Post by Indeo on Oct 5, 2007 13:47:23 GMT 8
Wit of the Filipino
By Nury Vittachi
(From THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW)
THERE'S A SIGN ON Congressional Avenue in Manila
that says: "Parking for Costumers Only." This may be
a misspelling of "customer." But the Philippine
capital is so full of theatrical, brightly dressed
individuals that I prefer to think it may actually
mean what it says.
This week, we'll take a reading tour of one of the
most spirited communities in Asia. The Philippines
is full of wordplay. The local accent, in which F
and P are fairly interchangeable, is often used very
cleverly, such as at the flower shop in Diliman
called Petal Attraction. Much of the wordplay in the
Philippines is deliberate, with retailers favouring
witty names, often based on Western celebrities and
movies. Reader Elgar Esteban found a bread shop
called Anita Bakery, a 24- hour restaurant called
Doris Day and Night, a garment shop called Elizabeth
Tailoring and a hairdresser called Felix The Cut.
Smart travellers can decipher initially baffling
signs by simply trying out a Taglish
(Tagalog-English) accent, such as that used on a
sign at a restaurant in Cebu: "We Hab Sop-Drink In
Can An In Batol." A sewing accessories shop called
Beads And Pieces also makes use of the local accent.
Of course, there are also many signs with oddly
chosen words, but they are usually so entertaining
that it would be a tragedy to "correct"
them. A reader named Antonio "Tonyboy" Ramon T.
Ongsiako (now there's a truly Filipino name) found
the following:
In a restaurant in Baguio: "Wanted: Boy Waitress;"
on a highway in Pampanga: "We Make Modern Antique
Furniture;" on the window of a photography shop in
Cabanatuan: "We Shoot You While You Wait;" on the
glass wall of an eatery in Panay Avenue in Manila:
"Wanted: Waiter, Cashier, Washier."
Some of the notices one sees are thought-provoking.
A shoe store in Pangasinan has a sign saying: "We
Sell Imported Robber Shoes." Could these be the
sneakiest sort of sneakers? On a house in Jaro,
Iloilo, one finds a sign saying: "House For Rent,
Fully Furnaced." Tonyboy commented, "Boy, it must be
hot in there."
Occasionally, the signs are quite poignant. Reader
Gunilla Edlund saw one at a ferry pier outside
Davao, southern Philippines, which said: "Adults:
1USD; Child: 50 cents; Cadavers: subject to
negotiation." But most are purely witty, and display
a love of Americana. Reader Robert Harland spotted a
bakery named "Bread Pitt," a Makati fast- food place
selling maruya (banana fritters) called "Maruya
Carey," a water-engineering firm called "Christopher
Plumbing," a boutique called "The Way We Wear," a
video rental shop called "Leon King Video Rental," a
restaurant in the Cainta district of Rizal called
"Caintacky Fried Chicken," a local burger restaurant
called "Mang Donald's," a doughnut shop called
"MacDonuts," a shop selling lumpia (meat parcels) in
Makati called "Wrap and Roll," and two butchers
called "Meating Place and Meatropolis."
Tourists from Europe may be intrigued to discover
shops called "Holland Hopia" and "Poland Hopia."
Both sell a type of Chinese pastry called hopia.
What's the story? The names are explained thus:
Holland Hopia is the domain of a man named Ho and
Poland Hopia is run by a man named Po.
People in the Philippines also redesign English to
be more efficient. "The creative confusion between
language and culture leads to more than just simple
unintentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption
of new words," says reader Rob Goodfellow. He came
across a sign that said "House Fersallarend." Why
use five words (house for sale or rent) when two
will do? Tonyboy Ongsiako explains why there was so
much wit in the Philippines. "We come from a country
where you require a sense of humour to survive," he
says. "We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the
government and a huge reserve of comedians made up
mostly of politicians and bad actors."
By Nury Vittachi
(From THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW)
THERE'S A SIGN ON Congressional Avenue in Manila
that says: "Parking for Costumers Only." This may be
a misspelling of "customer." But the Philippine
capital is so full of theatrical, brightly dressed
individuals that I prefer to think it may actually
mean what it says.
This week, we'll take a reading tour of one of the
most spirited communities in Asia. The Philippines
is full of wordplay. The local accent, in which F
and P are fairly interchangeable, is often used very
cleverly, such as at the flower shop in Diliman
called Petal Attraction. Much of the wordplay in the
Philippines is deliberate, with retailers favouring
witty names, often based on Western celebrities and
movies. Reader Elgar Esteban found a bread shop
called Anita Bakery, a 24- hour restaurant called
Doris Day and Night, a garment shop called Elizabeth
Tailoring and a hairdresser called Felix The Cut.
Smart travellers can decipher initially baffling
signs by simply trying out a Taglish
(Tagalog-English) accent, such as that used on a
sign at a restaurant in Cebu: "We Hab Sop-Drink In
Can An In Batol." A sewing accessories shop called
Beads And Pieces also makes use of the local accent.
Of course, there are also many signs with oddly
chosen words, but they are usually so entertaining
that it would be a tragedy to "correct"
them. A reader named Antonio "Tonyboy" Ramon T.
Ongsiako (now there's a truly Filipino name) found
the following:
In a restaurant in Baguio: "Wanted: Boy Waitress;"
on a highway in Pampanga: "We Make Modern Antique
Furniture;" on the window of a photography shop in
Cabanatuan: "We Shoot You While You Wait;" on the
glass wall of an eatery in Panay Avenue in Manila:
"Wanted: Waiter, Cashier, Washier."
Some of the notices one sees are thought-provoking.
A shoe store in Pangasinan has a sign saying: "We
Sell Imported Robber Shoes." Could these be the
sneakiest sort of sneakers? On a house in Jaro,
Iloilo, one finds a sign saying: "House For Rent,
Fully Furnaced." Tonyboy commented, "Boy, it must be
hot in there."
Occasionally, the signs are quite poignant. Reader
Gunilla Edlund saw one at a ferry pier outside
Davao, southern Philippines, which said: "Adults:
1USD; Child: 50 cents; Cadavers: subject to
negotiation." But most are purely witty, and display
a love of Americana. Reader Robert Harland spotted a
bakery named "Bread Pitt," a Makati fast- food place
selling maruya (banana fritters) called "Maruya
Carey," a water-engineering firm called "Christopher
Plumbing," a boutique called "The Way We Wear," a
video rental shop called "Leon King Video Rental," a
restaurant in the Cainta district of Rizal called
"Caintacky Fried Chicken," a local burger restaurant
called "Mang Donald's," a doughnut shop called
"MacDonuts," a shop selling lumpia (meat parcels) in
Makati called "Wrap and Roll," and two butchers
called "Meating Place and Meatropolis."
Tourists from Europe may be intrigued to discover
shops called "Holland Hopia" and "Poland Hopia."
Both sell a type of Chinese pastry called hopia.
What's the story? The names are explained thus:
Holland Hopia is the domain of a man named Ho and
Poland Hopia is run by a man named Po.
People in the Philippines also redesign English to
be more efficient. "The creative confusion between
language and culture leads to more than just simple
unintentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption
of new words," says reader Rob Goodfellow. He came
across a sign that said "House Fersallarend." Why
use five words (house for sale or rent) when two
will do? Tonyboy Ongsiako explains why there was so
much wit in the Philippines. "We come from a country
where you require a sense of humour to survive," he
says. "We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the
government and a huge reserve of comedians made up
mostly of politicians and bad actors."