Thursday, January 05, 2012

Why Davao Tagalog is Funny and Equally Amazing

DISCLAIMER: This particular post is just a collection of stories about Davao Tagalog  (personal insights of the author included). The "how-to-speak-Davao-Tagalog-101" was originally written by Mr. Ian Garcia sometime in '98-99. I do not own that part, as well as the Nay Pruneset story (I can no longer trace that particular blog written by someone named  Weng).



For years, Davao has been known to be one of the most diverse cities here in the Philippines; having been tagged as a melting pot of cultures. True enough, a number of indigenous tribes settle in the mountainous region of the city and a number of people from different points of the country settle in Davao City for good. And because of that, the city has been home to numerous local languages of the Philippines - Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Chavacano, Ilokano, Bikolano - you name it.

If the Filipino language is a composition of all the dialects and languages in the Philippines , you might as well say that the language we speak in Davao City is the real Filipino language, and not Tagalog.


How can one distinguish a Davaoeño to a Cebuano? Or to a Kagay-anon, perhaps? Difficult? Easy. Easy as a-b-c. Davaoeños are one of the most unique people in the world. We can easily stand out if we are placed in a crowd of Filipinos from other parts of the country. And how, you say? Language.




Metropolitan Davao at night. (Photo credit)


The Curious Case of Davao Jeepneys

Few years ago, a good friend of mine from Manila visited Davao and was pretty much intrigued to the existence of these three beings aptly named Nanay Pruneset, Miss Pruneset and Boogie.

She hailed a jeepney that would take her to her favorite mall. Inside the jeepney, the conductor collected the fare of the passengers and shouted "Oh, lugar lang, lugar lang". After the jeepney stopped and waited for more passengers in front of a wet market, the conductor shouted, "Si Boogie lang! Si Boogie lang!". Intrigued, my friend looked outside and found no one. A few minutes later, the conductor shouted again, but this time with a different name. "Nay Pruneset! Nay Pruneset!" A young man entered the jeepney and found a seat. He must be Boogie, my friend claimed. The jeepney sped off, continuing its journey.

The jeepney made a stop again but the conductor called the same name.

"Si Boogie lang! Si Boogie lang! Nay Pruneset! Nay Pruneset!"

My friend thought that Boogie's already inside the jeep. That made her more confused. The cycle continued three times more but the conductor kept on calling the same names.

"Punyeta Nanay Pruneset, nasaan ka ba? Bilisan mo na kasi, nagmamadali pa naman ako!", my friend cursed under her breath.

The Curious Case of Nanay Pruneset! (Photo credit)

An old lady carrying two woven baskets entered the jeep. My friend got relieved upon seeing the old lady. "Finally, nandito ka na, Nanay Pruneset!".

But the jeep didn't move and had no plans to speed off to the next destination. My friend learned that the conductor was still busy looking for what it seemed to be Nanay Pruneset's long lost daughter.

"Miss Pruneset, miss pruneset!"

"Uggghhhh not again!", my friend muttered.

And from that day, my friend vowed to meet up with Boogie, Miss Pruneset and Nanay Pruneset ASAP and tell the three of them to rendezvous in one common place to avoid the inconveniences they had caused to the passengers... or so she thought.



Davao Tagalog 101

First time visitors would easily get confused with Davao's language. Yes, the city's dominant language is Cebuano, but it is totally different, I tell you. I've been living in Davao since forever and I can really attest to that difference.

When stating a fact, Manilenyos say, "Talagang mabait si Gina." In Davao, we say "Mabait bitaw gyud si Weng". Too assertive? One asks, "Ano nga `yong pangalan mo?". In Davao we say, "Ano gani `yong pangalan (or worst, ngalan) mo?". When somebody commits a mistake or surprises someone, we always never fail to say, "Halaka!". Duh. 

We are fond of re-constructing the language. 

There's the GI+ verb, such as,"Gisabi kasi ni Elena na mag-absent si Bernie bukas", or "Ginanon ni Lala si Chino sa mukha ba!". You'll never find "ginanon" in any dictionary, I swear to God.

There's the KA+ adjective, as in, "Kaputi gyud ng mukha ni Yeng" or "Kapayat gyud ni Jay ngayon."

The MAKA + verb form, such as, "Maka-inis talaga si Albert, uy!" or "Maka-uwi talaga ako ng matagal ngayon".

The NAG+ verb, as in,"Nagsabi kasi si Tita Priya na magpunta daw tayo ng airport" or "Hindi pa man siya nagdating, uy!"

Adding new words or new meanings to old words to the dictionary is one of our favorite past time.

NAKIN: "Alam man nakin `yan ba!", "Saan nakin kita nakita gani?".
KU-AN: "Ku- an daw ang gawin mo", "Si ku-an kasi ano masyado". (No sense at all.)
ANO: "Na-ano ka diyan, Bryan !", "Ano man yan si Van, uy!".
HA: "Lake-ha na ng tiyan ni Lulu uy!", "Gwapa-ha niya uy!"
BEH: "Sige daw beh, dare!", "Pakipasa daw ng ballpen ni Tzaris beh".
KAY: "Huwag na, Wowie, kay nandito naman si Norma", "Umupo ka muna kay
nasa-CR pa si Elma." 

Substituting names such as 'dong' and 'nang' has been a sign of respect to strangers. I'd rather be called 'dong' rather than being 'Pssssst' by random people. It is a bit offensive, I must say. But here's the twist: We often name people "Jude Uy" even if they do not look Chinese.

Friend: Renz Uy! Makainis ka na ba!

Now tell me. Do I look like a Chinese to you, huh?

We sometimes add 'ba' after the first name. Renzba! Wengba! Jamesba! Jesusba!

Friend: Renz ba! Alis ka diyan!

Ba-ba-ba-black sheep!

To express disgust over someone, we utter, "Gago kaba diay para maniwala sa kanya", or "Ano man yan siya uy!", or "Maka-inis man yan siya, uy!", or when pestered when doing something, you'd quip,"Huwag lagi ba!" On the other hand, when we praise somebody's extra special deed or talent, our Davaoeño tongue slips words like,"Kuyaw lagi iyan siya!", "Galenga niya uy!", "Ayusa niya uy!", "Kuyawa ni Orlando uy!" or "Hindi ako makatu-o sa ginawa niya!".

Hay, makatawa talaga. Ooops!


Ano man ang masabi mo dito uy?

This trend has already been here for ages. It is just, we Davaoeños are unconscious with regards to it... and that includes me. Some claim that it's bastardizing the Cebuano dialect. Other say it sounds conyo and unpleasant to hear.

Well, it just shows that a language will evolve through time.

Whether we like it, or not.


---



157 comments:

  1. I have several friends from Davao and they speak the same..parang combination ng tagalog at bisaya na sobrang awkward pakinggan at first..pero unique..na nakakatuwa ..hehe..

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  2. I know right! Actually I didn't know how to speak Cebuano until I was nine (I was forbidden to speak Cebuano at home eh). Little by little, na develop na yung Davao Tagalog skills ko. LOL!

    Nakatatawa siyang pakinggan pero it's indeed unique.

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  3. Ka-funny mo gyud Renz UY! Ginapatawa mo man ako. Kuyaw.

    Laughing out load at past 12 midnight. Literally.

    Mahal ko gyud Davao pati mga taga-Davao. <3

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  4. I cannot blame the Davaoeños for it. For having such a multi-ethnic background, language of the dominant people tend to morph and adapt to the language of the lesser groups. In Gensan for example, its Bisaya but uniquely you often hear Hiligaynon/Ilonggo terms and sentence construction. Ilonggo in Marbel is not that as deep as the Ilonggo of Western Visayas and their accent is stronger than those, because of the influence of the Cebuanos, Ilokanos and Maguindanaoans. In Davao, its history has proven its colourful background. :)

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  5. Ria: HAHAHA! Funny jud nito ba!

    @Bern: True! When I went to GenSan last November, halo ang Bisaya-Hiligaynon! Like, "Diin ka maglakaw?" Hahaha!

    Kaya pala mas maintindihan ko ang Marbel Hiligaynon than the Iloilo counterpart! :))

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  6. Wiz ko getsung ang Davao-spluk na itechiwa! >_<

    Tutorials when I get there pls. Hahaha.

