In honor of Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month), the Philippine Information Agency NCR Facebook page posted a video on Saturday of several Filipinos trying to figure out deep Filipino words.
The video has over 31,000 views on Facebook as of posting time. In the video, there are a number of uncommon Filipino terms that only a few of the Pinoy respondents got right.
In the video, you’ll see them scrambling for answers after being hit with one unfamiliar word after another.
Some of the words used were alipawpaw which means “high above.” Butukan is another word for the more commonly used tindahan (store). Another term used was maniniyot — an informal word for “photographer.”
(Filipinos, did you know what those words mean?!)
Language is a touchy subject in the Philippines. The country has over 170 languages and dialects but only Filipino — a standardized form of Tagalog — and English are considered “official.”
Some private schools have an English only rule where students are not allowed to speak Tagalog or any other language during class hours. This probably explains why some Filipinos have a hard time understanding difficult words in Filipino.
In many places in the Visayas and Mindanao region, however, people prefer to speak their region’s language or English than speak Tagalog.
READ: Mind the gap: In the Philippines, language isn’t about words, it’s about class
The Philippine Information Agency’s video comes after Condé Nast Traveler‘s infamous Many People, Many Places video series wherein a Pinay respondent was accused of misrepresenting the Philippines.
In one video, the woman says that there are no tongue twisters in the country. In another episode, she sang “Happy Birthday” instead of the Filipino Maligayang Bati.
How well do you know your Filipino words? Leave a comment below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
