Batangas Tagalog

Batangas Tagalog (also known as Batangan or Batangueño ) is a dialect of the Tagalog language spoken primarily in the province of Batangas and in portions of Cavite, Quezon, Laguna and on the island of Mindoro. It is characterized by a strong accent and a vocabulary and grammar closely related to Old Tagalog.

Grammar

The most obvious difference is the use of the passive imperfect in place of the present progressive tense. In Manila, this is done by inserting the infix ''-um-'' after the first syllable and repeating the first syllable. In the Batangan dialect, this form is created by adding the prefix ''na-'' to the word.

This conjugation is odd, because it would be the passive past to Manileños. The answer to ''Nasaan si Pedro?'' (Where is Pedro?) is ''Nakain ng isda!'' (He's eating a fish!).Salita Blog: Tagalog Verbs
/ref> To those unfamiliar with this usage, the statement might mean "He was eaten by a fish!"; however, a Batangas Tagalog user can distinguish between the two apparently-identical forms by determining the stress in the words (nákain is eating and nakáin is eaten).

Morphology

Another difference between Batangan and Manila Tagalog is the use of the verb ending ''-i'' instead of ''-an mo'', especially in the imperative. This only occurs when the verb stands alone in a sentence or is the last word in the phrase. When another word follows, Batangueños would not use the ''-an'' form.

;Example 1:
*Person A: ''Mayroon pong nakatok sa pintô'' (Someone is knocking at the door.)
*Person B: ''Abá'y, buksi!'' (Then open it!)

However,

*Person A: ''Mayroon pong kumakatok sa pintô'' (Someone is knocking at the door.)
*Person B: ''Abá'y, buksán mo!'' (Then you go open it!)

This uses the absolute degree of an adjective, not heard elsewhere. It is the rough equivalent to ''-issimo'' or ''-issima'' in Italian, and is missing from other Tagalog dialects. This is done with the prefix ''pagka-'':

;Example 1:
*''Pagkaganda palá ng anák ng mag-asawang aré, ah!'' (''Pagkaganda palá ng anák ng mag-asawang iré, ah!'' The child of this couple is indeed beautiful!)

;Example 2:
*''Pagkatagal mo ga.'' (You took so long.)

Second-person plural

Another notable characteristic of the Batangan dialect is the dual-number pronouns, referring to two things (as opposed to plural, which can be two or more). Although it has not disappeared in some other areas, this form is rarely used in the Manila dialect.
;Example 1:
*Batangan Tagalog: ''Kita na!'' (Let's go!)
*Manila Tagalog: ''Tayo na!'' (Let's go! Literally, "Let us...")

;Example 2:
*Batangan Tagalog: ''Buksé mo nga iyáng telebisyón nata.'' (Please turn our television on.)
*Manila Tagalog: ''Buksán mo nga ang telebisyón natin.''

Intonation tends to rise, particularly in the expression of deep emotion.

Phonology

Another notable difference is the closed syllable, which has disappeared from the Manila dialect. The City of Tanauan is pronounced ''tan-'a-wan'', although it would be pronounced ''ta-'na-wan'' by other Tagalog speakers. This is also true of words such as ''matamis'' (pronounced ''matam-is''). Because Batangan is more closely related to ancient Tagalog, the merger of the phonemes ''e'' and ''i'' and the phonemes ''o'' and ''u'' are prevalent; ''e'' and ''o'' are allophones of ''i'' and ''u'', respectively, in Tagalog.

Prevalent in Batangan but missing from other dialects are the sounds ''ei'' and ''ow''. Unlike their English counterparts, these diphthongs are sounded primarily on the first vowel and only rapidly on the second; this is similar to the ''e'' in the Spanish word ''educación'' and the first ''o'' in the Italian word ''Antonio''.

Vocabulary

Locative adjectives are ''iré'' or ''aré'' (this) and ''rine'' or ''dine'' (here). Vocabulary is also divergent. Batangueño has several translations of the word "fall", depending on how a person falls. They may have ''nádulas'' (slipped), ''nagtingkuró'' (lost their balance) or ''nagsungabâ'' (fallen on their face.)

People from Manila may ask why a student came home early when school is in session. The student would answer, ''May pasok, pero waláng klase''; the student would go to school to have their attendance checked, but there are no classes.

To the confusion of other Tagalog speakers, Batangueños use the phrase ''Hindî pô akó nagyayabang!'' to mean "I am not telling a lie!"; Manileños and other native Tagalog speakers would say ''Hindî pô akó nagsisinungaling!'' To them, the former statement means "I am not bragging (or boasting)!"

A ''panday'' is a handyman in Batangas and a smith in Manila. An ''apáw'' is "mute" ("overflow" in Manila 'ápaw'' "mute" is ''pipi''). An exclamation of disbelief is ''anlaah!'', roughly a shorter translation of ''walâ iyán'' ("that's nothing" or "false") in Manila Tagalog.

The Batangas dialect is also known for the particle ''eh''. While it is used throughout the province, some variations exist (such as ''ala eh''). This particle has no intrinsic meaning; its closest equivalent in English is in the conversational context of "Well,...". In other cases it can show that the preceding word is the cause of something, much as ''kasi'' would be used. The particle ''eh'' is also spoken in other native Tagalog-speaking areas and by second-language speakers w/ the same closest English translation mentioned above w/out its variants like ''ala eh''.

Batangas dialect is known for the term ''laang'', translated as "only" or "just", their version of ''lang'' in Manila and their own shortened version of ''lámang.''

Batangas dialect

Batangas Tagalog dialect surrounding within area

; Outside Batangas borders
* Alaminos, Laguna
* Alfonso, Cavite
* Calamba City, Laguna
* Candelaria, Quezon
* Los Baños, Laguna
* Magallanes, Cavite
* San Antonio, Quezon
* San Pablo, Laguna
* Tagaytay, Cavite
*Ternate, Cavite
* Tiaong, Quezon
* Dolores, Quezon

Majestic plural

The plural is not limited to those of lower ranks; those in authority are also expected to use this pluralisation with the first-person plural inclusive ''Tayo'', which acts as the majestic plural. The Batangueños use the inclusive pronoun, commonly for government officials or those with authority over a territory (such as a priest or bishop).

This form is used by doctors or nurses when talking to patients. A doctor from the province will rarely ask someone how ''he'' is feeling; rather, he will ask "How are ''we'' feeling?".

Although ''pô'' and ''opò'' show respect, Batangueños replace these with ''hô'' and ''ohò'' (a typical Batangueño morphophonemic change). However, Batangueños understand the use of ''pô'' and ''opò'' (the more-common variant in other Tagalog-speaking regions).

Notes

References

*
* {{Cite book , last=Pancorbo , first=Luis , title=Los viajes del girasol , date=1989 , publisher=Mondadori , isbn=84-397-1489-0 , location=Madrid , pages=23–35 , chapter=En busca de los batangan , language=es

Tagalog dialects
Culture of Batangas
Mindoro