Vaclabulary 101

While exchanging jokes and pleasantries in FB, my Premz Ning and Claring got lost in the exchange of what seemed to be tagalog, but not quite. So they asked what these funny words meant since they couldn’t catch up with the rest. So this is for the many Ning’s and Claring’s who have not been around the Pinoy circuitry long enough to keep in touch with the Other national language pervading in our country—the becky talk, the sward speak, or the gay lingo. Read and learn, mga Premz!

Outsiders may think that sward speak can sound funny, verging on cheeky, or sometimes irreverent and vulgar. But that’s how our gay brothers have unwittingly concocted their own unique talk—to build a language only known to their own kind. However, because of the mainstream media and entertainment industry, it has leaked into the national consciousness, so that every girl, boy, bakla, tomboy are now in the know of this language.

So enough with the chitchat. Let’s start the lessons. Seryoso ito! There are some unwritten rules which make the gay lingo as colourful and sometimes undecipherable, as it is. Some of these are:,

1.       Replacing the first letter/syllable of the word with J or Sh or Ny or Ky

            Jowa -  asawa (husband)                
            Jonta – punta (go)                          
            Jontis – buntis (pregnant)            
            Shupatid – kapatid (sibling)
            Nyorts - shorts
            Kyoho – mabaho (smelly)

“Siya ba ang jowa na nakajontis sa kanya?”

            “Ang kyoho na ng nyorts mo, shupatid!”

2.      Replacing the end syllable of words with "-ash", "-is", "-iz", "-ish", "-itch", "-ech", "-ush", or "-oosh"

            Taroosh – taray (bitchy)                
            Waz – wala (none)                         
            Fez – face
            Itich – ito (this one)
            Anech – ano (what)

             “Waz na pimples ang fez mo, teh. Taroosh!”

3.      Adding an r sound to a, e, o, u like ar, er, er, or

            Haller – hello
            Kalurkey - kaloka (maddening)
            Gander – ganda (beautiful)

4.      Word play, puns or code-switching of English words

            Crayola – cry
            Chipangga - cheap
            Pagoda cold wave lotion – pagod (tired)
            Payola – pay
            In lababo – in love
            Insekyora – insecure
            Karu - car
            Award – a big mistake
            Funda – Powder or Foundation
            Mudra - mother

“Hay, naku. In lababo kasi yan kaya panay ang crayola.”

            “Pagoda cold wave lotion na aketch sa kaka-payola. Kayo naman!”
            “Sobrang white ng funda mo, becky. Award!”

5.      Borrowed words from other languages or dialects

            Sight – nakita (to look) (English)
            Carry – dinala (to carry oneself well) (English)
            Career – karir (to take seriously)
            Coño – socialites (Spanish)
            Otoko – manly man (Japanese)
            Watashi – me (Japanese)
            Dakota – dako (big) (Cebuano)

“Na-sight mo ba ang karu ng lola mo? Bonggels!”

            “Sobrang coño ng otoko. Pero carry naman nya.”
            “Kinarir na nya ang pagka-jubis.”

6. References to celebrities.

Mazinger Z

          Julie Yap Daza – huli (get caught, like cheating)
          Gelli de Belen – jealous
          Tom Jones – gutom (hungry)
          Barbra Streisand – bara (rejected or blocked)
          Mariah Carrey – mura (cheap)
          Lupita Kashiwahara – lupit (mean or cruel)
          Carmi Martin – karma
          Badinger Z – bading (cartoons Mazinger Z)
          Lotlot de Leon – talo (to lose)
          Alicia Alonso – alone
          Janno Gibbs – give
          Lucresia Kasilag – luka-luka (insane)
          Chaka Khan – ugly
          Mahalia Jackson - expensive
          Rita Gomez - irritating  




             “Na-Julie Yap Daza ako ni fafa, kaya Alicia Alonso aketch.”
              “Lafang na tayo. Baka ma-Lucresia Kasilag ako sa ka-Tom Jones!”
             “Ang chaka naman ng boylets mo, baketch Jelli de Belen ang drama mo?”
             “Barbra Streisand ako, ateh. Lotlot de Leon ako sa kanya!”
             “Let’s go, sister. Maka-Carmi Martin din yang Badinger Z na yan!”

7.      References to movies or TV shows

            Bona – maid (Nora Aunor was a maid in the movie Bona)
            Jun Jun! Jun Jun! – handsome guy alert (Should be said the way Vilma Santos did it in “Paano ba ang Mangarap”)
            Bongga ka, day! – You look great! (Nora Aunor transforms at night to disco in  the movie)
            Anaconda – traitor like a snake
            Thundercats – Matanda (old)

8.     Other words. Wala lang

Anda – money

            Tsugi – die
            Okray – to criticize, to insult
            Echoz – Lie
            Pak! – sound of impact

           "Tsugi ka sister sa okray na wala kang anda. Pak!" 

But beware that some of these lessons can evolve as fast as your false eyelashes can blink. Yes, they may have shared with us some of these secret codes, but like the witty and clever creatures that they are, they would always find a way to skirt their way around us, and still talk secretly among themselves.

But for us pretending to be divas, this will be good enough for the time being.

To end the lesson, let’s all stand up and sing, boys and ghels!

July Dress
Keds Sneakers

Song Title: Bubuka Ang Bulaklak

Bubukesh and floweret ~
Jojosok ang reynabelz ~
Shochurva ang chacha ~
Pa jempot jempot fah ~
Boom tiyayavush chenes ~

Bubuka ang bulaklak (the flower will open)

Papasok ang reyna (the queen will enter)

Sasayaw ng chacha (she willl dance chacha)

Pa kembot kembot pa (with swinging hips)

Boom ti yah yah

(From GMA’s Bubble Gang)