Pangasinan Has a Highly Nuanced Vocabulary
Pangasinan language is widely regarded as the most difficult language to learn in the Philippines. This must be partly because of, apart from its odd grammar, its highly diverse vocabulary.
The local language has an impressive level of nuance and precision, in many instances resulting in a phenomenal variety of synonyms.
When describing movement, Pangasinenses have reached the point of inventing certain words that have no equivalent in other languages. Say, for example, someone walking on a flooded road stumbles and falls, the specific manner in which the person fell can be referred to using different specific terms.
Nipakaronyas or akaroskos means slipped or slid. Nikolasbong means one landed on one's bottom after slipping. Atulin indicates one rolled over, while atulintulin means the person rolled over several times. Nipatiblak (from the root word tiblak) means the body slapped the water, like a pig or carabao enjoying a mud bath. Nipatalimokor means one landed on one's knees. Nipasobsob or nipatingurngor means one fell on one's knees and landed on one's face. Apatir means stumbled through one's legs, while nipatakba means one fell on the ground in general. Asagor means one got caught by a hook. Niwerwer, awerwer, or abalor means one got tied to a post. Apigar, abitwag, abalintuwag, nibalintuag means turned turtle. Nipatirakyang means the body ended up facing upwards, while nipatikleb means one ended up with one's whole body facing down. Nipolisay means one got violently ejected or thrown away. Nitengeb means one hurt one's chin. Nipatuyaryar or nipatuyar indicates that one ended up with the genital area pointing out. Nipatibakyar, atibakyar (natapilok) means one slipped and the ankle and foot got twisted. Nipatog means bumped one's head. Nipatikyab means flew in the air. Nipakesneg or inpakesneg means pushed to the ground with one's bottom hitting it. Nipalereg means one got partially buried. Nipakulabot or nikulabot means one's foot or feet slipped into a hole. Nipatumba means one fell with one's body falling straight. Nipalespak means one landed on one's butt. Nilakanat means one got pulled into something. Inbalibag and inbasyo mean one got thrown in general terms. Inbantak means one got thrown away like rubbish. Inpasalar means pushed against the wall. Asitew or apikat means got thrown away over a very long distance. Nibasileng means got thrown away at a distance. Inbayo means one got hit over a surface or hard object. Insiwasiw or inwasiwas means one got violently swished and swayed here and there. Nipagilig means one ended up being pushed aside or on the side. Nipakutdang means one ended up taking a step. Nipalukso means one ended up jumping. Nikalbo means one got poured over something. Nibalandra means one ended up blocking the way. Nibongbonggo means got bumped in every way. Nibasbasyo means one got thrown every which way. Nikalogkalog means one got thrown inside a box or barrel (or any enclosure) every which way. Niparosisi means staggered, to regain balance. Abagtog means bumped one's head on a hard surface. Abagok means fell down head first. Abaktar is a general term which means atumba (natumba or fell down) regardless of the position: nipasobsob, nipatingorngor, abagok, etc.
Nibuntatok/imbuntatok, nibuntok/imbuntok, and imbuntayog mean got thrown up in the air. Nitelek/intelek means got moved in a circular fashion. Ababues/manbabues means speeding forward like a bullet. Naulsong means fell. Other words include agalasogos, abulinlin, nibangkilat, nipalaspag, alukbob, nalbó, nipasag, agaglos, akabsiw/akagsiw, akaklas, alinggi, nipasoner, nipalusong, etc.
Part 1.1: Dusa: Verbs for Violence and Punishment
The verbs used to refer to violent movement and punishing actions are wonderfully varied and specific as well.
In general, dusa or dinusa means punish or punished. Pairap roughly means gulpi in Tagalog or to give a thorough beating in English. Garote (from the Spanish garrote) indicates a strong punishment of an indefinite kind, like a particularly strong whipping. Ambon means gang up on someone.
Boxing actions include the following. Buntal means suntok, "to give a blow, to knock with fists." A synonym is puniti, from the Spanish ponete. Bulasok means to hit one's stomach with the fist. Bugbog means to give multiple blows. Dalugos means to attack suddenly like a dog. Other words that sound as threatening are: banitog, inan (lagyan or put), ikdan (bigyan or give), kulatog, dapigas, ispat/spot (a fairly modern slang word), tira, tabiog.
As for whipping, lewet means to whip, often on the buttocks. A synonym is pasasiyok. Bakbak means whip on the buttocks, a term used for little kids. Siplat means to hit with a stick. Sitdak is another synonym. Palaldis means to hit with a stick quite heavily. Simbo-simbo sounds equally ominous. Pairap means repeated whipping. Other synonyms are: basibas, basig (one is hit with anything that the hitter gets his/her hands on); tiro; sipok-sipok; litog-lipak; pasaspak; palalpak.
