erre with strong r) exist in Chavacano writing.
The Chavacano alphabet has 29 letters including the special characters.
As a general rule, words of Spanish origin are written and spelled using Spanish orthography while words of local (Philippine languages) origin are written and spelled using local orthography.
Alphabet
The Chavacano alphabet has 29 letters including /ch/, /ll/ & /ñ/:
a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
Letters and letter names
| A a | a /a/ | J j | jota /ˈxota/ | R r | erre /ˈere/ ere /ˈeɾe/ |
| B b | be /be/ be alta /be ˈalta/ be grande /be ˈgɾande/ be larga /be ˈlaɾga/ |
K k | ka /ka/ | S s | ese /ˈese/ |
| C c | ce /θe/ | L l | ele /ˈele/ | T t | te /te/ |
| Ch ch | che /tʃe/ | Ll ll | doble ele/ˈdoble ˈele/ elle /ˈeʎe/ |
U u | u /u/ |
| D d | de /de/ | M m | eme /ˈeme/ | ||
| E e | e /e/ | N n | ene /ene/ | V v | uve /ˈube/ ve /be/ ve baja /be ˈbaxa/ ve chica /be ˈtʃika/ ve corta /be ˈkoɾta |
| F f | efe /ˈefe/ | Ñ ñ | eñe /ˈeɲe/ | W w | uve doble /ˈube ˈdoble/ doble ve /ˈdoble be/ doble u /ˈdoble u/ ve doble /be ˈdoble/ |
| G g | ge /xe/ | O o | o /o/ | X x | equis /ˈekis/ |
| H h | hache /ˈatʃe/ | P p | pe /pe/ | Y y | ye /ɟʝe/ i griega /i ˈgɾjega/ |
| I i | i /i/ i latina /i laˈtina/ |
Q q | cu /ku/ | Z z | zeta /ˈθeta/ zeda /ˈθeda/ |
Vocabulary
Forms and style
Chavacano (especially Zamboangueño) has two levels of usage for words: The common or familiar form and the formal form.
In the common or familiar form, words of local origin or a mixture of local and Spanish words predominate. The common or familiar form is used ordinarily when conversing with people of equal or lower status in society. It is also used more commonly in the family, with friends and acquaintances. Its use is of general acceptance and usage.
In the formal form, words of Spanish origin or Spanish words predominate. The formal form is used especially when conversing with people of higher status in society. It is also used when conversing with elders (especially in the family and with older relatives) and those in authority. It is more commonly used by older generations, by Zamboangueño mestizos, and in the barrios. It is the form used in speeches, education, media, and writing.
The following examples show a contrast between the usage of formal words and common or familiar words in Chavacano:
| English | Chavacano (Formal) | Chavacano (Common/Familiar) |
|---|---|---|
| slippery | resbalozo/resbaladizo | malandug |
| rice | morisqueta | canon |
| rain | lluvia/aguacero | aguacero |
| dish | comida/vianda | comida |
| braggart/boastful | orgulloso | hambugero/bugalon |
| car | coche | auto |
| housemaid | muchacho (m)/muchacha (f) | ayudante/ayudanta |
| father | papá | tata |
| mother | mamá | nana |
| grandfather | abuelo | abuelo/lolo |
| grandmother | abuela | abuela/lola |
| small | chico/pequeño | pequeño/diutay |
| nuisance | fastidio | malihug |
| hard-headed | testarudo | duro cabeza/duro pulso |
| slippers | chancla | chinelas |
| married | de estao/casado | casado/casao |
| (my) parents | (mis) padres | (mi) tata y nana |
| naughty | travieso | salawayun |
| slide | rezbalasa/deslizar | landug |
| ugly | feo (masculine)/fea (feminine) | mala cara |
| rainshower | lluve | tali-ti |
| lightning | rayo | quirlat |
