Like most Filipinos, locals address one another in various ways, depending on their "ego states," mood, and position in the pecking order at a given moment. This is done to affirm connection or establish rapport, be it by blood or kinship or other forms of affiliation.
There are terms used as a sign of intimate relation, terms to underline shared history, terms used as a sign of respect, if not reverence. There are terms that establish boundary, distance, or difference; terms to affirm one's superior or inferior position in society.
Immediate family
Within a family, clear distinctions are made using these terms.
Ama or amang means dad, while ina or inang means mom. Mamang, 'Mang, Papang, 'Pang are other localized terms for mother and father. Other popular terms used respectfully or fondly to refer to parents (ateng, atateng) include Nanay, Tatay, Mama, Papa, Mommy, Daddy, with shorthand versions as follows: 'Nay, 'Tay, 'Ma, 'Pa. (Except for the first pair of terms, these are, of course, Mexican/Nahuatl, Spanish, and American in origin.) Variations including such American terms as Mom, Dad, Momsie, Pop, Pops, Popsie, etc. are preferred by younger people. These words have evolved in use to address an older man and woman with deference even if one is not related to them.
Anak ('nak for short) is used by elders to address their child or anyone they happen to be addressing as a little one or younger one. Anako, anakong, nakong are variations for 'my child' which are used in sweet, tender terms. Iho and iha – corruption of the Spanish hijo/hija – are used often patronizingly or condescendingly to refer to one's kids or other people's kids.
Agi is sibling brother or sister (plural: agagi). Agik and agagik are the possessive forms, meaning "my dear sibling brother (or sister)," and are used in a tender voice to address a beloved sibling. "Ay agi!" is an expression of surprise. A synonym of agi is aring. Agi or aging may also be used outside the family.
As indirect terms, panguluan is used to refer to the firstborn, while bulirek is for the youngest of the brood. A unique term used is yugtan, which means nakababatang kapatid or the sibling younger than another sibling.
Kuya or kuyang (Chinese in origin) is elder brother. Atse, atsi, ache, atseng, ate are generic terms for elder sister. (Kuya and ate are also how helpers address their amo or master in respectful but general terms.)
Dayong is an affectionate term that is used to address a little kid, whether an immediate relative or not. It is close in meaning to darling and sweetheart. [Name] + -tot is a 'cutifying' or enhancing device for a child's name – e.g., KC-tot, Johnny-tot – with a jocular, slang usage, the equivalent of using the -ito/-ita suffix in Spanish and -ie + boy or -ie + girl in English.
Nonong and nonoy are generic names
for a young boy or young man. A synonym is balong, which is used affectionately
to address little boys (most likely Ilocano in origin). Neng is used affectionately
for a young daughter or a young girl. There are other such terms of endearment reserved for young girls especially by their doting fathers.
Bai (or bae) and laki (or lake) mean grandpa or grandma. Synonyms include inang and amang.
Apo is grandchild; apok means “my grandson/granddaughter.”
Asawa is the generic term used by a spouse to refer to his or her other half. It is pronounced with the stress on the last syllable: /a-sa-‘wa/. The synonym esposa (from the Spanish) is also used.
Iba is the traditional Pangasinense
synonym for spouse, from kaiba, literally companion, which is used indirectly,
not necessarily to address the person.
A husband may refer to his wife as akulao (literally old woman), in the sense that baket or bana is used by an Ilocano or Visayan husband to refer to his wife. A wife, on the other hand, may use masiken, as in "masiken ko" (my husband).
A husband or wife whose spouse has died is referred to as balo. An orphan is called ulila.
Tagibi refers to an ampon or adopted child (indirect usage).
Ogaw is the generic term for child, but curiously is also a synonym for someone rendering slavish service (both indirect usage).
Extended family
Pangamaen is the indigenous term for uncle, while panginaen is used for aunt. Tiya or tya and tiyo or tyo (pronounced /cha/, /cho/) are used to mean aunt and uncle. Ante and angkel – corruption of the English auntie and uncle – are also often used.
Insan is used to address a cousin. Kapinsan is used in indirect usage. Primo and prima (Spanish for cousin) are preferred by the elder generation.
Kaanakan is a gender-neutral term for niece or nephew.
In-laws
Abalayan is balae (Tagalog), "what the parents of a couple call each other."
Ayro (indirect use) is hipag or the sister of one's wife. Bayaw means spouse of one’s female sibling.
Irat means bilas in Tagalog, or husband of one's sister-in-law or wife of one's brother-in-law.
