Maurie Liza M.

Nivales June 28, 2008

PHDAPLS ENG535M

My interest in gay lingo springs from a desire to have another language that can
be used with my friend Che in an FX (public utility vehicle), a place that affords us time
to catch up with each other’s lives (albeit in the presence of others) on rare occasions
that we take the same route home. There were times when we had to talk about topics
that others may have deemed inappropriate given the context and so we wished we
could speak a language incomprehensible to others. According to Baytan (in Alba
2006), this very need to communicate without being censured by others was one of the
reasons why gay lingo proliferated.

This paper analyzes the process of word formation of 16 gayspeak expressions

originally meant as “secret codes” but which have inconspicuously blended in
mainstream Filipino expressions widely used in different speech communities
regardless of gender preference (Remoto 2008).

Derivation

1. Adding /J/
Some words and expressions are formed through the process similar to derivation:
affixes are added to stem words. However, it differs from English derivation in that it
gets the last syllables or an entire word and just adds the letter J. Some examples are:

Jowa is a cover all term for a spouse, a partner, or a boyfriend/girlfriend. The second
syllable wa was retained from the Tagalog asawa.

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Jontis means buntis. Aside from the addition of letter J in the beginning of theword,
letter U was changed into O. Another word with the same process of formation is
Jonta for punta.

Julanis for ulan. The entire word ulan was retained but affixes J and IS were added.

2. Adding –ish or -ech

“ito” becomes “itech; bakla becomes baklesh;

3. Affixes, adding ny- and borrowing

Nyorbucks for Starbucks; Nyudkort for Foodcourt

Eponyms
Abundant in gay lingo are names of famous personalities in show business, literature,
media and beauty titlists. These names were adapted for the resemblance of the
sound when pronounced to the meaning of the Tagalog or English words.

Julie Yap Daza is a media personality whose name is used in gay lingo to mean “huli” or
catch. Letter /j/ was used instead of /h/ before uli.

Tom Jones/Tommy Lee Jones means gutom. The first two letters were dropped and
letters t,o,m were retained.

Melanie Marquez is a beauty titlist whose name was used as a pun in the gayspeak
sMelanie Marquez to mean someone smells bad.

Luz Valdez, from the Philippine radio and TV personality Luz Valdez, means to lose.

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Eponym and Clipping
keri – from Kerima Polotan Tuvera, the name of a highly-respected essayist, is a longer
version of the aready much-used keri (from “carry,” used originally in the context of how
well one is able to “carry a dress”—“magaling kang magdala ng damit”. The meaning
of this word changes according to the context to which it is used as in “keri mo ang
exam”- which means do-able, can easily be done. In keri mo pa ang problema mo?, it
takes the meaning of the orginal word: can you handle your problem?

Borrowing
Words in English are borrowed but their spellings are changed and meanings are
added.

Karir, from the English word career, means a situation, a task or someone that one
takes seriously. It may also mean a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

Clipping
Tagalog words are clipped but unlike clipping of English words, the remaining words are
not easily comprehsible as in Ma at Pa for malay ko at pakialam ko.

Compounding and Clipping

In badaf the words babae is added to dafat yet only the first syllables from the two
words were retained. Badaf means babae dapat or woman supposedly.

Gay lingo, much like its users, is characterized by gaiety. One might notice that
the use of these words is also in the context of merriment and fun, occasions that are
informal, situations that are far from being serious, or in the company of friends.

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References

Danton, R. (2008).ABS-CBN News Online. retrieved June 22, 2008 from

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=117223

Alba, R. (2006). The Filipino Gayspeak. Retrieved June 22, 2008 from
http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-
a/article.php?i=289&subcat=13

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