| thunder/thunderstorm | trueno | trueno |
| tornado | tornado/remolino | ipo-ipo |
| thin (person) | delgado/flaco/chiquito(a) | flaco |
Grammar
Nouns
Unlike Spanish, Chavacano nouns do not follow gender rules in general. In Zamboangueño, the article 'el' basically follows every singular noun. However, this rule is not rigid (especially in Zamboangueño) because the formal vocabulary mode wherein Spanish words predominate almost always is the preferred mode especially in writing. The Spanish article 'la' for feminine singular nouns do exist in Chavacano. When in doubt, the article 'el' is safe to use. Compare:
| English singular noun | Chavacano singular noun (general and common) | Chavacano singular noun (accepted or uncommon) |
|---|---|---|
| the virgin | el virgen | la virgen (accepted) |
| the peace | el paz | la paz (accepted) |
| the sea | el mar | la mar (accepted) |
| the cat | el gato | el gato (la gata is uncommon) |
| the sun | el sol | el sol |
| the moon | el luna | el luna (la luna is uncommon) |
| the view | el vista | la vista (accepted) |
| the tragedy | el tragedia | el tragedia (la tragedia is uncommon) |
| the doctor | el doctor | el doctora (la doctora is uncommon) |
And just like Spanish, Chavacano nouns do have gender but only when referring to persons. However, they are always masculine in the sense that they are generally preceded by the article 'el'. Places and things are almost always masculine. The -o is dropped in masculine nouns and -a is added to make the noun feminine:
| English singular noun | Chavacano singular noun (masculine) | Chavacano singular noun (feminine) |
|---|---|---|
| the teacher | el maestro | el maestra |
| the witch | el burujo | el buruja |
| the engineer | el engeniero | el engeniera |
| the tailor/seamstress | el sastrero | el sastrera |
| the baby | el niño | el niña |
| the priest/nun | el padre | el madre |
| the grandson/granddaughter | el nieto | el nieta |
| the professor | el profesor | el profesora |
| the councilor | el consejal | el consejala |
Not all nouns referring to persons can become feminine nouns. In Chavacano, some names of persons are almost always masculine and doesn't always end in -o. Examples: el alcalde, el capitan, el negociante, el ayudante, el chufer
All names of animals are always masculine preceded by the article 'el'. Examples: el gato (gata is uncommon), el puerco (puerca is uncommon), el perro (perra is uncommon)
Names of places and things can be masculine or feminine, but they are considered masculine because the article 'el' always precedes the noun: el cocina, el pantalon, el comida, el agua, el camino, el trapo
Plural nouns
In Chavacano, the Spanish articles 'los' and 'las' have almost disappeared when naming plural forms of persons, places or things (whether masculine or feminine). They have been replaced by 'maga'. Maga comes from the native Tagalog or Cebuano 'mga'. This rule applies whether in common, familiar or formal mode.
There are some Chavacano speakers (especially older Caviteño or Zamboangueño speakers) who would tend to say 'mana' for 'maga'. 'Mana' is accepted and quite common especially with older speakers, but when in doubt and almost always, the article 'maga' to pluralize nouns is safer to use.
