Difference of a Davaoeño

        This was from a friend Yukki Gallardo…, I kinda liked it, so I posted it in here…

    How can one distinguish a Davaoeño from a Cebuano? Or to a Cagayanon? Difficult? Easy! Davaoeños are one of the most unique people in the world. We can easily stand out if we are placed in a crowd of Filipinos from other parts of the country. And how, you say? Language.

    Davao City, aptly called the melting pot of cultures, is home to many dialects. Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Ilocano, Chavacano, Moslem, Bicolano. Name it, we’ll speak it. If the Filipino language is a composition of all the dialects and languages in the Philippines, you might as well say that the language we speak in Davao City is the real Filipino language, and not Tagalog. However, since it is hodgepodge of different tongues, it is sometimes funny to hear our language “bastardizing” for a lack of better word, the other dialects. Strangely, that distinguishes us from the rest. Try these…

In stating a fact:

Manileños say:

“Talagang mabait si Weng”

In Davao, we say:

“Mabait bitaw gyud si Weng”

Too assertive?

One asks, 

“Ano nga yung pangalan mo?”

In Davao we say,

“Ano gani yong pangalan mo?”

When somebody commits mistake or surprises someone, we always never fail to say “Halaka! Duh!”

We are fond of re-constructing the language.

1. There’s the GI + verb, such as “Gisabi kasi ni Helen na mag-absent si Bernard bukas” or “Ginanon”. You’ll never find “ginanon” in any language in any dictionary, I swear…
2. There’s the KA + Adjective, as in, “Kaputi gyud ng mukha ni Yang-Yang” or “Kapayat gyud ni Jason ngayon”.
3. The MAKA + verb form, such as, “Makainis talaga si Albert uy!” or “Makauwi na talaga ako ng matagal ngayon”
4. The Nag + verb, as in “Nagsabi kasi si Tita Precy na pupunta  daw tayo ng airport” or “Hindi pa man siya nagdating dun uy!”

Adding new words or new meaning to old words to the dictionary is one of our favorite past time.

NAKIN:

“Alam man nakin ‘yan ba!”, “Saan nakin kita nakita gani?”

KU-AN:

“Ku-an daw ang gawin mo”, “Si ku-an kasi ano masyado”. (Non sense at all).

ANO:

“Na-ano ka diyan, Bryan?!”, “Ano man yan si Van uy!”

HA:

“Lake-ha na ng tiyan ni Lulu uy!”, “Gwapa-ha niya uy!”

BEH:

“Sige daw beh, dare!”, “Pakipasa dawn g ballpen ni Tzaris beh”.

KAY:

“Huwag na, Wowie, kay nandito naman si Norma”, “Umupo ka muna kay nasa-CR pa si Elma”.

To express disgust over someone, we utter, “Gago kaba diay para maniwala sa kanya”, or “Ano man yan siya uy!”, or when pestered when doing something, you’d quip “Huwag lagi ba!”

On the other hand, when we praise somebody extra special deed or talent, our Davaoeño tongue slips words like “Kuyaw lagi yan siya!”, “Galenga niya uy!”, “Ayusa niya uy!”, “Kuyawa ni Orly uy!” or “Hindi ako makatu-o sa ginawa niya!”

Hay, makatawa talaga. Ooops! There are just too many words to mention. Just check out the words you spew everyday. Sometimes you just laugh at yourself when you realize that you’ve just said those very words. No matter how long you stay in Manila or in the States, the moment you back to Davao, your tongue feels as at home as you do. Language is the very soul of every being.

You just can’t do anything about it. Or as how we say it “Anuhin man natin yan?”

Hope you enjoyed reading this…