When pushing, tulak means to push in general, just like in Tagalog, but with the stress on the second syllable. Pulisay means a sudden jerking motion away from the body or hands, as if to eject or reject.
As for pulling, there is the word lakanat, which means to forcefully pull toward oneself.
When hitting the head, tagkol means to hit the head using the forefinger's knuckle. A synonym is pisak, as in pisakan ko'y ulom. Tugtog means to push the head on the wall or something hard. Bambo mean bang the head with a hard object. Kutos means to forcefully poke the head with a finger or fingers. Other synonyms with shades of meaning are: aldabis, dapeyeng, tangol, simpangol, ampik, istangol.
When pushing the face over something, subsob is used to mean to scrunch the face on a surface. Ngurangor means to scrunch the face on a surface (as in the floor) like an eraser. Guragor means to rub, as in the face on a surface.
When scratching something, gurisdis is used to mean scratch. Gurlis or gulis means to scratch with a line.
When slapping the face, tampal is used for sampal or full-blown slap on the face. Dampil is a partial slap on the face. Dapigas is a synonym.
When pulling the hair in anger, gunot is used. Gunot-gunot indicates repeated action.
When hitting the back, batneg, dasneg, or datmeg are used.
When aiming at someone, usually with a deadly weapon, patuyong is used to refer to the action.
When choking or strangling, tikel is used.
When throwing or stoning, tupak is used.
When hitting something slightly, sipeg is used, but when hitting unintentionally, sipay is preferred.
When dragging someone or something on the floor, gayugor means drag on the floor, while gayugoy means pull from the floor without lifting. Ipasagar also means pull from the floor without lifting.
When pinching, karot means to pinch and twist the skin using the forefinger and thumb. Kuldit means to pinch and twist the skin extra-finely using the forefinger and thumb.
When squishing or crunching something, lames is used, but gumes is used to mean squish firmly.
When hitting in general, natgeng, nakna, and nala are often used to mean something was badly hit. When hitting with a knife, bolo or machete, sikbat means hack, tegteg means chop, while tartar means mince or chop finely. When hitting with the leg, depak means kick. Its synonyms are dempak, sipa, and dampalis.
With hitting with an instrument, words for the instrument are used as verb as well to refer to what the instrument is intended for, so pekpek means hit hard with any solid object. Paspas is used when hitting with a far lesser force. Dos por dos (from the Spanish) means hit with a 2"x2" wooden bar (construction material). Turok, tinurok or duyok means pierce or pierced, as when using a pointed stick,while deyeng is used when referring to the use of a needle. There are, of course, as many verbs as instruments used to inflict pain: saksak, sinaksak; boriki, binoriki; lolor, linolor; paltog, pinaltog; palsot, pinalsot; paltik, pinaltik; salbatana, sinalbatana; ispin, inispin; wasay, winasay; pana, pinana; tupak, tinupak.
When giving the death blow, gedep or agedep are used to mean kill or killed/died. Patey means to kill. Naragas refers to the wish for someone to die.
Part 2: Angob: Words that Indicate Smell or Odor
Where English language only has general terms like smelly, stinky, foul, fetid, funky, and funny to describe odors, particularly 'icky' odors, the local language can get more specific.
The squeamish should be forewarned that many terms are vulgar or at least colloquial in usage: abaliw means amoy binuro in Tagalog or smells fermented in English; ambaleng means mapanghi (Tagalog) or smells like old pee (English); ambaling means amoy lumang o sirang camote or has the smell of a near-rotting camote rootcrop/tuber; ambalingit means mabango or good-smelling or fragrant (in general); ambalbalingit means very fragrant; ambanget means mabaho or foul-smelling (in general); anakseng/anapseng or aksengan means maasim or maasim-asim or sour-smelling or acidic-smelling; banglesan means amoy-panis or smells like spoiled food; maablir is a word specifically used for bangus that is not raised in Bonuan because it has the undesirable odor of burak or polluted water (water that has undergone eutrophication); maaktot means a certain kind of mabantot or smells like laundry that was not dried properly under the sun; maali means smells moldy as in rancid oil or moldy bread; maampap refers to foul-smelling (because unwashed) female genitalia; maanag means amoy dumi or smells like feces; maanggo means smells gamey or smells like goat meat; maanglit means amoy anghit or smells like a foul-smelling armpit; maangob is a general usage word which means has a strong smell whether pleasant or not; maangsit means smells sour like vinegar in an annoying way, like burning electric cables or like someone who has been sweaty for a long time; maantol refers to foul-smelling (because unwashed) male genitals; maasyot or maasyut refers to the smell (and taste) of food that is not grilled or cooked properly, with the result of smelling like firewood smoke in an undesirable way; maasngal refers to the overpoweringly acrid taste and smell, as in the case of a dish with too much carrots, bell pepper, or some other such strong-flavored vegetable; mabayani is used to refer to anything with heavy or intense smell even though it is not on the stinky side, be it perfume, liquor, tobacco, urine or some other odorous thing; malangsi means malansa or fishy; unaalingasaw is umaalingasaw or reeking; ampasaseng is a coinage from maampap + anakseng, a sourish kind of stink; apanges is used to describe meat that is nearing spoilage (but not quite spoiled yet).