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  7. Sige, tuturuan kita pero in one condition: dapat kukunan ka namin ng video ala Miss uGanda :))

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  8. Ka-funny nga haha sina Ate Ria at Ate Brendel ang lakas makahawa hehe pero paunti-unti lang naa-adapt ko. Yung accent pero nakukuha ko hehe :D

    Kaya minsan kunwari galing ako ng Davao then biglang Cebu nagtataka ako bakit magkaiba =))

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  9. hahaha. kafunny mo talaga renz uy! makatawa man ako sa article na to. nagagsige ra jud ako katawa bah. hahaha. epic ang "bastardization of the Cebuano dialect" hahaha

    keep it up! LOL

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    Replies
    1. Bilang isang linguist at taga Davao din, natuwa ako sa blog mong ito. Napatawa mo ako sa mga contents na talagang tatak Davao. Maypas Davao nanay pruneset uban pa gyod si boogie hahahahhaha

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  10. Kakatuwa nga... hahaha!

    Galenga mo Renz Uy!

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  11. Renz UY! Ikaw na jud yan ba.. galenga mo jud..! Naga-tawa parin gud ako now. katuwa nito uy.. LOL

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  12. @mica Hahahaha! Ay grabe talagang mag Davao Tagalog sina Ate Ria and Ate Brendel. Kaloka! :))

    @doi still remember the teens sa Mcdo MTS last Kadayawan? Hahahaha!!!

    @Rovie and Junnie: Mahiya na jud ako ba kay gibasa niyo ang buang2x ko na post! Hehehe salamat

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  13. I landed in Davao way back in 1978, after working in Manila for 2 years. By then as I was born in Zamboanga, with and Ilonga mother and a cebuano mother, I had learned to speak several local dialects including tausug, ilongo, cebuano, chavacano and a little ilocano, and subanen.My father instilled upon me that in learning a dialect, learn everything including the accent ( specially chavacano. When i went to a mall i talked in tagalog, the sales lady talked back which i thought was a "trying hard tagalog"I taked back in Cebuano, still she persisted on her " trying hard " tagalog, to my mind why would she try to pretend to speak tagalog when i can perfectly understand cebuano. Later when I met my wife, i knew, they speak the Davao Tagalog.. have you heard of Tagalog sa Mati? its another story

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  14. Sa US na eh, there area that was once part of the Spanish and Mexican territories have an evolving language... "Spanglish"

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  15. @Bern: Me no speak Americano! PAPA AMERICANO! Tut tut tut tutttt!

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  16. Bwahahaha. . adik ka Renz. Pero, I don't know why, but sometimes I cringe in total disbelief to the existence of this language/dialect.

    While, I sometimes use this language especially at school and with you around (haha!). It's just that sometimes, when you hear it from others it'll sound so awkward that you can't help but laugh and deliberately say "Ano man yan sya uy!!" in your mind.


    I believe though that the Davao tagalog is prevalent only to students, "Abreeza-people" and Davaoenos of mostly our age. lols

    Makalagot man yan oi! Davao Tagalog is so Nakakatakod!!

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  17. it is only now that i knew and perhaps learn that there exist a Davao word na combo ng tagalog at bisayan. hehe.

    Salamat for this RM.

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  18. Makalingaw man ito uy! Nyahaha!

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  19. @Mark: Makatakod jud talaga ba! And Samuka sa Abreeza people uy!!! HAHAHAHA

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  20. Anonymous11:43 AM

    Salamat kaayo diri, maka-miss man jud ang Davao! (Davao girl living in Manila here :D)

    Minsan lumalabas talaga ang Davao-Tagalog ko, kahit kasama ko mga friends kong Manilenyo. :)

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  21. sakay ko sa pruneset.. hehehehe ^_^

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  22. ahahaha .. nice one .. a davaoena here .. back when i was still in high school i remember using NAGA in my tagalog .. like : "naga kain pa ako" .. ahahah .. but when i set foot in college my tagalog has improved that when i based in Manila i already use the proper Tagalog .. but when i got home my nephew talks TAG-BIS .. with the GI .. UY .. BA .. :D

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  23. Anonymous1:44 PM

    kasagaran taga Ateneo ang madunggan nko na naga estorya ug ingon ani. :D

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  24. Yeah!! Blame ABREEZA!! The place of the upper uppers who mostly uses the davao tagalog dialect. :-)

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  25. Anonymous2:16 PM

    alam nyo.. na observe ko na hindi naman talaga ganyan mag talk ang mga taga davao.. most of these people who talked like that are from other provinces na nagschool sa davao.. for instance, ang mga taga cotabato may halong bisaya ang dialect nila.. muslim dominated ang cotabato at mga ilonng at bisaya ang iba.. since hindi naman nakakaintindi ng bisaya ang mga muslim.. so nagtatagalog ang mga ilonngo/bisaya doon pero may halong bisaya ang tagalog nila.. that explains "nagkain ka na?" para sa "nagkaon na ka?" "magpunta tayo sa mall" para sa "mag adto tah sa mall".. yung "mag" at "nag" usually ang first sylable ng bisaya dialect na na-dadala at usually nahahalo sa tagalog nila... na-observe ko na ganito magtalk ang nasa mga high end schools ng davao.. pero yung mga nsa public at midddle class na schools ay bisaya talaga ang gamit na dialect... kasi nga marami ang nag-aaral sa mga high end schools na galing sa ibang provinces lalo na yung mayayaman sa lugar nila.. :)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:29 AM

      agree! kanang mga taga province na nag skwela sa skwelahan diha sa roxas

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  26. Anonymous2:31 PM

    Alam nyo, sa totoo lang, hindi naman talaga ganyan magsalita ang mga taga davao… Kung mapapansin nyo, mga students from hign end schools sa davao ang nagsasalita ng ganyan.. Pero kung pupunta kayo sa mga public at middle class schools ay talagang bisaya ang gamit na dialect at bihira ka lang makarinig ng nagtatagalog dun... Ang theory ko about ay ganito.. For instance, maraming students from the provinces ang nag-aaral dito sa davao.. Yung mga mayayaman sa lugar nila ay usually nag eenrol dito sa Davao.. Like Cotabato City which is Muslim dominated, but may mga Kristiyano na mostly bisaya at ilonggo.. Since hindi naman nakakaintindi ng bisaya ang mga Muslim, nagtatagalog ang mga Kristiyano dun per may halong bisaya dahil yun naman talaga ang dialect nila.. That explains "NAG-kain ka na?" para sa "NAG-kaon na ka?", "MAG-punta tayo sa mall" para sa "MAG-adto tah sa mall".. Yung "NAG" at "MAG" ay usually ang firts sylable ng Bisaya words which is na-hahalo at usually nadadala pag nagtatagalog sila... Eto yung mga tao na madalas nating marinig na nagsasalita ng tagalog na may halong bisaya... Pero, may reason naman talaga kung bakit sila ganun magsalita...

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  27. Bata pa lang ako, sinasaway na ako ng nanay ko kasi di raw straight ang Tagalog.

    Later na nako narealize na ONLY IN DAVAO diay ni na language. Haha!

    Galinga mo RM uy. Kudos for the hilarious write-up!

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  28. Anonymous2:38 PM

    makatawa ako kay the same thing happened to me in Cebu pud. i was looking (in vain, i might add) for the famous KITTY, as in "Sikiti! Sikiti!" when a friend and i rode the jeep there. Kafunny kay we answered the conductor pa jud with a very innocent "Halaka, Kuya, dili man Kitty akong pangalan! Dili pud Kitty iyang pangalan (pointing to friend)..so kinsang Kitty imong ginapangita?" at which point the conductor burst out in tickly laughter and said, "Sikiti ba..ISBUGI." Aw. :D

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  29. great_sebastian2:43 PM

    malalaman talaga ba noh? kapag taga davao na magstorya ug tagalog... hahaha

    I had my unforgettable experience pabalik na ako ng Davao that time sa NAIA.. out of katuwaan with my friends while waiting sa plane,. i spoke a DAVAO TAGALOG,.. and our topic that time about sa pag-ibig bitaw... sa dihang may isa ka lalaki sa among likuran hastang katawa uy the way i speak..hahaha

    indeed nakakatuwa man diay ang atong language hehehe sosyal na bisaya kasi hinaluan na ug tagalog hahaha DAVAO ROCKS!!!!!

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  30. this is nice! tatak davao!