| English plural noun | Chavacano plural noun (masculine) | Chavacano plural noun (feminine) |
|---|---|---|
| the teachers | maga maestro | maga maestra |
| the witches | maga burujo | maga buruja |
| the engineers | maga engeniero | maga engeniera |
| the tailors/seamstresses | maga sastrero | maga sastrera |
| the babies | maga niño | maga niña |
| the priests/nuns | maga padre | maga madre |
| the grandsons/granddaughters | maga nieto | maga nieta |
| the professors | maga profesor | maga profesora |
| the councilors | maga consejal | maga consejala |
Again, this rule is not rigid (especially in Zamboangueño). The articles 'los' or 'las' do exist sometimes before few nouns and are accepted: los caballeros, los dias, las noches, los chabacanos, los santos, las mañanas, las almujadas, las mesas, las plumas, las cosas
When in doubt, it is always safe to use 'maga' to pluralize singular nouns: maga caballero, maga dia, maga noche, maga chabacano, maga santo, maga dia que viene (this is a phrase; 'maga mañana' is uncommon), maga almujada, maga mesa, maga pluma
In Chavacano, it is common for some nouns to become doubled when pluralized (called Reduplication, a characteristic of the Malayo-Polynesian family of languages): maga cosa-cosa (maga cosa is uncommon), maga casa-casa (maga casa is common), maga gente-gente (maga gente is common), maga bata-bata (maga bata, 'child', is common), maga juego-juego (maga juego is common)
In general, the letters -s, -as, -os to pluralize nouns in Spanish have also almost disappeared in Chavacano. The singular form of the noun generally retains although it becomes plural because of the preceding article 'maga' or 'mana':
maga caballeros (wrong) maga caballero (correct) maga dias (wrong) mana dia (correct)
However, the use of adding -es to some nouns is quite common and accepted, and sometimes nouns ending in -cion can be pluralized by adding -es: maga meses, maga mujeres, maga mayores, maga tentaciones, maga contestaciones, maga naciones, maga organizaciones
Still, it is safer to use the general rule (when in doubt) of retaining the singular form of the noun preceded by the article 'maga' or 'mana': maga mes, maga mujer, maga mayor, maga tentacion, maga contestacion, maga nacion, maga organizacion
Pronouns
Chavacano pronouns are based on native (Tagalog and Cebuano) and Spanish sources; many of the pronouns are not used in either but may be derived in part.
In Chavacano de Zamboanga, there are three different levels of usage for certain pronouns depending on the level of familiarity between the speaker and the addressee, the status of both in family and society, or the mood of the speaker and addressee at the particular moment: common, familiar, and formal. The common forms are, particularly in the second and third person plural, derived from Cebuano while most familiar and formal forms are from Spanish. The common forms are used to address a person below or of equal social or family status or to someone is who is acquainted. The common forms are used to regard no formality or courtesy in conversation. Its use can also mean rudeness, impoliteness or offensiveness. The familiar forms are used to address someone of equal social or family status. It indicates courteousness, and is commonly used in public conversations, the broadcast media, and in education. The formal forms are used to address someone older and/or higher in social or family status. It is the form used in writing.
Additionally, Zamboangueño is the only variety of Chavacano which distinguishes between the inclusive we (kita) - including the person spoken to (the addressee) - and the exclusive we (kame) - excluding the person spoken to (the addressee) - in the first person plural except in the formal form where nosotros is used for both.
Below is a chart comparing the personal pronouns in three varieties of Chavacano.
| Zamboangueño | Caviteño | Ternateño | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | iyo yo |
yo | |
| 2nd person singular | evo(s) (common) vo(s) (common) tu (familiar) uste(d) (formal) |
tu vo uste |
vo uste |
| 3rd person singular | el ele |
eli | |
| 1st person plural | kame (exclusive) kita (inclusive) nosotros (formal) |
nisos | mijotro motro |
| 2nd person plural | kamo (common) vosotros (familiar) ustedes (formal) |
vusos | ustedi tedi |
| 3rd person plural | sila (common & familiar) ellos (formal) |
ilos | lojotro lotro |
Verbs
In Zamboangueño, Chavacano verbs are mostly Spanish in origin. In contrast to the other varieties, there is rarely a Zamboangueño verb that is based on or has its origin from other Philippine languages. Hence, verbs contribute much of the Spanish vocabulary in Chavacano de Zamboanga.
Generally, the simple form of the Zamboangueño verb is based upon the infinitive of the Spanish verb, minus the final /r/. For example, continuar, hablar, poner, recibir, and llevar become continuá, hablá, poné, recibí, and llevá with the accent on the final syllable.
There are some rare exceptions. Some verbs are not derived from infinitives but from words that are technically Spanish phrases or from other Spanish verbs. For example, dar doesn't become da but dale (literally in Spanish, to "give it"). In this case, dale has nothing to do with the Spanish infinitive dar. The Chavacano brinca (to hop) is from Spanish brinco which means the same thing.
