Philippine English
Introduction
Learn more about a variety of English found in the Philippines.
Background
Philippine English is one of the few varieties of English that came from the Americas, not from Britain. Danica Salazar, World English Editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, offers a brief history for Philippine English in the OED’s world language hub. In 1902, with the end of the Philippine-American War, the Philippines became an unincorporated territory of the United States.
As such, American officials in the Philippines quickly introduced the English language in matters of government, business, and education. For instance, they sent American teachers across the country to teach English to school children. After a few decades, Filipino school children were even learning English from their Filipino teachers. Even when the Philippines regained independence from the United States in 1946, the English language remained important in Filipino society and culture.
Currently, more than 100 million people live in the Philippines. The country’s official languages are Filipino and English. Thus, English is integral to the country’s pursuits in business, science, technology, government, education, media, and the arts. One misconception is that Philippine English is a second language for all Filipinos. In actuality, a sizable number of Filipinos learn English as a first language—sometimes, it is even their only language. Another misconception is that the Philippine variety is stagnant, or that it is simply American English; however, Philippine English has distinctive pronunciation features, unique vocabulary, and its own grammar.
Pronunciation
KIT-FLEECE Merger
Unstressed Vowels
Voicing
Rhoticity
Dentalized Fricatives
Goldman-Fristoe
Recording
It’s (01:27) is pronounced with a FLEECE vowel instead of a KIT vowel, so it’s and eats sound the same.
“I think it’s not enough for us.”
Unstressed vowels tend to be pronounced as with their full vowel, rather than with more centralized vowels like schwa.
Recording
“Sarah Perry was a veterinary nurse [...]”
None of the vowels in the word veterinary (00:19) are pronounced as a schwa (/ə/). Every vowel is pronounced fully as [bɛtɪnɛɾaɾi].
The consonants /z/ and /ʒ/ are devoiced, becoming /s/ and /ʃ/, respectively.
Recordings
“I was, um, twelve years old, yeah.”
“It’s good for us that our dad is not around because we’re not relying on Dad.”
Was (0:50) is pronounced [wʌs], and because (1:50) is pronounced [bikäs].
“Crazy Philippine television.”
Television (03:28) is pronounced [tɛlɛbiʃon] instead of [tɛləvɪʒən].
The consonants /f/ and /v/ are approximated into the stop consonants /p/ and /b/.
Recordings
“Sarah Perry was a veterinary nurse [...]”
Veterinary (0:19) is pronounced with a /b/ instead of a /v/, like [bɛtɪnɛɾaɾi].
“I got married at age 29 in the Philippines [...]”
Philippines (4:26) is pronounced with a /p/ in the beginning instead of an /f/, like [pilɪpins].
Philippine English is a rhotic dialect. It uses both the approximant r (similar to the Standard American English dialect) and alveolar tap.
Recordings
“Well, here’s a story for you.”
Story (0:16) is pronounced with an alveolar tap as [stɔɾi].
“Sometimes, we don’t have food to eat one day and we just drink water.”
Drink (1:11) is pronounced with an alveolar tap as [dɾiŋk].
The interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ are realized as /t/ and /d/.
Recording
“We have to work everyday to make money to buy food for the family.”
The (0:30) is pronounced [də].
“I experienced that life that—to have nothing.”
Nothing (3:09) is pronounced as [nʌtiŋ].
Word | Standard American English | Philippine English |
|---|---|---|
Teeth | [tiθ] | [tit] |
Drum | [dɹəm] | [dɾəm] |
Shovel | [ʃəvl] | [ʃəbl] |
Zoo | [zu] | [su] |
Fish | [fɪʃ] | [piʃ] |
That | [ðæt] | [dæt] |
Vegetable | [vɛdʒtəbl] | [bɛʃɛtɛbl] |
Pig | [pɪg] | [pig] |
Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verb Tense and Usage
Use of Prepositions
Often, a singular subject will be accompanied by a plural verb, especially in the context of a noun phrase being used as a subject.
“One of my brothers run fast.”
The most common kind of verb tense usage is the leveling of the past participle, or using the present perfect (have + verb) when a simple past tense verb is usually used. Sometimes, the past perfect (had + verb) is also used in place of the present perfect (have + verb).
Present perfect in place of simple past: “I have finished the housework yesterday.”
Past perfect in place of present perfect: “We had studied for the test today.”
Past tense verb replaces the past participle: “The boy had saw his friend.”
Finally, transitive verbs are occasionally used intransitively, or without an object to receive the action of the verb. This form sounds incomplete to StE speakers.
“She buys today.”
“We will fix.”
Philippine English sometimes inserts prepositions after verbs, and nearly always places to after the word result.
“This will result to great chaos.”
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pampers: ‘any disposable diapers’
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Example: She needed a pamper for her newborn.
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pentel pen: ‘any color marker’
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Example: He used a pentel pen to make the poster vibrant and colorful.
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conscienticize: ‘to raise one’s consciousness and to simultaneously prick one’s conscience’
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Example: The workshop aimed to conscienticize participants about social inequalities.
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fiscalize: ‘to call attention to abuse’
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Example: The journalist’s role is often to fiscalize the actions of those in power.
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solon: ‘any lawmaker’
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Example: The solon proposed a new bill to address climate change.
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in the family way: ‘pregnant’
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Example: She whispered that her cousin was in the family way.
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honoree: ‘someone being honored’
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Example: The honoree gave a heartfelt speech at the ceremony.
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rallyist: ‘a participant in a rally’
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Example: The rallyists gathered to protest against the new policy.
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bedspacer: ‘someone who rents a bed in a boarding house, dormitory, or private home’
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Example: As a bedspacer, he shared a room with three others.
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ballpen: ‘ballpoint pen’
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Example: She borrowed a ballpen to sign the document.
