WIKA AT KASARIAN

Deborah Tannen at Jesus Federico Fernandez

Deborah Tannen
Propesora ng lingguwistika sa Georgetown University
Siya ay manunulat ng maraming libro at artikulo tungkol sa wika
at ang epekto ng pangkaraniwan g pag-uusap sa relasyon ng tao.
Siya ay kilala bilang may-akda ng You Just Don't Understand:
Women and Men in Conversation (Ito ang libro na nagbigay ng
kaalaman sa publiko tungkol sa estilo ng komunikasyon ng
magkakaibang kasarian)
Jesus Federico Hernandez
Si Propesor Fernandez ay dating Chair ng Departamento ng
Lingguwistika sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas
Ang Pasok sa Banga (Wika ng mga Bakla)" ay iprinisenta ni niya
sa Sawikaan 2010 sa UP Diliman noong July 29, 2010.
I.

Wika at Kasarian: Kaibahan ng wika para sa lalaki at babae

A. Ayon kay Tannen, ang mga lalaki at babae ay pinapalaki sa
magkaibang kultura. Ito ang dahilan kaya ang komunikasyon
sa pagitan nila ay nagiging cross-cultural na komunikasyon.
Dahil sila ay tumatanda sa magkaibang mundo, nagbibigay
daan ito sa pagkakaroon ng magkaibang estilo ng pag-uusap
sa pagitan nila at ito ay kilala bilang genderlects.
B. Sa kanyang libro na You Just dont Understand, iprinisenta ni
Tannen ang pagkakaiba sa paggamit ng wika ng mga lalaki at
babae sa pamamagitan ng anim na kaibahan:
1. Status vs Support
Ang mga lalaki ay nabubuhay sa isang mundo na kompetitibo
ang kombersasyon. Sinusubukan nilang makuha ang upper
hand upang mapigilan ang iba na dominahin sila. Para sa
babae naman, ang pakikipagusap ay paraan para makakuha
ng apirmasyon at suporta sa kanilang mga ideya.
2. Independence vs Intimacy
Ang mga babae ay karaniwang nagbibigay importansya sa
kalapitan at pagsuporta upang mapanatili ang intimacy. Ang
lalaki na nag-aalala tungkol sa kanyang katayuan o istado ay
mas nagbibigay importansya sa hindi pag-asa sa iba. Ang mga
katangian na ito ay maaaring maging dahilan ng tunay na
magkaibang opinyon ng babae o lalaki sa parehong
sitwasyon. (closeness and support vs independence) Professor
Tannen gives the example of a woman who would check with
her husband before inviting a guest to stay - because she likes
telling friends that she has to check with him. The man,

meanwhile, invites a friend without asking his wife first,

because to tell the friend he must check amounts to a loss of
status. (Often, of course, the relationship is such that an
annoyed wife will rebuke him later).
3. Advice vs Understanding
Sinasabi ni Tannen na para sa karamihan ng mga lalaki, ang
isang reklamo o daing ay hamon upang makahanap ng
solusyon.
When my mother tells my father she doesn't feel well, he invariably
offers to take her to the doctor. Invariably, she is disappointed with his
reaction. Like many men, he is focused on what he can do, whereas
she wants sympathy.
4. Information vs Feelings
A young man makes a brief phone call. His mother overhears
it as a series of grunts. Later she asks him about it - it
emerges that he has arranged to go to a specific place, where
he will play football with various people and he has to take the
ball. A young woman makes a phone call - it lasts half an hour
or more. The mother asks about it - it emerges that she has
been talking you know about stuff. The conversation has
been mostly grooming-talk and comment on feelings.
Ayon daw sa kasaysayan, ang mga alalahanin ng mga lalaki
ay itinuturing mas mahalaga kaysa sa mga alalahanin ng mga
babae. Ngayon ay maaaring ibaliktad ang sitwasyon na ito
Historically, men's concerns were seen as more important
than those of women, but today this situation may be
reversed so that the giving of information and brevity of
speech are considered of less value than sharing of emotions
and elaboration. From the viewpoint of the language student
neither is better (or worse) in any absolute sense.
5. Orders vs Proposals
Ang mga babae ay kadalasan nagpapahiwatig ng payo sa
hindi direktong paraan habang ang mga lalaki naman ay mas
gumagamit ng mga direktong pahiwatig o mga utos.
Women often suggest that people do things in indirect ways let's, why don't we? or wouldn't it be good, if we...? Men
may use, and prefer to hear, a direct imperative.
6. Conflict vs Compromise
In trying to prevent fights, writes Professor Tannen some
women refuse to oppose the will of others openly. But
sometimes it's far more effective for a woman to assert
herself, even at the risk of conflict.
This situation is easily observed in work-situations where a
management decision seems unattractive - men will often
resist it vocally, while women may appear to accede, but