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  31. kataw-anan jud tayo masyado uy. :D

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  32. Byatris4:24 PM

    you forgot about the "noh?" renz. :)) my non-davao friends find it irritating. :))

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  33. Anonymous5:16 PM

    di ko talaga namalayan na ibang iba pala talaga ang "pagka-tagalog" ko sa tagalog ng mga taga-manila not until when I went to a conference in cebu na may mga manileño/a. they find it odd pero cute daw (the gi-thing) :)) mga friends ko kasi dito sa davao, naiibahan sa akin kasi older family/relatives ko tagalog magsalita (mga deep bisaya kasi sila - sila ang naiiba sa akin :P).. pero since younger generation ako, naging tagalog/bisaya/english na ang language ko.. paminsan nabubulol na ako sa sarili ko rin e haha

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  34. Hello everyone! Really enjoyed reading your feedback. Anyway, it's really true that people from the middle to upper class often speak like this compared to, sorry for the lack of better adjective, lower class. But then again, it just shows that Davao indeed is a very diverse place. :)

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  35. Anonymous6:45 PM

    Nicely written, humorous but with a grain of truth. I grew up in Davao and have since migrated abroad (1981) and your article brought back lovely memories of lovely Davao and it's lovely people!! Kudos on your article... frankly - that was the way I also spoke in my heyday but you omitted to mention the most famous words that I often speak to my grandchildren now.... Samok!! and Kapoy na!!! Best Regards... Ven

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  36. kristine7:54 PM

    4th gen up usually talks like that but when u hear our ancestor and 3rd gen dabawenyos the native dialect is the same as the davao oriental.."diin ka magkadto"(correct me if im wrong)...tbh never learn the dialect..

    alzate-bustamante-bangoy suazo clan

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  37. Anonymous8:17 PM

    May "gani" pa! Naalala ko yung nagbakasyon kami sa Manila last summer, yung kapatid ko sige sabi ng "Hindi gani" kung everytime mag-disagree siya sa mga pinsan ko. Tapos yung mga pinsan ko rin sige ask ng "Anong gani?" :)) Magkabuang pud mi ug explain sa akong ate xD

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  38. Sarah8:26 PM

    Can you explain who the three 'beings' are?

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  39. @Kristine: Diin ka makadto is a Hiligaynon phrase.

    @Sarah:

    Pruneset - Front seat. (Nay prunset - may front seat pa)

    Boogie - From the Cebuano word, Sibugi, meaning, urong/move

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  40. Anonymous9:00 PM

    Jud kainis sila pakinggan! maglagot ko sa "uy" hahaha! marami man yan sa cotabato..pati ako nahawaan din ba gaya nila! hahaha..sa Manila-"maganda", sa cebu-"nindut", unya sa DABAW-"Halah!,NICE lagi siya!" mao na lahi ra jud ang dabawenyo!hahaha

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  41. I was born and raised in Davao, but the time I turned 10, we transferred to Polomolok (a mid-sized town between Gensan and Marbel).

    Just wanna share: Polomolok's fusion of Hiligaynon and Cebuano are cool. Imagine two people, A [speaking Hiligaynon] and B [speaking Cebuano], talking to each other and have no problems understanding each other. :D Basta, the Hiligaynon and Cebuano being spoken in our town is really weird and cool.

    Anyway, I went back to Davao for college and I was shocked to hear Davao Tagalog in my college schoolmates.

    Actually I have to agree, students who graduated from high end schools speak this form of Tagalog, whereas tung mga kaila nako na taga-Assumption & City High, dili in-ato mag-storya ug Tagalog kay Bisdak kaayo sila. XD

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  42. Anonymous9:24 PM

    not necessarily true na mostly middle class or upper class. it's more often because a lot of residents in davao come from different places. matutuwa ka na lang sa variety of "languages", kaya nga melting pot of culture eh.. walang kinalamna ang class jan ;) pero maybe the abreeza class is true.. hahaha

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  43. makalingaw, makamingaw, im in cebu right now working, lahi ra jd pg davao, ma-compare jd nko ang pure cebuano, dvo cebuano

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  44. Hahhahhahaa loved all the Feedbacks~~<3

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  45. isa pa... kahirap man d2 sa cebu wala akong makausap na dvoeno.. miss u davao..life is here indeed

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  46. Davao misses you too, Mateo!

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  47. Anonymous10:39 PM

    hahaha...nice article! i remember my first shopping experience in divisoria with my fellow dabawenya friend years back. we learned that we can get the goods at a lesser price so my friend asked the saleslady for a discount or tawad and said "sige naman oh, patawarin mo naman ako!" toinks!!!!

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  48. Anonymous10:40 PM

    been here in davao for almost 13 years..i was born and grew up in manila..just transfer when i was 15, & really cant forget my first day in school back then..as expected as a transferee, i cant speak bisaya..pure tagalog..others will talk to me in return in tagalog but most of them will have it in 'davao-tagalog'..and for some na nahihirapan talaga mag-tagalog,naiinis kasi bakit pa daw ako nagtatagalog eh nandito na ako sa davao...so as a high school student,i tried to learn their language..others will really laugh at me if mag-bisaya ako..others suggest mag-tagalog na lang daw ako ulit kasi kasi para daw akong muslim pakinggan..(no offense with muslims)..which is true sometimes kc napagkakamalan akong muslim sa accent ko...but when i reach college(by that time,i learned basic visayan words na)i usually talk in vernacular na but using simple words lng kc baka mamali ako, pagtawanan nanaman ako just like what happened when i was in high school na kasi nga im trying to learn, i read the sign board ng jeep na sasa 11-12 nakalagay as "sasa-eleven twelve" which is supposed to be read as "sasa onse-dose" pala...grabeh tawa ng classmate ko nun na hanggang kinabukasan kinuwento pa tlga sa klase namin..kaya mula non, i really tried na matutunan ang bisaya...yun nga lang, as years past by, d ko pa rin tlaga maiwasan matawa minsan kasi hearing davaoenos speak in tagalaog, malalaman mo talaga na hndi sila pure tagalog...mga "bis-dak"..bisayang dako... :) i mean, not all..but there were lots of them na mga "bis-dak"...even those who are studying in popular schools/colleges/universities...i dont know but in some ways i appreciate the language because when I went back in manila for a vacation, parang its a good feeling din na nagsasalita ka ng bisaya dun and everybody will be amazed and wondering ano ba sinasabi mo..only my mother lang nakakaintindi sa akin kasi she's waray..and if we want to talk na medyo confidential, we are just going to speak bisaya lang... :)& theres somebody there na na-recognize ko na bisaya din kasi he is asking the store bout TABLEYA...and i think, dito lang sa davao yung word na yun kasi d2 ko lang narinig yung TABLEYA..as well as "owel" for oil, "nudols" for noodles, "traysikol" for tricycle"...tama ba ako?... :) sometimes, until now cant understand pa rin some of bisaya words so still i need to ask somebody pa to translate it for me..but at least i know the accent na... :)

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  49. this is so true!! that even my husband who is pure manileno, keeps askin' me why do we always attach words like, man, ba, oi, and the likes.. but he loves it anyway!..

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  50. Sasa eleven-twelve FOR THE WIN!!! =))

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:46 PM

      Naay mga jeep nga hangtud lang sa kilometro 11, which is still part of Sasa.
      Naay mga jeep nga hangtud lang sa kilometro 11, uban hangtud sa km. 12, also a part of Sasa bordering Panacsn.
      Sometimes, when one asks you where you live, just say sa Onse, without saying Sasa because it stretches all the way to Dose before Panacan which also starts sa Dose.

      Delete
  51. Anonymous10:56 PM

    sus renz..kakuyaw gyud ang iyong post. wala mo pa gi add ang mga sagot sa mga tanong gaya ng....

    nagkain ka na?....sagot...wala pa
    nagbayad ka na?.....sagot...wala pa...
    malapit na?.... sagot...wala pa...
    kapoy ka?.... sagot..wala pa lagi!


    pag in disbelief.... magsabi ng..Sharo! hindi baya ako maniwala.

    if someone is selfish.... ka dupang mo gyud oy!

    Sa totoo lang, that Davao tagalog has been in existence in the 70's when even the bankerohan vendors (take note...yung mga tindera ng isda, manok, baka, prutas etc. etc.) would also talk that way since there was still a hefty number of Batanguenos, Cavitenos, Novo ecijanos, bulakenyos in Davao... Yun lang nga in the early 80's dumami na ang mga Cebuanos/boholanos and migrants from other parts of mindanao that this language was relegated really to the Davao City old timers....

