Tagalog Profanity

Tagalog profanity can refer to a wide range of offensive, blasphemous, and taboo words or expressions in the Tagalog language of the Philippines. Due to Filipino culture, expressions which may sound benign when translated back to English can cause great offense; while some expressions English speakers might take great offense to can sound benign to a Tagalog speaker. Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is the standard register of Tagalog, so as such the terms Filipino profanity and Filipino swear words are sometimes also employed.

In Tagalog, profanity has many names: in a religious or formal context, it is called ''lapastangang pananalita'' ("blasphemous/irreverent speech") or ''pag-alipusta''/''panlalait'' ("insult"). The word ''paghamak'' is also sometimes used formally and has a sense similar to "affront". Colloquially, the words ''mura'' ("swear word") and ''sumumpâ'' ("to wish evil n someone) are used.

Owing to successive Spanish and American colonial administrations, some Tagalog profanity has its etymological roots in the profanity of European languages. Other concepts, like ''hiya'', are similar to sociological concepts such as face, which are common across East Asia.

Unlike in Western culture, where certain words are never acceptable in all but the most informal contexts, Tagalog profanity is context-sensitive: words which are considered profane or insulting in one context are often acceptable in another.

''Putang ina mo''

Owing partly to its use in speeches by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, the phrase ''putang ina mo'' (sometimes shortened to ''tang ina'' or minced as ''PI'') has received considerable international attention and controversy as to its meaning. ''Puta'' is a borrowed word from Spanish, in which language it means "whore". ''Ina'' is Tagalog for mother, while ''mo'' is the indirect second person singular pronoun. Therefore, if translated word-for-word, the phrase means "your mother is a whore".

However, most Tagalog speakers dispute this simplistic translation, instead alternately rendering the phrase as "son of a bitch" or as a variation of the word "fuck".

According to linguist Ben Zimmer, given the context and how the meaning of ''puta'' has shifted in Tagalog, the best translation of Duterte's original "''Putang-ina, mumurahin kita diyan sa forum na iyan. Huwag mo akong ganunin.''" would be "Fuck, I will cuss you out at that forum. Don't do that to me."

Besides being directed at people, ''putang ina'' can be just as well directed at inanimate objects: University of the Philippines Los Baños alumnus Cheeno Marlo M. Sayuno has documented the use of "''tang ina error!''" as an expression of exasperation due to PC errors, and "''Uy net! Putang ina mo!''" as something akin to "Hey, lowinternet onnection fuck you!" As in the English ''fucking'', the phrase can also be used as an adjective, as in the case of "''putanginang aso''" ("fucking dog") or "''Diyos ko, putanginang buhay ko!''" ("God, fuck my shitty life!")

This non-literal meaning of the phrase ''putang ina mo'' has twice been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines: first in 1969 in its decision to ''Rosauro Reyes v. The People of the Philippines'' (G.R. No. L-21528 and No. L-21529), and then in 2006 in its decision to ''Noel Villanueva v. People of the Philippines and Yolanda Castro'' (G.R. No. 160351). In ''Reyes'', a ''certiorari'' appeal to a criminal defamation and grave threats case, the court acquitted the defendant, ruling that his use of a protest sign reading "Agustin, putang ina mo" did not constitute defamation as

In ''Villanueva'', another slander case involving two local politicians of Concepcion, Tarlac, the court reiterated its interpretation of the phrase, but the other facts of the case precluded acquittal.

''Walang hiya''

''Hiya'' is a Filipino psychological concept similar to face and modesty in other cultures. Author Mary Isabelle Bresnahan has described it thus: "just as the sensitive ''makahiya'' plant protects its inside from direct touch, so too do people hold back in defense of ''loob'' heir inner selves" When translated to English, the words "shame", "embarrassment" and "dishonor" can be employed as a substitute for ''hiya'' depending on context.

Like much Tagalog profanity, the phrase "''Walang hiya ka!''" (You have no shame!) can vary in offense taken from very little to "the ultimate loob-wounding comment" depending on context and the relationship between the speaker and the receiver. According to Gerhard van den Top, allegations of shamelessness are most damaging when the social class of people differ, and the poor may consciously avoid interaction with the rich to prevent even unspoken damage to ''hiya''.

In his oft-cited 1964 article "Hiya", psychologist Jaime C. Bulatao defines ''Walang hiya'' as "recklessness regarding the social expectations of society, an inconsideration for the feelings of others, and an absence of sensitivity to the censures of authority or society."

''Tae''

Unlike in many other languages, Tagalog has no word for excrement that would be considered considerably vulgar, such as English ''shit'' or Spanish ''mierda''. The two Tagalog words for feces, ''tae'' and ''dumi'', are closer to the sense of the English ''poop''. In fact, these words are often used even in medical contexts: a ''pagtae'' is a bowel movement, while ''magtae'' references diarrhea. ''Tae'', is, however, considered by some to be slightly more crass than the more euphemistic ''dumi''. Nevertheless, these words can still be used to cause offence if the speaker adds to them, of course, as in the expression ''Kain tae'' (eat shit).

''Punyeta''

Descended from the Spanish puñeta, the Tagalog version of this word is seldom used in the Spanish sense of "wanker", but rather as an interjection expressing frustration, disappointment, or misery. When ''punyeta'' is used as an insult directed at a person as in "''Mga punyeta kayo!''" (You are all ''punyeta''(s)!), it has a sense similar to the English word asshole.

This word was used heavily by John Arcilla, who portrayed General Antonio Luna in the 2015 Philippine epic film ''Heneral Luna'', in lines such as "" (Speaking English to me in my own country? What an asshole!). Ambeth R. Ocampo, writing in the ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'', criticized the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for giving the film a R-18 rating despite the use of this word and others just because the swear words were Spanish-derived. Other observers have described ''punyeta'' as being as obscene as ''putang ina mo''.

''Gago''

''Gago'' is a descendant of the Spanish word gago, which means "stutterer", but means "stupid", "foolish" or "ignorant" in Tagalog. It is interchangeable with the related terms of native etymology: ''tanga'', ''(b)ugok'', ''botlog'', ''(b)ulol'' and ''bobo''.

Slang terms derived from ''gago'' are ''kagaguhan'' ("a foolish action"), ''ogag'' (same meaning as ''gago''), and ''nakakagago'' ("to be made to feel stupid").

''Ulol'', ''loko'', and ''sira ulo'' can be used similarly, but they are not interchangeable; they also imply madness or mental retardation on top of stupidity.

According to Article 27 ("On-Air Language") of the Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines's ''2007 Broadcast Code of the Philippines'', "Name-calling and personal insults are prohibited." While this code is strictly voluntary and only affects members of the organization, as the organization counts among its members widely syndicated channels such as ABS-CBN and TV5, penalties for breaking this rule affect a large number of broadcasters and media personalities: fines start at 15,000, and quickly escalate to 25,000 and a 90-day suspension.

To avoid breaching this rule, some stations have trialed neural networks which listen to the speech of actors and guests/contestants real time during live performances, and automatically censor certain words. In a paper explaining the system, particular attention was paid by the De La Salle University researchers to censoring potentially insulting words such as ''gago'' and ''ulol''.

Like many Spanish words borrowed into Tagalog, ''gago'' is gendered: the female form for a single woman or group of women is ''gaga'', while ''gago'' is used for a single man, a group of men, or a group of men and women.

According to the ''UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino'', ''gago'' is also used in the sense of ''mahina ang ulo'' (a slow learner).

''Pakshet''

''Pakshet'' is a portmanteau

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