Monday, August 8, 2016

Waray words with no Filipino/Tagalog equivalent

My mother-tongue is Waray. I grew up in Samar and it wasn't until I was in school that I learned to speak Filipino and English. Since I came here to Manila, I've been switching from three languages depending on where I am or who I am talking to.

Flitting in and out of these languages requires me to translate thoughts and ideas from one language to another. There are some words, however, that you can rephrase but can never directly translate. Let me list three Waray words that I think do not have direct translations to Filipino/Tagalog.

1. Intawon. This is best delivered with a sigh or an exclamation of pity or sympathy. Ito yung word na ginagamit when the best effort has been exerted but it's just not enough.

Example:
a. Nag-diet naman ako pero intawon, ito lang talaga ang nabawas sa timbang ko.

b. Intawon, wala na halos magkasyang damit sa'kin. Lahat masikip na!


2. Pastilan is an exclamation of frustration. You use this expression when you are trying to explain but your message just doesn't get across. It can also stand on its own. When you say "pastilan!" the person you're speaking with will get the idea that s/he needs to back off a bit. The closest phrase or word in Filipino would probably be "Naku naman!" or "Maryosep!"

Example: 
a. Pastilan ano pa ba'ng gusto mo? Kumain ka na ng pizza, isaw, ice cream, nilagang manok, hindi pa ka din busog?

b. Nagsi-selos ka don? Pastilan para namang may iba pang papatol sa asawa mo!


3. Sagdat. This one's actually subjective. I asked ten people from my hometown and five said there is an equivalent translation in Filipino. The other five said there are none. 

"Sagdatness" is a negative trait. A sagdat person usually hogs all the attention to him/herself, in a bad, cringey, icky way. S/he also wants to take and take and take without giving something in return. S/he is the person you don't like hanging out at your place because everyone in your home end up hating him/her, and all the food from your fridge goes missing after s/he left. Sagdat is a little more than epal but a little less than gahaman. Some of the people I asked said the direct translation is "buraot" but it doesn't sound about right to me.

Example:
1. Wala ka na nga'ng ambag, ikaw pa yung pinakamalakas mamulutan! Grrr sagdat ka talaga!!!
2. Kaka-mop ko lang ng sahig tapos heto ka at dadaan-daan dito suot ang napaka-putik mong sapatos!??! Sagdat!


Now, I don't know how many Waray friends you've got, but congrats! You've just enriched your Waray vocab by three words! Pastilan, tatlo lang yan pagpasensiyahan mo na, yan lang intawon ang nakayanan ko. Huwag kang sagdat. :D


*Disclaimer: This is a personal claim and has not been verified by a professional. If it turns out that there are indeed Filipino/Tagalog equivalent for these words, my apologies. This entry is based on my personal opinion.


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