    Kaya sa mga nagasabi na pang rich lang ang Davao Tagalog, hala oy... hindi gyud ako mag paniwala sa iyong ginasabi na syalan lang yan...LOL! (missing this!!!)

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  52. h82bm310:58 PM

    hahaha... Katawa nalang ko ani... Only in dvo... KAPWA KAY KO.....

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  53. Anonymous11:03 PM

    hala! kalain mo man renz uy..makatawa man ako sa mga sinabi dito sa blog nimo. pero galinga jud uy..i love davao jud talaga ay!! LOL

    - allenation

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  54. Anonymous11:28 PM

    10 years in U.S and sometimes nahuhuli ko pa rin sarili ko na nagasalita ng ganito hahaha, mahirap man gud kalimutan uy. Sabi nga nila alanganing bisaya, alanganing tagalog but we're creating our own identity... sila daw beh??!

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  55. Anonymous12:03 AM

    nice blog!

    no offense pero dili man ning ana muistorya ang kadaghanan nato nga dabawenyo. ang davao tagalog mga middle class ug upper class ray nagagamit ana. highschool ug college, ug kanang mga pasosyal, kahera, sales lady, waitress etc. way tarong lalaki mustoryag ning ana kay maka-irita na paminawon. kataw-an kas mga choy kung ning ana imong inistoryaan. kung mu istorya kag masa, tarong nga bisaya ang ginagamit.

    tan-awa ninyo nang inistoryahan sa atong halangdon mayor ug bise-mayor dili man mustoryag ning ana. istorya mog driver, tindera, labandera ug majority sa taga davao bisaya gyud ang ginagamit.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:36 AM

      @12:03AM - based on your statement, the following can be concluded:

      1. You are not middle nor upper class;
      2. You are not or hot have been in high school or even college
      3. You are not "pa-sosyal", a kahera, a saleslady, waitress, etc

      So, it is a matter of belonging to a certain economic or social class, of being in a particular environment - and NOT because "way tarong lalaki mustorya ning ana"

      It only means, you do not know all kinds of Dabawenyos. Faulty conclusions, dibanoh? #epicfail

      Delete
  56. Anonymous12:09 AM

    i cant help myself but laughing out loud and crying at the same time..i can relate to ur story because we also migrated to davao wayback 1974..i am a cebuano and when we moved to davao i was a 3rd yr HS transferee..i really had a hard time understanding the so called "Davao dialect"..its really funny and i can now adopt the situation..kahirap man gud magtagalog minsan oi..

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  57. Anonymous2:02 AM

    nice blog!how funny and true this is. i can attest to this write up of yours on how diverse the settlers of davao are. to start i was raised in davao but born in bacolod. my lolo is from bulacan and my lola is from ilocos that migrated in davao in the 50's pa. imagine growing up with bisaya,tagalog,ilonggo,ilocano in front of you? with all these dialects around during the older years plus other luzon/visayas migrants,i think contributed to the creation/evolution of the Davao dialect.

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  58. Davao Rocks!
    Im a proud davaoena! :)

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  59. Anonymous6:55 AM

    I have countless friends and relatives from Davao City. If you don't mind the details, they are just simply Cebuano-speaking individuals whom I get to interact with ease, but if you really care to check out the fine prints, you'd realize there's a sprinkling of difference which I find sometimes funny and intriguing as Cagay-anon Cebuano and the native Cebuano dialects. When a place gets to receive people with varied cultural backgrounds, a piece of that seeps into the local culture, hence the hodgepodge. I Cagayan de Oro, you say CHADA for GUWAPO in Davao and NINDOT in Cebu. Even here in Leyte, where I now live, there's a dash of Cebuano words in Waray when you're in Tacloban and vice-versa in Ormoc. Waray in Tacloban becomes different as you go far north to Samar. My point is, I have accepted the way my Davao friends speaking in this manner. The world is fast becoming a small community, so cultural integration is inevitable.

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  60. Anonymous10:22 AM

    Ka-funny ng blog na ito oi.
    Ganyan jud mag tagalog mga Davao.
    Nagahalo ang Bisaya and Tagalog.
    " Wag mong pilitin kay magisi "
    " Alam ka na nakin "

    Btw, is Ireneo your dad or uncle ?

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  61. Anonymous10:26 AM

    i find this very true.but i remember when i was younger i had a friend from manila who's really speaking tagalog fluently though she can speak bisaya as well,she finds me funny every time i speak tagalog because of my accent so from then on i tried to speak straight tagalog and i'm confident i did made it thru learning the language and proper pronunciation skills.but when i went to japan to work and get back here in davao i noticed my cousins in their college days,speaking the "davao dialect",i find it irritating at first because it seems that it's a trying hard way of speaking the language.And i have friends who were not from manila but had a straight tagalog back then.And i thought people who are "sosyal" or trying to be uses the language.When i talk to people who are speaking tagalog i replied in a straight tagalog dialect not in the "davao dialect" because for me it's not the proper way..but then more and more people use it today and I find it funny..I still prefer using pure bisaya when someone talk to me rather than hearing the "davao dialect" when i know the person talking is a pure davaoeno and can speak pure bisaya..Talking about trying so hard...:)

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  62. whahahaha! that's why i'm so poor in tagalog and i don't even talk when i'm in manila. hahaha!

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  63. this phenomenon on the development of dialects is not only prevalent in Davao but in Zamboanga as well, way back then the Chavacanos are very concious of using, voz, tu, and usted, when talking to younger one, we use voz, donde voz anda, of the same age, done tu anda, to someone older donde usted anda ( where are you going) but now everyone is using, ka, donde ka anda, ( ka is a cebuano word) asa ka paingun.. indeed language is dynamic, totoo jud ni ba. hehehe

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  64. depende mana sa tao uy . hmmm kaloko ai .

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  65. elaine valenzuela11:03 AM

    i love it! relate na relate ako! cute dba? sosyal daw ang dating sa mga taga cebu... at taga luzon they said they can understand a little compare sa ibang place sa atin na ang dialect ay bisaya din...

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  66. keisha11:23 AM

    I'm Davaoeno, was born and raised here and in 1998, went to migrate to America and came back last year for schooling. I don't think I've heard Davao Tagalog dialect spoken often by the mass or the common Davaoenos. This type of lingo that you're talking about here is only spoken by kolehiyalas (esp . from Ateneo) and high schoolers from private high schools. I ride the jeep everyday, I talk to my schoolmates /classmates (my current school is not Ateneo) almost everyday and talk to the common folks in Davao, and everybody just speaks Bisaya. Nobody in my class or family or colleagues say, " Ano ka ba oy, ka-funny mo talaga ba.". Rather, I hear this, "Unsa man ka oy, kataw-anan lagi ka kaayo." Only kolehiyas and 20 somethings (and not even half of Davao population) speak this way.
    What should be accurately notes is that the Davao Bisaya lingo you're talking about is only evolving in a small group in DAvao--those who are from Ateneo, those who are sosyals (upper class) and those who are well, should I say, TH "trying hard to climb up the social ladder." It evolved into a lingo that is held exclusively by only a few.

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  67. Kudos sa blog mo....still curious though, nalaman na ba ng friend mo kung ano talaga ibig sabihin ng Miss Pruneset and Nanay Pruneset??? :) ...sa tagal ko dito sa davao ang alam ko lang yun "Si Boogie lang" - means move, so other people can sit...Davao is really a great place to settle in...maraming funny facts kang makukuha and kung iisipin mo, masasabi mong "oo nga noh?" - close to realizing little lessons in life....your Davao-Tagalog blog is one example...totoo ka jan..I hope you don't mind my re-blogging this (sige lang uy, i-link back bitaw kita sa blog nakin)lolz..I find it very informative and a fun eye-opener for those who have yet to discover how great Davaoenos are...I am not born and raised here but I am proud to be a Davaoeno!

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  68. Funny and true! I was born and raised in Davao. Now living in Manila. I've been to many places in the Phils. pero sa Davao lang talaga kakaiba ang language!

    Hala uy miss na jud nako umuwi dito ba.... :D

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  69. Anonymous1:04 PM

    hhahaha this is so true.. im originally from cebu but wen I transfrd to Davao for my collge bachelors i was totally amazed on how dey speak bisaya mix with tagalog. I found it very awkward at first but at the later part i enjoy my friends talking that way ahhaha

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  70. Hello everyone@! Thanks for sharing your insights about Davao Tagalog. It is true that language is dynamic and changes as time goes by and it does not only apply to Davao Tagalog... it also applies to other languages as well (for instance, Chavacano-Cebuano).

