an essay by Roger B Rueda
I love to accept and start to use Peter Solis Nery’s Hiligaynon orthography. For one thing, it is the smart way of conveying the Hiligaynon words. In Peter’s spelling revolution, words adopted from Spanish and English are simply adopted and used as they are. Adopting this new way of spelling in Hiligaynon is energising and exhilarating.
In Nery's Hiligaynon spelling revolution, Ilonggos may use Hiligaynon words if they are frequently used or they don't sound strange. They may use Spanish words that are part of the colloquial Hiligaynon and keep their Spanish spellings. Then they may turn to English when it is appropriate and without altering the spelling.
I think there is no way to force a word (an ancient word or a Hiligaynised one) into the Hiligaynon language at an individual level and to make sure it means what you want it to mean, so why break the oblivion and use stranger words like ‘naranja’ for ‘orange’ and ‘khaki’ for ‘brown’ and ‘keyk’ for ‘cake’ – and ‘hunghongan’ when it sounds so hoary and when using ‘telefono’ or ‘telephone’ is fine?
Linguistic purism in the Hiligaynon language is the belief that words of native origin should be used instead of Spanish- or English-derived ones. But, for me, the HIligaynon language has developed as a result of several invasions of the Panay Island in the 14th century; thus, the modern Hiligaynon language is the new epicentre of the Ilonggo experience. New things are always happening, so is the Hiligaynon language: it is reflective of the Ilonggos’intelligence and IQ upgrading culture.
The Spaniards added many words to Hiligaynon, so did the American. We cannot grope our way down the dark stairs of the pre-colonial Panay. We can’t force on ourselves the words we are unfamiliar with. We cannot sound as thick as two short planks. The modern Ilonggo can speak Spanish and English easily, well, and quickly in contrast to the Ilonggo who some writers want to promote – the Ilonggo who can’t pronounce Spanish & English words or parts of words clearly, the Ilonggo who is stupid in an age where technology allows people to talk and work with people all over the world.
Why use 'alkalde' for 'alcalde,' 'anyos' for 'años,' 'bintana' for 'ventana,' 'demokrasya' for 'democracia,' 'estudyante' for 'estudiante,' 'heneral' for 'general,' 'prinsesa' for 'princesa,' and 'telebisyon' for 'televisión' when we can use the Spanish spellings of these words?
Peter Solis Nery’s reimagining of the Hiligaynon orthography will enhance the Ilonggo life and culture shaping thoughts and emotions as it is a flash of the Ilonggo spirit. I believe it is his way of rethinking the nature of a language in the digital, connected world and opening the way to be modern and gracious to the past though HIligaynon is a little like a living thing that continues to grow. while new technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently.
I am happy that God has blessed the West Visayas a brilliant writer like Peter Solis Nery.
Here is an example of how to write in Hiligaynon using Peter Solis Nery’s smart Ilonggo spellings:
Arrestado ang kilala nga holdupper sa ciudad sang Roxas matapos sia nga ginpaidalom sa drug buy-and-bust operation sang mga pulis.
Ginkilala ang arrestado nga si Ronilo Eribal, 36-años, sang Barangay 7, sining ciudad.
Nagpanindugan si Eribal nga indi sia pusher apang gin-aku sini nga isa sia ka user kag holdupper.
Gin-aku man sini nga sia ang nag-holdup kag nagkastigo sa isa ka babaye nga collector sang lending institution sang nagpamalibad ini nga ihatag ang dala nga bag kag naubos na ang Php 40,000 sini nga nataban.
Mahibaluan nga matapos nagpang-holdup ang sospechado, nagpaamulya ini sa provincia sang Guimaras kag didto sini gin-ubos ang cuarta nga iya nataban.
Samtang, patung-patong nga kaso naman ang pangatubangon sa karon sang sopechado nga yara na sa custodia sang mga autoridad.
Well, language will never stop changing; it will go on to respond to the needs of the people who use it. So the next time you hear a new word that grates on your ears or pronunciation or see a strange spelling, remember that like everything else in nature, the Hiligaynon language is a work in progress that is held in place in the past.
(Peter Solis Nery is West Visayas most admired writer. He is a 19-time Palanca winner and a hall of famer. He has a foundation dedicated to the promotion and development of Hiligaynon arts and culture.)