complain subsequently. Of course, this is a broad

generalization - and for every one of Deborah Tannen's
oppositions, we will know of men and women who are
exceptions to the norm.
C. Paniniwala ni Tannen na ang mga babae at lalaki ay mayroong
magkaibang estilo ng komunikasyon. Ito ay ang rapport-talk sa
babae at report-talk naman sa mga lalaki.
a. Rapport-talk:Ang mga babae ay gumagamit ng pakikipag-usap
upang mapalapit sa iba.
b. Report-talk:
c. Metamessages: Dahil sa magkakaibang intensyon sa pag-uusap
na mayroong resulta na metamessages o mga impormasyon
tungkol sa relasyon at saloobin sa mga tao na sangkot sa
usapan.
Women in conversations today use language for Intimacy, hence
Tannen's term "rapport-talk." Girls are socialized as children to believe
that "talk is the glue that holds relationships together" (Tannen, p. 85),
so that as adults conversations for women are "negotiations for
closeness in which people try to seek and give confirmation and
support, and to reach consensus" (Tannen, p. 25). Conversation is for
Community; the woman is an individual in a network of connections.
Para sa mga lalaki, ang pag-uusap ay para makakuha ng impormasyon.
Sila ay
For men, conversations today are for Information, thus "report-talk."
Men negotiate to maintain the upper hand in a conversation and
protect themselves from others' perceived attempts to put them down.
Boys learn in childhood to maintain relationships primarily through
their activities, so conversation for adult males becomes a Contest; a
man is an individual in a hierarchical social order "in which he [is]
either one-up or one-down" (Tannen, p. 24). The following table further
differentiates the speech styles of men and women:
Babae
Women talk too much
time
private/small
build
relations
status/avoid failure
English language spoken
written
overlap (see definition below)
symmetry

Lalaki
Men get more air
public
negotiate
English language
one at a time
asymmetry

Men
Use talk to assert their independence.
Sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship
Hear talk of problems as a request for advice or help.
Give orders as a way of gaining social status.
Use more small talk.
Women
Use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy.
Talking is the essence of intimacy; sitting and talking means
friendship.
Speaking about problems is the essence of connection.
Rule by consensus; get the input of others to make a decision.
Go in-depth on a topic.
If we believe that women and men have different styles and that the male is the
standard, we are hurting both women and men. The women are treated based on the
norms for men, and men with good intentions speak to women as they would other
men and are perplexed when their words spark anger and resentment.

One of Deborah Tannen's most influential ideas is that of the

male as norm. Such terms as men, man and
mankind may imply this. The term for the species or
people in general is the same as that for one sex only.
But if, in fact, people believe that men's and women's speech
styles are different (as Tannen does), it seems that it is
usually the women who are told to change. Tannen says,
Denying real differences can only compound the
confusion that is already widespread in this era of
shifting and re-forming relationships between women and
men. Susan Githens comments on Professor Tannen's
views, as follows:
If we believe that women and men have different styles and
that the male is the standard, we are hurting both women
and men. The women are treated based on the norms for
men, and men with good intentions speak to women as
they would other men and are perplexed when their
words spark anger and resentment. Finally, apart from
her objection to women having to do all the changing,
Tannen states that women changing will not work either.
As Dale Spender theorized, women who talk like men are
judged differently -- and harshly. A woman invading the
man's realm of speech is often considered unfeminine,
rude or bitchy.
If you understand gender differences in what I call conversational style, you
may not be able to prevent disagreements from arising, but you stand a
better chance of preventing them from spiralling out of control ...

Understanding the others ways of talking is a giant leap across the

communication gap between women and men, and a giant step toward
opening lines of communication

Ang mga babae at lalaki ay mas gugustuhin na maintindihan ang isat isa
sa kanilang estilo dahil iniisip natin na nabubuhay tayo sa parehong
mundo ng komunikasyon. Ayon kay Tannen, kung pag-iisipan lang natin ito
at mag-aadjust tayo kung kinakailangan, karamihan ng hindi
pagkakasunduan ay maaaring maiwasan.

