[Ilonggo Notes] Binastos sa Ilonggo 

I grew up in a household where swearing and cussing were considered crass and vulgar. I don’t recall hearing my parents, aunts or uncles  using these words, except perhaps very rarely in a fit of anger, and only the ones considered “mild” such as yawa or panulay (both referring to devil, Satan) and linti or lilinti-an (may you be hit by lightning)…., after which, in a pang of guilt, one’s hand would go temporarily to cover the mouth, as if trying to push back the “bad words” uttered.

Going to a Catholic school, use of such words were frowned upon, and transgressions would be admonished by “Thou shalt not speak bad words” as though it was the 11th commandment.

But of course all these changed over the years, and when a national president was elected, whose limited vocabulary included a series of swear words and cussing, delivered with regularity on primetime TV, it became mundane, expected and ultimately, boring.

Ilonggo is considered to be perhaps the most melodious and “soft” of Philippine languages, Speakers are described as malambing or affectionate, even conservative. However, it is not devoid of swear words and cussing.

There is no language where such words do not exist. Looking at the variety, though, one sees parallels with other languages. Having lived and worked in several countries, I think these words serve a purpose — to help people vent off, express themselves, display arrogance or power, intimidate, or to retaliate.

Thus, these words are an indispensable part of any language and culture, and always seem most effective, when uttered in the native tongue, with aplomb!

The Ilonggo term for cursing or swearing is pamuyayaw; someone cursing may also be described as naga pang yawyaw.  The vulgar words used are termed bastos, though this can also be applied to a person. Synonyms for this in English can include foul or abusive language, obscenities, or expletives.

Often, in print, the whole word may not be used or spelled out and certain letters may be expressed as blanks or symbols, such as f_ck you. But everyone gets the meaning anyway. To invoke otherworldly influences, one says, gaba-an ka gid (you will be cursed, something bad will happen to you), implying deities will do the work for you. 

Swear words often make reference to the genitals and to the sex act. This might be due to cultural attitudes about sex and intercourse, which are supposed to be private and not talked about in public.  F_ck you or you mother f_cker attacks not only the person but also the person dearest to them, their mothers, and also implies incest, which is a taboo practice in most societies. 

Thus, the more extreme the intended insult, the more reference and emphasis it may contain on sexual matters as well as on things regarded with deep respect. All the more to shock the recipient. Other swear words describe shameful traits or deviant characteristics, mental or physical defects, or dirty things like excreta.  

In Iloilo many of the swear words most commonly heard are Spanish in origin. The most common insult, hijo de puta (son of a whore) became putang ina mo in Tagalog, but the Hiligaynon version, yudiputa, seems closer to the original.

If you add, ka or kamo, it becomes more personally directed. These words later became part of our national vocabulary. Spaniards were not amiss in baptizing Filipinos with names like puto, which apart from a fluffy rice cake, actually means to f_ck; it is also a term for a male prostitute. Perhaps, the term daw na puto nga Intsik (like a Chinese whose business fell apart) comes from this f_cked up, puto, as opposed to the rice cake we know today.

It doesn’t mean though that there are no indigenous swear words. The word, billat (sic) is a survivor — this was noted by Pigafetta in the 16th century, in a list of native words, as referring to the female genitals, and it is still used today. 

Some people, when surprised, will suddenly utter bilat, in the same way that Tagalogs might say puki, often to the amusement of those around them. I’ve heard older women utter, ay boto or ay pisot (dick or penis) in surprise. English speakers may say, “You c_nt”, but this is meant as a direct insult, not as a reaction of surprise.

Obsession with sex and sexuality, brought about by religious repression — and the shame with which we deign to talk about those parts of the body between the thighs and used for procreation (and pleasure) may have led to using these parts of the body in swearing.  

Thus there are many cuss words that specifically refer to the genitals, particularly those of the female.  I suspect there might be some gender or misogynistic biases at work here; males tend to swear more often than females. English speaking cultures mention not only the female vagina — there is “you a-hole,” for which I still have to hear the Pinoy or Ilonggo equivalent used to insult.

There is walang bayag (no balls) for someone who is timid or afraid, or under the saya (under a woman’s skirt) for someone henpecked. Insults may also refer to smell, discharges, etc. from the genitals, implying being unclean and unhygienic.

With regards to shameful, deviant characteristics, or physical defects, these are often captured in insults attacking a person, and may also be used to bully others. Words like bigaon or bigatot refer to one’s sexual perversions and being “wild” and uninhibited, like a slut or prostitute. Again this is an attack on persons, accusing them of transgressions of social norms of being reserved and chaste.

Buang means crazy — other variations of this are buangit and buang-buang; Brenda, is short for brain-damaged, and Rita, for retarded. These are of more recent origin — first used in the ’80s and ’90s, indicating an evolving language.  

Other insults will refer to psychological instability, swings of mood and character (alabuton), someone who can’t be taken seriously (labutaw, yamuhat), being a traitor (traidor), being stupid (gago/gaga, tanga, hangag); one taking advantage of others or always cheating, to one’s advantage (swapang, ventohoso), or one considered to be worthless (wala pulos, bulay-og).

The dirty words express moralizing views — puta (whore) considered to be the lowest, most despicable profession; thus calling someone the son of a whore implies they belong to the lowest of the low, or a product of some anonymous, unrecognized liaison. 

While many Spanish priests fathered children, despite their supposed celibacy, have you ever heard someone call somebody else anak ng pari? Later, when Castilian features came about in the progeny, these even became marks of distinction in our colonially subservient culture.

In Ilonggo insulting, context and who does the name-calling, is key. Some insults may be considered a form of endearment, depending on the relationship between the persons involved. 

Gay friends may call each other hoy agi or hoy bigatot without so much as raising an eyebrow. But if someone outside of the circle uses the same words on them, there is bound to be a reaction or retaliation.

In learning a new language, it often helps to know what the cuss words are, lest the newbie becomes the butt of jokes. I believe this is true in many cultures, and this you get this from street slang, or interacting closely with locals, and definitely not from your formal language lessons. 

In our high school (a Roman Catholic university) in the early ’70s, we had a classmate from Thailand, and some of our mischievous classmates taught him to say the “bad words.” Fifty years later, these are still the words he remembers.

Mellowing the cuss, softening the blow?

One can opt to soften the blow by modifying some of the words.  For example, yudipota becomes yudipuga, yudiputput. Iyot or f_ck becomes yuts or yugs or yors. These are considered to be more acceptable in public.

Bilat may be modified to bilatinana (your mother’s c_nt), bilik sang ilik or to bilatibay (Visayan rather than Ilonggo, may mean c_nt of a woman (bayi, babayi). Nana is Mexican for mother; later it became Filipinized into nanay.  

Another peculiarity noted in Ilonggo and Kinaray-a is the duplication of the word. Saying the same word in succession seems to make the word less intense, or a milder version of the insult. 

So for example, daw sa gaga-gaga can be taken to mean that she isn’t really all that stupid (gaga), but seems just a bit stupid, even just acting stupid. Similarly, agi-agi-on is a milder version of the characteristic of being agi (flamboyant, effeminate male homosexual). 

Modified ways of cussing are a vestige of the shame and guilt one feels when using these words; therefore, to be more polite, or less vulgar, one resorts to those euphemisms, which are instantly understood by all, anyway. – Rappler.com