I love to accept and start to use Peter Solis Nery’s Hiligaynon orthography. For one thing, it is the smart way of conveying the Hiligaynon words. In Peter’s spelling revolution, words adopted from Spanish and English are simply adopted and used as they are. Adopting this new way of spelling in Hiligaynon is energising and exhilarating.
In Nery's Hiligaynon spelling revolution, Ilonggos may use Hiligaynon words if they are frequently used or they don't sound strange. They may use Spanish words that are part of the colloquial Hiligaynon and keep their Spanish spellings. Then they may turn to English when it is appropriate and without altering the spelling.
I think there is no way to force a word (an ancient word or a Hiligaynised one) into the Hiligaynon language at an individual level and to make sure it means what you want it to mean, so why break the oblivion and use stranger words like ‘naranja’ for ‘orange’ and ‘khaki’ for ‘brown’ and ‘keyk’ for ‘cake’ – and ‘hunghongan’ when it sounds so hoary and when using ‘telefono’ or ‘telephone’ is fine?
Linguistic purism in the Hiligaynon language is the belief that words of native origin should be used instead of Spanish- or English-derived ones. But, for me, the HIligaynon language has developed as a result of several invasions of the Panay Island in the 14th century; thus, the modern Hiligaynon language is the new epicentre of the Ilonggo experience. New things are always happening, so is the Hiligaynon language: it is reflective of the Ilonggos’intelligence and IQ upgrading culture.
The Spaniards added many words to Hiligaynon, so did the American. We cannot grope our way down the dark stairs of the pre-colonial Panay. We can’t force on ourselves the words we are unfamiliar with. We cannot sound as thick as two short planks. The modern Ilonggo can speak Spanish and English easily, well, and quickly in contrast to the Ilonggo who some writers want to promote – the Ilonggo who can’t pronounce Spanish & English words or parts of words clearly, the Ilonggo who is stupid in an age where technology allows people to talk and work with people all over the world.
Why use 'alkalde' for 'alcalde,' 'anyos' for 'años,' 'bintana' for 'ventana,' 'demokrasya' for 'democracia,' 'estudyante' for 'estudiante,' 'heneral' for 'general,' 'prinsesa' for 'princesa,' and 'telebisyon' for 'televisión' when we can use the Spanish spellings of these words?
Peter Solis Nery’s reimagining of the Hiligaynon orthography will enhance the Ilonggo life and culture shaping thoughts and emotions as it is a flash of the Ilonggo spirit. I believe it is his way of rethinking the nature of a language in the digital, connected world and opening the way to be modern and gracious to the past though HIligaynon is a little like a living thing that continues to grow. while new technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently.
I am happy that God has blessed the West Visayas a brilliant writer like Peter Solis Nery.
Here is an example of how to write in Hiligaynon using Peter Solis Nery’s smart Ilonggo spellings:
Arrestado ang kilala nga holdupper sa ciudad sang Roxas matapos sia nga ginpaidalom sa drug buy-and-bust operation sang mga pulis.
Ginkilala ang arrestado nga si Ronilo Eribal, 36-años, sang Barangay 7, sining ciudad.
Nagpanindugan si Eribal nga indi sia pusher apang gin-aku sini nga isa sia ka user kag holdupper.
Gin-aku man sini nga sia ang nag-holdup kag nagkastigo sa isa ka babaye nga collector sang lending institution sang nagpamalibad ini nga ihatag ang dala nga bag kag naubos na ang Php 40,000 sini nga nataban.
Mahibaluan nga matapos nagpang-holdup ang sospechado, nagpaamulya ini sa provincia sang Guimaras kag didto sini gin-ubos ang cuarta nga iya nataban.
Samtang, patung-patong nga kaso naman ang pangatubangon sa karon sang sopechado nga yara na sa custodia sang mga autoridad.
Well, language will never stop changing; it will go on to respond to the needs of the people who use it. So the next time you hear a new word that grates on your ears or pronunciation or see a strange spelling, remember that like everything else in nature, the Hiligaynon language is a work in progress that is held in place in the past.
(Peter Solis Nery is West Visayas most admired writer. He is a 19-time Palanca winner and a hall of famer. He has a foundation dedicated to the promotion and development of Hiligaynon arts and culture.)