    Although it's not really a 'pasosyal' thing. I think those who speak Davao Tagalog are the ones who speak Tagalog at home but later learned Bisaya in the later years, like me.

    And oh, to an anonymous who asked who Ireneo is... he's my grand uncle (my lolo's first degree cousin).

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  71. Hahahahaha! I super love you for this. Witty and super hilarious! Magkita na tayo. Katagal mo uy!

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  72. uy di ko to alam. para nako murag parepareho ra. i can only recognize those from surigao.

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  73. Lois uy! Dapat mag meet na jud tayo ba! Kelan ka man magpunta ng Davao?!

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  74. pag xur uy!!hahaha..im a davaoena,and im proud of it..i can relate to this,kasi ito palagi comment ng mga friends ko from manila,but they find it cute and funny..minsan nga,ginagaya na nila ako..haha..:)nice one!

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  75. hahaha...renz i remember the group of teenagers right beside our table sa Mcdo when PTB was in the Davao last Kadayawan...hehehe

    Ni-ga- try try ko bang pakingan, pero di ko masyado magets uy!

    hahahha cheers!

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  76. Anonymous4:40 PM

    hala uy, bitaw no. unique gyud ang tagalog sa davao.

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  77. hahaha... dati OA pra sa kin yung mga nag tatagalog na may halong bisaya.. na sabi ko may "pag magbinisaya na lng sila" hahahah... sama ko.. eh ganun din nmn ako magsalita pag sa bahay pro prang wla lng sa kin yun.. :)) siguro kasi dahil sa may halo na ung tagalog nmin ng bisaya... :)) tagalog kasi si ermat tas ilonggo nmn si erpat.. ayos diba halo halo... :D

    kalingaw ani nga blog uy!.. :))
    salamat sa blog nato at na mulat ako sa katotohanan.. :))

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  78. Anonymous6:05 PM

    nakikita ko po sa news, Iligan city, CDO, Cospostela Valley, Surigao, Gensan, Davao, Bohol, Cebu, Southern Leyte, parts of Leyte,dumaguite, Cebu. Laki talaga ang hatak ng mga bisaya... in terms of popularity, text votes, Pag nagkaisa madali nakakasundo kase po madaling nagkakaintindihan...

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  79. hehe; nice post and lovely blog. Nakatawa talaga ako sa post bah; galawgawa nito oy; ganyan talaga basta Davao dialect;combination yan ng Visayas at Luzon na dialects.hehe

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  80. mumay6:30 PM

    Hahaha...kafunny talaga because I can sooo relate...:) When I was in 4th grade I spent my vacay at San Fransisco. I was shopping with my mom and suddenly a Filipina who was working at the shop asked me, "taga davao ka gang? Kasi i hear uy, gani and lang." i just nodded and said, "opo" :) I talk like this maybe because my mom is tagalog and dad is bisaya. I guess we mixed both dialects and jen jen jen jen...DAVAO TAGALOG :)

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  81. rascelle6:32 PM

    hahaha!
    bongga!

    because of this blog naremember nko among classmate na nag answer sa among filipino teacher na
    "ang pangalan nakin ay....."
    hahahah!kalingaw!

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  82. Cliff7:02 PM

    thanks for this blog at namulat ang maraming Davaoeño sa katotohanan.. hehe i'm from Davao, i love Davao, and i'm proud of Davao! :) i think what's wrong is that most of the people in Davao think that when they speak Tagalog/Filipino, they are "sosyal".. which is totally UNTRUE! especially when they speak the "Davao Tagalog", it sounds awkward, T.H. and not sosyal at all.. i have lived in Manila for a few years and have adapted easily to their 'proper' Tagalog, including their accent but for me nothing compares to Bisaya/Cebuano -- it's unique, precise and dynamic.. i prefer speaking bisaya rather than tagalog.. kaya sana, kung magtatagalog din lang tayo, ayusin naten. kung dili gani, mag binisaya nalang gud! mas ok pa paminawon.. kay kung kita sad makadungog ug trying hard mag bisaya, dili ba gud ta makasaway?

    ~ang naririndi sa "gandaha niyan uy.." XD

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  83. its really not true, that everyone from davao speaks this way. I was born and grew up in davao but I speak plane cebuano with a little variation from the original dialect. But the way the davao dialect is used here in this blog I heard only from high students of high end schools and party people. Its true that davao people uses the word ba, gyud,gani,duh..but mixing tagalog and cebuano,only exist in the universities and malls. Although most of the phrases are mixed with ilonggo, hilgaynon, maranao,maguindana, and other dialects of the remaining tribes, but not the CEBUANO AND TAGALOG ONLY...take a deeper research to the majority of the locals..

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  84. Anonymous8:10 PM

    haha... lingawa nito uy! most of our friends sa Luzon tinatanong kami ano talaga language namin... confused sila lagi... Tatak Dabawenyo yan... ATO NI BAI! ;)

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  85. miamore24278:39 PM

    I was already half asleep last night when my daughter showed this blog to me but in just under a minute of reading,my eyes were wide open and I laughed so hard that I almost cried! Grabe jud oi ka kataw-anan!hahaha! and here's something funny-on my way home from GMall this afternoon on board Route 13 jeep,I narrated this blog to my friend esp the "3 beings" Nay Pruneseat,Miss Pruneseat and Si Boogie",I didn't realized the entire jeepney was listening to my story until everyone broke into laughter after the driver shouted"O,si boogie lang beh!" hahaha!Truly,LIFE is HERE!!!Thanks,Renz!Madayaw!inasumso

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  86. hahah...ka-enjoy ani uy!this is how i talk to my bulakeño father,so i'm used to hearing our davao tagalog at home...huwag ka lagi mag-labas kay baka maligsan ang iro..hahaha...

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  87. Ka funny man dito UY hahahahahaha

    Namiss kom na jud ang Davao ba lol

    nice natural pauso ni hihihi^^

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  88. Anonymous11:47 PM

    Makarelate JUD talaga ako nito BAH, as in... lalo na sa famous lingo " ANO GANI yong ang ibig mong sabihon UY.. HAHAHAHAHA

    nice post mr RM...

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  89. Makarelate JUD talaga ako nito BAH, as in... lalo na sa famous lingo "ANO GANI yong ibig mong sabihin UY..
    "ANO GANI ang NAME mo UY?".. HAHAHAHAHA

    nice post mr. RM

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  90. Hahahaha i can relate, I'm from zamboanga and i speak chavacano but i can speak and understand visaya since my mom is bisdak... My husband is davaoeno, and he speaks a little vistag (visaya-tagalog) kasi minsan diko maintindihan yung "deep visayan" . I think may purpose talaga yung so called "davao-tagalog" it's not pasusyal.

    Like me, vistag (davao tagalog) is common to me... Worst... I'm talking VISTAGCHAV!

    Example of davao tagalog with chavacano

    "punta tayo ng mall mag-grocery "kabar" iwan nalang yung mga pinanggrocery sa baggage counter, "kapagod" kaya magdala dala nun habang "maghanap" ng "kainan-nan"

    Cheers :)

    *kabar - is a chavacano word which means "then" "tapos-in tagalog" human- in visayan...

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  91. I don't get it why some people take it so seriously. i believe this blog was made for us to have a good laugh (at our friends or maybe even at ourselves), so chill lang ba. ka-seryoso uy!
    I'm born in Davao but didn't grew up here. We only transferred (permanently) here when I was in High School. At first, i found it very annoying because at home we either speak pure Tagalog (granpa) or pure Bisaya (other people around me). But later on, I get to adapt it kasi most of the people in school, ganyan magsalita. Tapos nadala ko sa bahay. At first, people at home find it annoying but then, when my siblings started going to the same school i'm in, they also adapted the language.
    Pero every time we go to Manila or kahit sa Cebu and we unconsciously use the dialect, pinagtatawanan kami ng friends and relatives so during vacation di na namin ginagamit.
    pero nung college na, i realized na its unique and very different from both pure bisaya and pure tagalog and only in Davao, so after nun, di na ko nahihiya gamitin yung dialect plus when they ask me about it, i just explain it to them.
    Diverse kasi talaga sa Davao.
    Kaya saying na its bastardizing Cebuano, i don't think so. Kasi kung Cebuano they have their own dialect, Ilonggo has their own dialect, etc. why not Davao?

