JUST A THOUGHT: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mohandas Gandhi
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BATANGUEÑO ACCENT: At the malls, or in any public place, my children quiver when I slip into my time-tested, downright homey Batangueño accent.
In the middle of a transaction at a classy clothing shop, for example, I would break out into what is now a familiar line to them.
“Ako nga ang tatarato nare, magkano ga iyan, Ineng. Pagkamahal-mahal naman niyan, wala baga iyang tawad?’’
I would tell the sales staff this, more in jest than in love of the regions.
Having been born and raised in the province, it isn’t easy shaking off that aspect of my personal culture. Language is as much a part of an individual as the top of his skin or the air he breathes.
Alas, the language that Batanguenos have known and mastered all their life is fast sinking into oblivion. In the province’s towns and three cities (Lipa, Batangas and Tanauan), young Batangueños have been fast adapting to the language commonly used by millennials. No doubt the popular use of media and modern technology has hastened the fading away of old idioms and expressions.
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WORDS, WORDS: For the sake of posterity, here’s an informal glossary of Tagalog words as used by Batanguenos.
Here are a few samples:
Aahon: Patungo sa bukid.
Agwanta: Tiis
Alid: Dilis
Apuyan: Posporo
Arak: Mayabang
Are: Ito
Balatong: Munggo
Balinghoy: Kamoteng-kahoy
Banas: Alinsangan