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Pasok sa Banga (Wika ng mga Bakla)

Ito ang lektura ni Prof. Hernandez noong Sawikaan 2010 sa UP
Diliman.
Ang ibig sabihin ng pasok sa banga ay swak, o kaya naman
isang bagay na uso o katanggap-tanggap
Bekimon
Ito ay nanggagaling sa dalawang salita. Ang una ay beki," na
gay speak para sa bakla" at jejemon," na ang kakaibang
panunulat o linggwahe na ginagamit sa Internet o sa pag-tetext
ng ilang mga Pilipino.
Ayon kay Prof. Hernandez, ito ang bagong tawag sa gay lingo
Ito ang kakaiba at maaari ring nakalilito (para sa iba na hindi
parte) na wika ng mga bakla dito sa bansa.
Mayroong siyam na paraan ng pagbuo ng mga bekimon na
salita:
Paglalapi o paggagamit ng suffixes na walang grammatical function.
Halimbawa: Ang ano" ay maisasalin sa anek at anekwabum
Ang ano ito" ay anitch ititch."
Pagpalit ng tunog ng mga salita.
Halimbawa: Ang asawa" ay nagiging jowa," kyowa," and
nyowa."
Ang nakakaloka" becomes nakakalerki."
Paggamit ng acronyms.
Halimbawa: Ang ibig sabihin ng GL" ay ganda lang," (kapag
may nakuha kang libre dahil sa kagandahan ng itsura)
Ang OPM" naman ay oh promise me," which refers to a white lie or a
promise that is not meant to be fulfilled.
Pag-uulit ng salita o bahagi ng salita
Halimbawa: wit" o wititit" ang bekimon ng salitang hindi"
Chika" (mababaw na usapan) ay nagiging chikachika
Pagkakaltas o pagpapaikli ng salita o parirala.
Halimbawa: Ang paninigarilyo pinaikli mula sa sunog baga" to
suba."
Ang ma at pa," ay hindi magulang; ibig sabihin nito
ay malay

6.

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ko at pakialam ko" (I dont know and I dont care).

Katunog o pagkapareho ng tunog.
Halimbawa: Ang noselift" ay nagiging alam" dahil katunog ng
nose" (ilong) ang knows," as in noselift ko ang sagot
sa exam."
Paggamit ng pangalan ng mga sikat na tao o lugar.
Halimbawa: Carmi Martin -> karma
Rita Avila" -> irita
"Luz Valdez" -> loser
Wynona Ryder" -> winner
Baliwag, Bulacan" -> baliw or crazy.
Paghihiram- panghiram mula sa banyaga o lokal na wika.
Halimbawa: Ang Ingles na salitang fly" ay may kahulugan na
pag-alis
Ang warla o warlalu" ay mula sa salitang war"
Ang Hiligaynon na salitang daku" (malaki) ay may
parehong kahulugan sa bekimon.
Because there are many Filipino transsexuals working in Japan, several
Nihonggo words have also entered the bekimon vocabulary including
otoko" for man, okama" for gay, and watashi" for me."
Pagbabago sa kahulugan ng mga salitang hiniram
Isang halimbawa ang salitang award" na nagkakaroon ng negatibong
kahulugan
tulad ng pagkakamali o kapag napagalitan ang isa imbes na ang
karaniwang
kahulugan na pagtanggap ng rekognisyon o parangal dahil sa
mabuting gawain.
Hal. Award ako sa tatay ko dahil alas-tres ng madaling araw na akong
nakauwi (I was scolded by my father because I came home at three in
the morning).
Ayon kay Prof. Hernandez, ang bekimon ay proseso ng pagkokodigo sa
karanasang bakla. Itinatago (ng Bekimon) ang tunay na anyo ng salita
upang hindi maintindihan." Para sa kanya, ang bekimon ay pagbabago
sa homophobic na lipunan, lalo na ng simbahan. Idinagdag niya na
binibigyan nito ng kalayaan ang mga tao buhayin ang bakalang
karanasan o bilang instrumento ng mga bakla sa pakikitunggali sa
mapang-aping lipunan."
Ang bekimon ay nagiging paraan upang mapagusapan ng mga bakla
ang kanilang buhay nang hindi naiintindihan ng mga hetorosexual sa
kanilang paligid. (marami sa kanila na homophobic) Dahil dito, ang
bekimon ay kadalasan at madaling nag-iiba at nagbabago.