    Ka-funny lang talaga kasi I was reading this while having my haircut sa SM.
    And when I was reading it, grabe katawa ko tapos the barber gave me a confused look kasi he can't cut my hair daw kasi sige lang ako tawa.

    Basta uy! Maka happy man ito na blog uy! Hindi lang man din ito pang sosyal. Lahat man pwede mag gamit nito oi. Nasa pag dala lang yan no. Kamo gyud!

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  92. Anonymous1:10 AM

    hahaha...maka lingaw kaayo bah..maski akong uyab na taga nepal kay naa anad na sa ako na mag sige ug ingon..'i don't know oi..!' ana siya why there is always 'oi' at the end of the words when your irritated? karon kasabot na sya..hahha..

    nice one..!!

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  93. @Kyle

    I know right! This post shouldn't ba taken seriously. I was even accused that I'm just making fun of Davao Tagalog and to those people who speak that dialect. Truly, she didn't understand what I wrote. Tsk.

    To everyone: I enjoyed reading your comments. Keep them coming!

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  94. @RM

    Lagi. Naga-basa ako sa kanilang mga comments, affected kaayo.
    i-enjoy na lang unta nila uy para wa'y gubot. I mean diba? kataw-anan lang gud siya.
    Pero dude, grabe katawa ko sa part nung 3 beings. Buhakhak ko sa barberuhan sa SM ganina nag basa aning post.
    daghan maka relate.

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  95. I am a Dabawenyo myself and this article is dead on. Fortunately/unfortunately (however you'd like to look at it) I don't speak the same way when I speak in Tagalog. This is just one of those things that brands us as Dabawenyos, where ever you are in the world, when (I) you hear someone speak this way you (again I) have this nagging feeling to ask someone if the are from Davao. It is a quirk, or you could even go as far as call it a trademark of ours, that whether you like it or not is definitely here to stay. Kudos sa article!

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  96. When I was in high school, I swore na when I speak tagalog, pure talaga, same to the Cebuano language. Pero when I entered college, 'natuto talaga ako mag speak ng Davao tagalog ba. I have to admit I sound so eeeww. As in luod gyud talaga. Mao nang gabisaya gyud ko pirmi. Pero minsan, lingaw man din.' Hahaha.

    Clap, clap for this, Rm! :) Funny and very true! :D

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  97. Anonymous5:08 AM

    nice blog...i moved a lot over Vismin area because of my job...and i received some comments everytime i talk to them in Visayan..and one of those is "Dabawenyo ka noh?" and i said yes...basically, the evolving Davao language has been a distinct mark of its inhabitants.

    Pag naa ka gani sa mga probinsiya, you can hear young people na ginakantiyawan nila ang mga barkada nila na nagatagalog...moingon sila na porke't naka eskwela daw sa dabaw, magtaga tagalog na diay sila...hehehehe

    kudos!

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  98. Anonymous6:07 AM

    i didn't know cebuano is davaoneans' formal lingo. my mom was born in cebu and grew up in agusan del sur and cagayan de oro city. i still remember when i was a little gurl i always heard my mom speaking cebuano/tagalog/spanish/english - (cebtagspanglish?). now that i am older, i wish i learned how to speak cebuano from her.

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  99. Interesting! Two years ago I happen to have my very first encounter with the "Davao Tagalog", after being born and raised in Davao. I thought it was just me who thought it was kind of weird when I started hearing a group of tweens in our clubhouse pool using the "Davao Tagalog". I can attest to 16 years of my life (out of the 27 and counting)in Davao that I have never used the "Davao Tagalog" liberally as it is being used now. As far as I can remember we had to change from the normal Davaoeno dialect to the "Davao Tagalog" mode when we had to converse with a transferee in high school who didn't know any Visayan word at all. The girl eventually learned the dialect and we never had to change modes again. It was mainly used to converse with people who cannot understand or speak the dialect. I guess the evolution of it being just an option into the "norm" has been within the year 2001 - 2009, of which I never saw Davao and its increasing number of immigrants. It is just amazing how the dialect/language of a certain area evolves in time with the influx of migrants.
    Padayon sa paguswag Davao!

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  100. galinga nimo renz uy! kalingaw ahahaha..

    natatandaan ko pa ganito din ako nung bata pa gyud ako. nakakamiss naman sana makauwi nako sa Davao... huhuhuhu :) :) :)

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  101. I like! maka-relate man ako masyado dito uy. Those were the college days. :)

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  102. Nah! Ing-ana jud!!!!! xD
    Dili ko taga-Davao pero nagskwela ko didto unya ingon ani jud akong mga classmates.. Medyo sakit siya gamay sa dunggan para sa ako pero..hmm..naanad na ko kadugayan...medyo lago siya paminawon sa ako (oi no offense sa ako ra tong opinion ba haha).. ginaka.storya ko nila ug ing-ana pero ginatubag lang nako sila ug kanang normal lang nga binisaya na cebuano...

    oh well..lahi na jud na sinultian ang dabawenyo..
    ..pero huh ang mga konduktor, etc kay ga-cebuano..sa mga sosyal ra siguro na mga tao ang mag dinabawenyo??

    hmmmmmmm

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  103. Anonymous2:47 PM

    tagaDavao lang ba talaga ganito magsalita? diba mga Generals at iba pa , ganun din?

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  104. Definitely sharing this. Nice one, Renz. XD

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  105. Anonymous6:20 PM

    As a dabawenyo, i enjoy reading this blog...speaking the dabawenyo tagalog works actually on our advantage...we can easily shift to the manila tagalog smoothly without any hitch....well labi na kung english!

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  106. Petrina Ng7:59 PM

    Ayusa ng post na ito uy! Haha :)

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  107. Anonymous9:15 PM

    Nice one bads! I'm from cotabato city and spent my college years here in davao. same situation lang yan sa cots.. add-on.. ung na-ga.. nagakain,nagaluto n etc..lol
    mahibaw-an man siguro kung trying hard o natural lang when using a dialect/language db? chill lang tayo.. nayabangan nga ung ibang college classmates ko kc nagtatagalog daw aq.. sabi ko, tagalog-mindanao style yan..haha

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  108. Iba ka talaga renz uy.. makatawa jud ako ba promise. hahaha. nice one renz.. :)

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  109. Anonymous9:12 AM

    Been living in Davao for almost 9 years now. I noticed some Davaoenos hate how Manileyos speak tagalog. They shouldn't feel that way. (Just saying)

    In addition to the examples, some would use the word "daw" pero yung sarili naman nila tinutukoy nila. I remember when we transfered from manila, a neighbor asked to borrow our ball. She said, "Pahiram 'daw' ng bola." My brother and I wondered who will borrow the ball. Someone should have told her, right? She was refering to herself pala. :) "Can I borrow the ball" pala. Hehe.

    I have nothing against it. It's nice that we aware about this. :) Nice blog btw.

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  110. Anonymous2:02 PM

    mas uso ni nga inistoryahan sa mga kabatan-unan dire sa davao. wa ko sukad kadungog ng ingon ani ang mga hamtung dire hilabina sa masa. para sa ako nga dili pud lumad nga taga Davao, mas mabaw ang bisaya sa Davao kaysa sa bisaya sa Cebu. kay adunay mga pinulungan nga Bisaya sa Cebu nga dili masabtan sa mga taga Davao kay dili kini sagad ginagamit dire... pero usa ka kamatuuran nga ang pinulungan sa mga tao ga lambo dinuyugan sa panahon ug kasagaran sa mga linghud kini ga sugod.

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  111. Anonymous6:06 PM

    hi! great blog! are you from upmin? because if you are, i just want to let you know that the weng who wrote about Prunset and Boogie is from upmin too. BAE. batch 2002. :)

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  112. Hey anon. By any chance, do you have a link on her new blog or even Facebook? Tried to trace her blog but seemed futile. :)

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  113. Anonymous10:36 PM

    I have been a Davao City resident since 1995 and saw the evolution of this Davao language. Well, it can easily be understood because it is a melting pot of all languages in the country. It is very distinct compared to the people living in the Davao provinces. If you here someone speaking in pure Bisaya, chances are that he or she is not from the city. My kids were born and raised in Davao and if we go home to their mother's province in Agusan, they have a hard time to understanding the pure Bisaya language. Chances are, it is their cousins and aunties who talked to them in Davao Tagalog.. :)

    By the way, my kids are studying in the city high.