Katulangan is mother-in-law. Katulangan a laki is father-in-law. Both are used indirectly, not necessarily used to address the person.
Manugang is the term for both son-in-law and daughter- in-law, also with indirect usage.
Additional notes on familial terms
The expression "____ a peteg" is used to indicate first-degree kinship. For example, kapinsan kon peteg (pinsang buo in Tagalog) means first-degree cousin, and panginaen kon peteg means “an aunt who is the sibling of my father/mother.” This is used to distinguish the relationship from lesser degrees of kinship, such as pikanayunan (more or less or somehow a relative) or, worse, kanayon ed baaw (literally a relative only by circumstance). A rough English equivalent would be the expression "one degree removed."
Angapo'y arom (ed sikami) (di na naiba sa amin in Tagalog; literally, not different from us in English) is used to refer to a close relative of whatever degree. It is used in certain situations, say, an invitation to a visitor to feel at home, like a family member.
Godparents and godchildren
Pare and mare – from kumpare and kumare (from the Spanish compadre and comadre) – are traditionally used by parties involved in a christening or marriage rite.
Inaanak means godchild or one's 'child' by virtue of his or her being sponsored by someone during a christening (inaanak ed binyag) or a wedding (inaanak ed kasal).
Atanor is an indigenous term for kumpare and kumare, for it means ‘kapatid sa inaanak.’
Ninong or ninang is what a godchild uses to respectfully address his or her godfather or godmother.
Sweethearts/Romantic terms
Babe, be, bebe, beh, and bhe – short for baby – is used like darling or sweetheart in English.
Inaro is literally "loved one" and used to mean boyfriend or girlfriend (indirect usage).
Barangay/Village/Town
Kapitan or ‘Kap’ for short is used to address the Teniente del Barrio, Capitan del Barrio, or Barangay Captain/Chairman, now officially called Punong Barangay. Other government officials are carefully addressed according to their official titles: Mayor, Vice, Kagawad, Gov, etc.
Kaabay or kakaabay means neighbor or neighbors.
Kabaleyan is the Pangasinan term for townmate or, by extension, compatriot or fellow countryman in general.
Friends
Among the older generation, close friends address each other as primo and prima or amigo and amiga. Aro is used to address a stranger in a friendly way, while kaaro is the generic term for friend, which incidentally also literally means love.
Bro, brod, brad, brads/bradz are used by a man to address another man he is in friendly terms with.
Pare and mare have evolved in use to address an equal, whether a close friend or a total stranger, in a friendly way. Varieties include pre, mars, pards, par, pars.
Mano and mana – shorthands for hermano or hermana, Spanish for brother and sister – are alternately used for friends, whether close or not.
School
Classmate is often corrupted to klasmit to address a fellow student belonging to the same batch or class in school. Batch and batchmate are also used.
At work/Business terms
Sir, ser, ma'am, boss, bossing, chief, and amo are used subserviently to address a superior at the workplace, or to kowtow to anyone in power (English in origin except amo).
Dok, Doktor, Doktora, and 'Dra' are used to address a doctor. Attorney, Engineer, and other professional titles are also popularly used. Like other Filipinos, lawyers would greet each other “Panyero” or “Panyera.”
Suki is how business proprietors address their regular customers (Chinese in origin).
Strangers
Kuya and ate have evolved in usage to mean any stranger who's an older man/woman, no matter the profession or social standing. These are used in place of the other common pair of terms: Sir/Ma’am. Tiyo/Tyo and Tiya/Tya are preferred as equivalents of Mama/Mang (mister) and Ale (lady).
Religion
Local mythology uses Apo Laki to refer to a deity.
In the age of Christianity, Katawan is used to refer to mean "Lord Jesus Christ" or “God.” It is often used in a popular expression of surprise that is used absentmindedly: “Agi, katawan!” and “Katawan con Dios!”
The parish priest is addressed as Padre or Father.
Sister (from the English) is used respectfully to address a nun or a female in one's own religious circle, meaning "sister in Christ" or "sister in the faith." Lately, it is also used among female friends and even among gay men.
The deceased
The deceased is respectfully referred to as "xxx aman (or ya aman)," as in Tio Carding ya aman or Carding aman.
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Additional notes
A husband or wife whose spouse has died is referred to as balo. An orphan is called ulila.
Note that members of the younger generation often prefer to use the modish English terms of the day, for many of the above-mentioned terms. Among barkadas (cliques), for example, they prefer to use friend, friendship, best, besh, beshie, bes, and so on.
