Maligayang Pasko! Maayong Pasko! Either way, it still means “Merry Christmas”. The first version is in Tagalog, while the second is Cebuano. Thankfully, most people in the Philippines speak English. It is taught in the public schools and is considered one of the official languages. However, any time you have people scattered around 7,000 different islands, variations in language are going to occur. Although Filipino (essentially, Tagalog) is the other official language, more people in the Philippines speak some version of Bisayan or Cebuano. There are various dialects of Cebuano spoken throughout the central Philippines islands and the large island of Mindanao. The province (island) of Bohol also has its own regional dialect, but most people speak and understand Cebuano (so I’ve been told).
When I first realized that the Philippines trip was “a go”, I decided it would be prudent to learn a little of the local language; however, at that time, I did not realized there were other languages spoken there. I downloaded several Tagalog language learning programs and books and began in earnest to learn Tagalog. Did you know that the Tagalog translation of “Glad to meet you” is “Ikinagagalak kitang makilala” ? Geesh! Fortunately, I had not spent too much time or money before I found out that I was learning the wrong language. I was going to be working in Bohol, so I needed to learn Cebuano, not Tagalog.
I am by no means a linguist. I took some Latin and French in high school, I live in a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, and once studied Vietnamese when I had some students who had just come to the US and spoke no English at all, so I have had some exposure to foreign languages. However, my efforts at learning Cebuano have been less productive then I would hope. The language is much easier then Vietnamese . . . actually, I think any language would be easier then Vietnamese! I have an audio CD which allows me to hear Cebuano dialogue, but I would really benefit by having a conversation partner who is a native-Cebuano speaker. I tried meeting someone from the local Filipino community in Albuquerque, but so far have only found Tagalog speakers. Hopefully I will meet someone soon who is willing to meet with me a few times over a cup of coffee and speak some Cebuano.
No, I am not writing this article on Christmas day – I planned it a few days in advance, as I doubt there would be time on Sunday for blogging. As of this writing, I don’t know if I will have Monday’s article written before Christmas or not. I do hope to spend an hour practicing Cebuano. Anyway, I hope that you are all safely gathered with loved ones for the holidays. If not, I pray that you have some opportunity to call a brother or sister or friend. Either way, I hope you find some peace in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Maayong Pasko!
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