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  114. Lingawa nito uy! Sige ako katawa ba! Maka-miss samot sa Davao!

    I just had to share this with my Twitter and Facebook friends!

    Cheers!

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  115. Anonymous8:15 AM

    Language evolved through time and the Visayan language is slowly making its way to the mainstream Filipino vocabulary. Unknowingly, Manila Tagalogs are now using Visayan words such as Kawatan, Habal-Habal, Ukay-ukay, Humba, kinilaw, inasal and many more..

    The good thing with the Davao Tagalog is a combination of the two dominant languages (Tagalog and Visayan) in the Philippines with a tinge of other languages. It has evolved through time since the arrival of first pioneering migrants from Luzon and the Visayas at the turn of the century.

    It cannot be denied that the present-day Dabawenyos are fiercely proud of this language because it reflects the real epitome as independent Filipinos who toiled their way to make this part of the country a livable place today. It was the tolerance and sensitivity to other cultures that made this language evolved.

    Madayaw po at Padayon sa Pag-uswag ang Dabaw!

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  116. Anonymous4:41 PM

    Hi!
    I grew up and educated in Davao and now residing here in Boracay Island.Tourist come and go from all over the country and spoke diversely and differently with their local dialects which I encounter in daily basis. But, One afternoon I was walking along the beach I heard this lady saying to her daughter " wag ka masyadong magbikang-kang baka mapasukan ng maraming balas ung panty mo", instantly when I heard that statement I bursted into laughter and ask the lady, Are you from Davao?

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  117. lingawa this post oi. bugoya this author oi :D

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  118. actually there's nothing wrong with the davao tagalog language because language is evolving. even the american english that you believe is the right english is not the actual english because american english is a derivative of the english language. bale during the colonization era americans have adapted the english language and later made it their own.. same lang yan sa chavacano when you hear them speak parang espanyol but hindi sya pure spanish.. now with tagalog ganun din.. and let us make it clear walang tama or mali sa language because it keeps on evolving.. kasi if you say mali ang tagalog davao then you're also saying mali ang american english.. and tagalog hindi lang yan sya iisa.. madaming variations ang tagalog iba ang tagalog sa manila, iba din sa batangas and marinduque. now meron na din tagalog sa davao.. it might sound weird but nevertheless we made it our own.

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  119. Anonymous5:09 PM

    Hahaha.this blog is so funny uy,it reminds me sa mga sosyal este conyo ko na kaklase tong high school ako!
    I was born in DVO and lived there till I was 16. Every time I visit back, I learn new things. I always love DVO, people are very nice, and food is always fresh. NO matter where I am right now, I will always be PROUD to be a DABAWENYA. GO DAVAO!
    Kudos RM. 

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  120. Lyn Perez10:56 AM

    Haha!Lingawa UY! Good thing i'm from Tagum City. Bisdak man gyud mi diri!I rarely hear those, siguro taga-Davao City sila, if ever. There are some expressions though that are rampant here like UY & KUAN.
    I'm an English teacher, and i absolutely agree that LANGUAGE IS LIVING. It keeps on evolving. Before, I haven't heard the words diri-a, didto-a (all directions actually is + a)and impil instead of apil. Irritating actually, but language evolution is simply INEVITABLE.

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  121. I love your blog kuya RM. :D
    Makes me uber proud of being a Davaoena. By the way, anong UP campus ka NAGgraduate? I'm currently a junior at UPLB kasi :D

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  122. Anonymous1:09 AM

    ka-ganda nito, RM! lol

    i was born & raised in davao. i attended catholic universities and i went to an exclusive HS for girls and we were always speaking English because of the school policy and the foreign students (albeit they were few). in college, however, i learned this "Davao Tagalog" because of the diversity in class (may taga-davao del norte, dvo del sur, s.cotabato, dvo oriental, zamboanga peninsula, etc.). after college, i spent a year in cebu for training/studies where i learned authentic cebuano (lisod!). and then i spent 5 years in manila for special studies. i was in enrolled in a class with other asians and only 40% were Filipinos (I was the only one from Mindanao). kaya naman when i returned to davao, parang nanibago ako sa Davao Tagalog.

    it's taking a while to revert back to my "favorite tongue." however, talking to my 5-year old nephew is a big help. i see him on weekends and i'm proud to say that davao tagalog will live in generations to come when i hear him say, "ano talaga ba, ka-pretty talaga ng classmate ko, Tita. like, so pretty gyud ba." (hehehe!)

    bravo taga-davao!

    *ArienGurl*

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  123. Anonymous4:22 PM

    Nice post. Dabawenyo gyud na istorya. Hindi naman pasosyal ang davao tagalog eh. Nung la pa Yan mga mall( victoria plaza), kuan pa lng dati, datu complex and gaisano ganyan na magstorya Taga davao, halo halo kasi ang tao sa davao. Kaya walay atik-atik. Hehe

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  124. Anonymous4:43 PM

    Davao Tagalog never fails to interest me. In my case, I'm Davaoenyo born and raised, and, until high school, I studied in the school constantly being pointed out in the previous comments and being accredited (or accused?) for the regular usage of Davao Tagalog. Then, I studied in Manila for college.

    Whenever I'm in Manila, I would always have this seething desire to speak in Davao Tagalog. However, I wouldn't want to sound 'uneducated' to the Manilenyos I'm conversing with, so I was kind of forced to shove in my brain the 'Filipino' way of speaking Filipino. It always excites me when I would be going home to Davao for semester, Christmas, or summer breaks because I know I could speak Davao Tagalog with no worries.

    Anyway, this just goes to show how creative, adaptable, and accepting the Davaoenyo culture is. However, I'd have to also agree with the people who say that only a certain demographic is constantly using this. That's true, too. Nonetheless, it's catching on quickly.

    Na-notice pud nako na recently, naa nay mga nadagdag sa language. Ginagamitan na ug English words (daghan na man gud mga call centers, so dili ma-help). Same rules apply. This may be our own rendition of Manila's conyo.

    Like:

    "Ka-funny gud ng joke ko. Bakit man hindi kayo naga-laugh? Ka-mean niyo lagi."

    Or:

    "Gusto ko mag-go sa Abreeza. Mag-buy ako ng Starbucks. Come with me beh?"

    So aside from Durian, Kadayawan, and having a kick-ass mayor and vice mayor tandem, Davao Tagalog is one with these things which we can call truly ours, truly Davaoenyo.

    Well written, my friend!

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  125. Kuya Renz! Nay Pruneset was written by a graduate of UP Min! :)) Naalala ko nung nakita ko yung work niya sa Dagmay.kom. Galing-galing ng pagka-gawa. BAE ata yun siya or something. :D

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  126. Anonymous1:14 AM

    i so can relate:D dabawenyos are unique :D

    meron namanng mga tao maxadong literal. tulad na lang nung narinig ko sa isang bookshop. 2 student na bibili ng pen.

    kung sa biaya:

    dili na 'muagi' akong ball pen.

    sinabi nung isang student:
    uy, mag buy ako ng ball pen kasi di na 'magdaan' yung akin' :D

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  127. You guys should read the original Prunset story! http://li-huang.xanga.com/727208133/beed-of-rouses/

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  128. Wow, Kelly! I've been looking for the original blog for ages! Thanks!

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  129. Anonymous7:49 PM

    i have grown up here in Davao, it was pure 'bisaya' then, or pure 'tagalog' whenever i met friends when i was young...the mix ups eventually came...the "carabao tagbis" (tagalog/bisaya) language bothers me a bit nowadays..before it wasn't that OA, now it's just a bit upsetting and annoying...i noticed kids are not learning the 'national' language well because of this..yes, filipino is not really a "favorite subject" by most filipinos, but still it's good to to learn proper filipino as we learn proper english too...with all this "bastardization" of the tagalog language very rampant today in davao, and the "ya-ya" way one speaks, it doesn't make one sound "cool" or "hip" but just plain "maarte" instead...as if it's "sosyal" when you speak that way...yes, it sounds funny, and cute...but in the end, the best pa rin ang straight tagalog or straight bisaya, or straight english at that...one sounds more educated than the "bastardized tagalog" especially when you carry seals of renowned schools like ADDU or UP and the likes...just my two cents..no offense intended..God bless!