Chavacano (especially Zamboiangueño) uses the words ya, ta, and hay plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past, present, and future respectively:
| English Infinitive | Spanish Infinitive | Chavacano Infinitive | Past Tense | Present Tense | Future Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to sing | cantar | canta | ya canta | ta canta | hay canta |
| to drink | beber | bebe | ya bebe | ta bebe | hay bebe |
| to sleep | dormir | dormi | ya dormi | ta dormi | hay dormi |
Archaic Spanish words and false friends
Chabacano has preserved plenty of archaic Spanish words in its vocabulary that modern Spanish no longer uses; for example:
- En denantes - a while ago (Spanish: "hace un tiempo"). Take note that "En denantes" is an archaic Spanish phrase. Modern Spanish would express the phrase as "poco antes de hoy" or "hace un tiempo," but Chabacano still retains this archaic Spanish phrase and many other archaic Spanish words.
- Masquen means 'even (if)'. In Spanish, "mas que" is an archaic Spanish phrase meaning 'although', nowadays replaced by the Spanish word aunque.[1]
On the other hand, some Spanish words have evolved or have acquired totally different meanings in Chavacano. Hence for Spanish speakers who would encounter Chavacano speakers, some words familiar to them have become false friends.
Some examples of false friends are:
- Cerilla means 'earwax'. (In Spain, "cerilla" means 'match' (and earwax too); Although in Latin America its meaning is 'earwax'.)
- Siguro/Seguro means 'maybe'. (In Spanish, "seguro" means 'sure', 'secure', or 'stable'. But as well it could imply a probability, "Seguro el vendrá" (Probably he will come))
- Siempre means 'of course'. (In Spanish, "siempre" means 'always'.)
- Firmi means 'always'. (In Spanish, "firme" means 'firm' or 'steady'.)
Since accents and punctuation are an important part of Spanish, Spanish words often change meaning when the accents are removed. In Spanish, "mama" and "ingles" mean the imperativeform of the verb 'to suck' and 'groin', respectively, instead of their intended 'mother' and 'English' (i.e. "mamá", "inglés")
In Portuguese, which is similar to Old Spanish "na" is a contraction of "em a" ('in the'). However, in Chavacano it can mean a whole slew of prepositions. "Ele" is also similar to the Portuguese pronoun "Ele" ('him').
Trivia
- Chabacano is taught as a special course in UP, EC917 by Professor Romanillos.
See also
- Spanish-based creole languages
- Spanish language in the Philippines
Codes
- SIL code: cbk
- ISO 639-1: none
- ISO 639-2: none
- ISO 639-3: cbk
References
- Howard McKaughan|McKaughan, Howard P. Notes on Chabacano grammar, Journal of East Asiatic Studies 3(1954) 205-26.
- Chambers, John, S.J. (2003). Wee, Salvador, S.J., editor,. ed.. English-Chabacano Dictionary. Ateneo de Zamboanga University Press. OCLC 61254160.
- Steinkrüger, Patrick O. Notes on Ternateño (a Philippine Spanish Creole), Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 22:2 (2007)
External links
- Chavacano Lessons with Audio
- An abridged Chavacano dictionary
- Chavacano: Ethnologue Ethnologue report on Chavacano
- "Jesus" A two-hour religious film in RealVideo dubbed in Chavacano
- FilipinoKastila The Spanish and Chabacano situation in the Philippines
- Ben Saavedra's speech on Chabacano at the University of the Philippines (Web archive version)
- El Chabacano El Chabacano en Español
- Austronesian Elements in Philippine Creole Spanish (pdf)
- Spanish world-wide: the last century of language contacts (PDF)
- Chavacano of Cavite
- The Puzzling Case of Chabacano: Creolization, Substrate, Mixing, and Secondary Contact by Patrick O. Steinkrüger
- Confidence in Chabacano by Michael L. Forman
- Chabacano/Spanish and the Philippine Linguistic Identity by John M. Lipski
| Spanish-based creole languages |
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In the Americas: Palenquero |
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