Because half of Bayambang’s population is Ilocano, equivalent Ilocano terms are also often used in such households: apo, apo lakay, baket, nanang, tatang, ading, manong, manang, and so on.
Terms of disapproval and outright contempt
Natives have choice words for other fellows when offended.
Agabangatan is used against anyone who did something offensive. It literally means "walang pinag-aralan" or uneducated.
Anac na lasi is a mild cuss phrase roughly equal to “anak ng pating” (child of shark) in Tagalog. It is directed at a troublemaker or at any annoying situation, and literally means "child of lightning." It is also often used jokingly.
Bondying refers to boys who still act unseemly like babies, to hilarious, contemptible effect.
Oy, uy, hoy – like the English hey – is used to call someone’s attention, but in a more irreverent or disrespectful way. It equivalent to "Psst!"
Paweg (indirect usage) is "a person who is very kind and gentle but when pushed to the limit, can't control himself/herself when angry."
Payote is refers to someone who is cowardly.
Señorito and señorita – diminutives of señor, señora – are normally used by the househelp to address the progeny of their masters, but are locally often used tongue-in-cheek or even sarcastically or in a scoffing manner among the lower classes against family members who act like royalty or have an inflated sense of entitlement. Señorita/señorito de campanilla has even more intensity when used, with campanilla referring to the bell the masters and their children use to call the attention of the hired help. These are, of course, Spanish in origin.
Tokong is refers to someone who is cunningly naughty, while gunggong and torpe (from the Spanish) are used to refer to anyone thought of as stupid.
Special attention is reserved for fellows perceived as crazy. The synonyms are phenomenally numerous, most of which are used colloquially or as a slang, with some words even having seemingly unending variants. A few inventions are limited to certain neighborhoods in usage. These terms are: kuwatit (or nankuwatit), kuwating (nankuwating), katok (nankatok), atapis (nantapis), atiris (nantiris), di-galing (wala'y galing-galing to, meaning has magical powers), ambagel, alintaweng, nankutas, wala'y banting to (has a bell), nipatog ed bulan or apatogan na bulan (got bumped at/by the moon), kulang na bulan (lacks some months at birth), apataa'y lurem (nahagip ng ulap in Tagalog, got hit by a cloud), kulang-kulang (is wanting or lacking in something), nandaiset or wala'y daiset to (has a little something), asipeg (nahagip, got bumped), linmukak so tornilyo to (lumuwag ang turnilyo, has loose screws), awelwel, awegweg, awaweng (wawaweng), nankupat, ambasit (nanbaset), di katit, di saltik, nankuriring (wala'y kring-kring, wala'y kuliling, nankuliling/kililing/tililing/kularing), ataknik, kulang na binting (diya'd piso kulang na binting or lacks 25 centavos), alipeng, wala'y sagar (may sayad, has a part that gets dragged on the floor), di latlata (has tin cans?), aketket na duweg (bitten by a carabao), paratangtang (paratagtag), apisit (squished), makakaimis ya singa bakes (seems smiling like a monkey), alamatan or wala'y lamat na ulo to (his head has a crack), paweg, asibukan na mauges a dagem (got blown upon by a bad wind), arageman so utek to (his brain has got blown upon by the wind), nankalting, akaltingan, atapaaw, and nan-F (slang, with F meaning few, fool, or foolish).
A quaint term -- manuel, mangwel, or nonoy -- is used to refer to a member of the family who is considered as the black sheep or the round hole in a square peg.
Locals have many more other equally colorful disparaging terms, to express negative emotions (from simple disapproval to outright anger) over undesirable personal qualities: pabes (to refer to a person who is like a firecracker that is ignited but does not explode), lupitay (klutz), langgong (to refer to a large but clumsy child), balasubas (to refer to someone who routinely reneges on his promise -- to pay debt, for instance), and so on.
Local folk also routinely called certain characters behind their back with unsavory but creative epithets and sobriquets called pangaran, such as Nanding ya Kalas, Ariel ya Sikwel, etc., in place of their actual names. Such tags -- arising from certain unforgettable episodes in the community or because the subject person caused locals to make such nicknames -- often marked the person for life.
Sources: Resty Odon, Mildred Odon, Vernaliza Ferrer, Ismael
Malicdem Jr., Peter Caragan, John Quinto, Joey Ferrer, Clarita F. Tagab,
Iluminada J. Mabanglo, Andrea F. Umoypa, and many other townspeople of Bayambang from
all walks of life
Consultants: Santiago Villafania, Melchor Orpilla
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