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aircon: ‘air conditioning unit’
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Example: The room felt comfortable because the aircon was running.
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promo: ‘sales promotion’
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Example: The store’s holiday promo attracted many customers.
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CR or comfort room: ‘restroom’
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Example: She excused herself to go to the CR.
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DH: ‘domestic helper’
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Example: The DH was responsible for cleaning and cooking in the household.
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GRO: ‘guest relations officer’
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Example: The GRO welcomed guests and ensured they had a pleasant stay at the hotel.
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imeldific: ‘anything exaggeratedly ostentatious or in bad taste’ (relating to Imelda Marcos)
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Example: The chandelier in the living room felt a bit imeldific.
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presidentiable: ‘likely presidential candidate’
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Example: The senator was considered a strong presidentiable for the next election.
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number two: ‘a mistress’
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Example: Rumors spread that he had a number two in another city.
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captain ball: ‘the captain of a basketball or volleyball team’
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Example: The captain ball led the team to victory.
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dirty kitchen: ‘the kitchen in rich homes where the messy or “real” cooking is done, while the other kitchen is for show’
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Example: The meal was prepared in the dirty kitchen, away from the guests.
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green joke: ‘risque or obscene joke’
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Example: He was reprimanded for telling a green joke at the party.
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bakya crowd: ‘crowd from lower socio-economic classes’
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Example: The movie was popular among the bakya crowd.
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common tao: ‘ordinary Filipino’
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Example: The politician promised to serve the common tao.
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sari-sari store: ‘small variety store found in a residential neighborhood’
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Example: She went to the sari-sari store to buy snacks.
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bakya: ‘wooden clogs worn by peasants’
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Example: She bought a pair of bakya as a souvenir.
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tao: ‘human being’
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Example: Every tao deserves respect and dignity.
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sari-sari: ‘assortment’
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Example: Her bag contained a sari-sari of items.
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sampaguita: ‘fragrant small white flower’
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Example: She wore a garland of sampaguita around her neck.
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tamaraw: ‘wild carabao’
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Example: The tamaraw is native to the Philippines.
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lechon: ‘roasted suckling pig’
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Example: The lechon was the highlight of the fiesta feast.
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pancit: ‘generic term for a noodle dish’
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Example: They served pancit at the birthday celebration.
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pakikisama: ‘value of “getting-along-with”’
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Example: Pakikisama is essential in maintaining harmony in a group.
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utang-na-loob: ‘debt of gratitude’
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Example: He felt utang-na-loob to the family who helped him.
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kundiman: ‘plaintive native love song’
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Example: The singer performed a beautiful kundiman at the event.
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barangay: ‘smallest unit of local government’
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Example: The barangay officials organized a cleanup drive.
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hacienda: ‘big land estate’
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Example: The family owned a vast hacienda in the countryside.
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barkada: ‘group, gang’
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Example: She went on a trip with her barkada over the weekend.
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bienvenida: ‘a party given to welcome somebody’
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Example: They hosted a bienvenida for the new teacher.
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yaya: ‘nanny’
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Example: The yaya took care of the children while the parents worked.
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kwan: ‘to refer to something at the tip of one’s tongue’
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Example: Can you pass me the kwan…the thing on the table?
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sayang!: ‘“what a pity!”’
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Example: Sayang! The tickets were sold out before we got there.
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References
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Salazar, Danica. “Introduction to Philippine English.” Oxford English Dictionary - Philippine English. https://www.oed.com/discover/introduction-to-philippine-english?tl=true.
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Borlongan, Ariane Macalinga, and Joo Hyuk Lim. “Philippine English.” In The Electronic World Atlas of Varieties of English, edited by Bernd Kortmann, Kerstin Lunkenheimer, and Katharina Ehret, 2020. http://ewave-atlas.org/languages/75.
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Oxford English Dictionary. “Philippine English.” https://www.oed.com/information/understanding-entries/pronunciation/world-englishes/philippine-english/.
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Lean English Pronunciation, “The Philippine Accent & Philippine English Pronunciation,” posted September 1, 2023, by Lean English Pronunciation, YouTube, 5 min., 01 sec., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taNgsuXu9GM.
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Lean English Pronunciation, “The Philippine Accent & Philippine English Pronunciation,” at 3:08–3:32.
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Lean English Pronunciation, “The Philippine Accent & Philippine English Pronunciation,” at 3:08–3:32.
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Oxford English Dictionary. “Philippine English.”
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Lean English Pronunciation, “The Philippine Accent & Philippine English Pronunciation,” at 2:37–3:08
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“Introduction to Philippine English.” Oxford English Dictionary - Philippine English. https://www.oed.com/discover/introduction-to-philippine-english?tl=true#grammar.
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Oxford English Dictionary, “Introduction to Philippine English.”
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Borlongan, Ariane Macalinga, and Joo Hyuk Lim. “Philippine English.” In The Electronic World Atlas of Varieties of English, edited by Bernd Kortmann, Kerstin Lunkenheimer, and Katharina Ehret, 2020. http://ewave-atlas.org/languages/75.
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Oxford English Dictionary, “Introduction to Philippine English.”
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Borlongan, Ariane Macalinga. Philippine English: Development, structure, and sociology of English in the Philippines. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2023.
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Maria Lourdes S. Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching and the Lexicon of Philippine English,” Asian Englishes 1, no. 1 (1998): 51–52, https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.1998.10800994.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
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Bautista, “Tagalog-English Code-Switching,” 51-52.
Recordings and Videos
An interview with Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKfGGQnSuJg
Philippines 14 | IDEA: International Dialects of English Archive. (2016, April 4). https://www.dialectsarchive.com/philippines-14
Lean English Pronunciation, “The Philippine Accent & Philippine English Pronunciation” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taNgsuXu9GM