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  130. Anonymous4:42 PM

    dang...my comment didn't post...
    was searching for something else (translation-related) and end up here..
    anyways, i really had a great laugh at this post. hve several friends from davao and one of them would always use the term "beh"... i thought it's her term of endearment for me, so it's not pla lol! :D
    will have to ask her nay pruneset heehee

    pa-share nito ha..thanks!

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  131. This is so true. My relatives are from Davao. My cousins nga taga Ateneo kay inani mag storya. I call it Bis-log.
    Bisaya tagalog. Murag conyo bitaw ang sinulti.an kanang pa arte arte pero geh lang. unique man hahaha

    Currently I'm here in Cebu and there is a major culture shock sa linguahe compared sa Duha.

    If you are here in Cebu, expect to learn their super advance Cebuano lingos nga wala ni exist sa Mindanao.

    for example : DMD, Pag chur, Hasula, Payter, Kayata oi and daghan pa.

    If you are in Davao, expect to learn the Bisaya-tagalog formation. HAHAHAHA

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  132. Anonymous4:56 PM

    During my highschool days in UM (wayback in the 80's) Davao Tagalog is different from todays version, it was just a bisaya with very little tagalog and the usual add-on gani, gud and etc.

    Isang pang tatak dabawenyo ang tawagan ng mga barkada na Bay or minsan choy

    Todays version of Davao Tagalog is now mixed with english, ie Ka-funny ka-mean, nice lagi nito and etc. pero parang hindi bagay kung lalaki ang nagsasalita ng ganito parang OA na masyado.

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  133. Funny thing about davao tagalog..heheh love to use this language..:)

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  134. Anonymous1:39 AM

    i want to share the Zamboangueño Tagalog though i never speak when in my own hometown but i can just hear people speaking...

    speaking Zamboangueño Tagalog is usually having a very strong Zamboagnueño Accent.

    Example:

    conversation:

    Arturo: mak-kabigan pala kayo?
    Nonoy: Si! bakit pala. tagal ko na xa kilala.
    Arturo: ah..wala! okya! start na ta maklakat kay malayo pa yung lakat natin.

    note:
    okya is a Zamboangueño version for Okay+ya
    Zamboangueño pronounces "d,g," as "t and k" respectively.

    another sample of the accent as follows:

    itlok (itlog)
    ilok (ilog)
    and all the words that starts with "mag, nag" is always pronounce as "mak and nak"

    jejejeje

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  135. Anonymous2:07 PM

    It is indeed a "Bastardization of the cebuano dialect" aside from the fact that it's ANNOYING AND IRRITATING. It's a lingo spoken by "Trying-Hard-Narrow-Minded-Tagalog-Wannabees-Who-Think-That-Speaking-Tagalog-Make-Them-Cool-And-'Sosyal' ". A domestic version of colonial mentality. It pisses me off whenever I hear someone speaking like this. I have a strong belief that when it comes to language/dialect you should "speak-like-a-native". If you speak Cebuano, speak like a real Cebuano. If you speak Tagalog, speak like a real Tagalog. If you can't speak Tagalog with the correct syntax and grammar then speak Bisaya/Cebuano. After all, this is Davao- and the majority of people here speak Cebuano. Embrace Cebuano because it's a beautiful language. Kudos those people who can speak straight-cebuano here in Davao. Nice Blog though.

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  136. Anonymous1:28 PM

    Davao-bisaya is different from Cebu-bisaya. Davao/Gensan people think its cool to speak tagalog. Little did they know its not really tagalog they are speaking but a mixture of tagalog and theirnative tongue which really sounds irritating! Lol. Cebu-bisaya on the other hand is a mixture of bisaya and English. Real Cebuanos refuse to accept tagalog as the "cooler" language so sosyaleras there mix english and their native language. Eg. Davao- ayaw ko man mag kain jan oy. Cebu- ayaw tag eat diha oy! Lol see the difference?

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  137. Famous Davaolog Phrase:

    "Gi-sabing wag tumawid.. tumabok. Ayan, naligsan tuloy!"

    Acheche!

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  138. Anonymous4:04 AM

    nice blog. :)

    but no to Tag-Bis.

    ♥B♥

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  139. I am an Australian raised, Cebuano speaking Filipino Italian. Here's my take...

    Indeed Davaoenyo's are easily distinguished due to their use of vocabulary and accent. Interesting as it sounds, and annoying as it can get, I find this to be a huge problem. WHY?

    Because we're talking about grammar, and basically the Cebuano and Tagalog of Davao is grammatically wrong, is it not? In most cases, being able to speak in correct grammar signifies intelligence and I can't help but become irked to the core each time I am in Davao because as friendly as the people are, I feel I am speaking to someone who is corrupted or deliberately choosing to not speak properly.

    There main factors in this I believe are: 1. The migration of Tagalogs to Davao, and 2. The need of locals to 'look good' and 'impress' their peers.

    I'll address both briefly. For my first point, wherever people migrate, they should learn to assimilate and adapt to the local culture, including established LANGUAGE of the majority. I strongly dislike parents that avoid Cebuano at all costs when communicating to their children, as if it were a language of the poor.
    Second point, yes it is important to be someone who stands out and it is obvious to me that when I speak Cebuano fluently, I get more wierd looks than anywhere else in the country, almost as if it's a crime!

    Most of the time, Davaoenyo's speak to me in English or Tagalog when they see me. When I speak to them in Cebuano they continue to respond in English or Tagalog. I find that to be completely rude, as if they don't want to look 'poor' in front of a 'rich' guy.

    Contact me if you wish to hear more.
    jaysonc19@hotmail.com

    -Jase

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  140. Anonymous2:53 PM

    Speaking plain simple English, I can speak.Speaking pure Tagalog with proper grammar and tenses,I really can speak. Speaking pure Cebuano,for I'm Cebuano in ancestry but already born in Davao,that's my native tongue. Why many Davaowenyo's can't do it? Were they not taught "Balarila" during their school days? Distorting sentenses full of "mag" and "man". Kabobohan ba yan or tinuyoan lang para kataw-anan? It's still not late to practice what is "pangnagdaan", "pangkasalukuyan", "panghinaharap". Proper usage of past, present and future tenses.

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  141. Anonymous5:46 PM

    to speak davao tagalog while in davao I think its ok , pero sana kung nasa manila kau speak proper tagalog! ...

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  142. Anonymous4:02 PM

    samuka kaayo ani nga blog oi . maka tawa man kaayo sa kalingaw . pero totoo bya mga iningun mo hahahaha .

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  143. Wonderful blog checkout my latest post at
    http://togetherfornature.blogspot.com/2013/09/ecosystem.html
    don't be shy to leave a comment and like us on facebook

    ReplyDelete
  144. Anonymous11:16 PM

    pabili nga ng coks, yung maginaw.

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  145. Anonymous5:56 PM

    Heads up sir, citing this in my Masters' Thesis. :)
    - AGD

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  146. Anonymous9:33 AM

    I was born and raised in Davao City. I went to school @ UIC, and spoke straight English, straight Tagalog, and straight Bisaya. This is primarily how Atenistas talk. When I transferred to Ateneo for high school, I actually found this way of talking as weird. I got used to it, but I never picked it up.

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  147. Anonymous10:54 AM

    Sa tinuod lang nahibong gyud ko pag abot nako sa Davao kay naka dungog kog Tagalog oh bisaya gi sagul.

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  148. I check niyo pa jud ang Davao Conyo song.. its a davao conyo primer for people who don't understand how Dabasaya has evolved.

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  149. I am not from Davao but I can relate as our Tagalog in Nueva Vizcaya is mixed with Ilokano (or vice versa) terms like "Bakit NGAY (NGA IN tagalog)?", BAGTIT (baliw) ka, ang DUGYOT (dirty) mo.. I guess probably - like us in Nueva Vizcaya the intermarriage amongst people of different dialects has pushed as to mix dialects as well.. The same is true with the TAGLISH.. But that is what makes us unique as Filipinos - we always easily adopt to almost everything.. Kudos to the writer! You are so funny yet witty at the same time.. and I enjoyed reading the comments.. Though - I am still wondering who Boogie, Nanay Pruneset and Miss Pruneset are? I've been to Davao but haven't had the time to meet them as well..

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  150. Kabalo na jud ka magbinisaya the Davaoeño way? ahaha

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  151. What is kuyawa jud?

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