Other terms for smell gathered from Pangasinans online and yet to be validated include: maangdod, maanteng (maanglit), maanglem, maaptot, maanglo, mansamyong, makapureg (nakaka-clog ng nose), abureg, makapaelew (nakakahilo), masangsang, manasengseng.
Part 3: Taway tan Nanam: Words for Food Taste and Texture
Gastronomic terms -- particularly words for taste and food texture -- have equally high level of specificity in the Pangasinan language.
The vocabulary for taste goes beyond the basics of masamit (sweet), maasin or maaplar (salty), anapseng or anakseng (sour), ampait (bitter), and anagasang (hot and spicy). Nuances in taste are evident in various terms: maasngal (the overpowering taste of excessive use of certain ingredients like carrots, bell pepper, malunggay leaves, etc.), maablir (the undesirably earthy taste of milkfish raised in non-ideal conditions), ampasager (mapakla or the annoying taste of certain unripe fruits, leaving a sticky, gummy sensation in the mouth and tongue), abaliw (fermented), maali (rancid like cooking oil that turned bad), abulok (rotten), malangsi (fishy), aluto (ripe, as in fruit), aluto-luto (overripe), maanggo (gamey), apugit (burnt).
Mananam means delicious in the sense of being full of umami. Masamit is also used to mean delicious, even if the food is not sweet (masamit). Magata means creamy (gata usually means coconut milk).
The terms for nakakasawa (Tagalog) or cloying are also many: makapaumay, makapalunit (used for overly rich food), makapatama (used for fatty food), makapasawa (general term). Makapagew (pagew means breast) means having the taste of arnibal (syrup) or being overly sweet.
A curious term is mataldit, used to describe food that one least likes or not likely to taste again. In contrast, there is the term malamlam, which refers to food so good that one wants to have it again and again.
Masabeng is used to refer to a dish that has too much leafy ingredient. Makapailol (ilol means laway or saliva, so nakakalaway) is used to describe the mouth-watering quality of food one is craving -- or not even, as in the mere thought of crisp green Indian mangoes.
Other terms for taste gathered from Pangasinans online and yet to be validated include: maakdar, maapgar, maatgar, maatdar, mankliseng (ed apseng), maarat, tabal, maambal, lamitan, malamsak, and marayrayok.
As for texture or consistency... Anawet means hard, while alemek or anlemek means soft. Ambasa is wet, while amaga is dry. Manpikkat is used to refer to a certain degree of viscous wetness: a bit wet with sticky portions -- though this term is not often used for food. Mabuwer, magara, or magaralagar is sandy, while mabato means has stony impurities, like in rice and monggo beans. Mabago is furry or feathery. Pino means fine, while magasal means rough or unrefined. Makulnet means sticky and gummy at the same time, while makulaney (literally weak in other contexts) means soft or has very little resistance when chewed, as in high-quality rice. Mapeket is sticky. Masalangsang means crunchy, while matalker means tough. Magalasagas and other onomatopoeic terms (makalasakas, magalareger, etc.) may refer to textures between crunchy and spongy. Mapalet is malapot (thick), while malasaw is malabnaw (thin), as in sauces versus broths. Madigo is masabaw or watery or full of broth, and alabaw or labaw-labaw means has excessive broth or sumobra sa sabaw. The onomatopoeic man-gagnet indicates a cartilaginous consistency.
The variety of terms for slippery is quite high: andanglel (as in okra), anggales (as in bad cassava when cooked), malamuyak (as in vegetable salad that is no longer crisp), malamuteg (phlegm-like texture). Malamoy is used in particular when the broth is slimy.
Certain words are used to describe fruits: adunel is nalamog, while atoyak is squished. Nankakamolsit is atoyak-toyak, the plural of atoyak. Abeyew is not exactly a textural term but is nonetheless imply a particularly undesirable texture, for it is used to describe a fruit that too much sunlight made prematurely ripe, so it is no longer crunchy as desired but neither at the mellow stage of ripeness as well.
Makanot means fibrous, as in the case of fibrous fruits and root crops. Aluney or alune-luney is a term to describe meat that is so soft its fibers fall apart, like in pulled pork. Malaberler refers to the texture of rice when not yet fully cooked. Makakilem means nakakangilo or makes the edges of one's teeth feel uncomfortable or mildly painful, like when chewing on crushed ice.
Other terms pertain to how the throat perceives food and other things it comes in contact with: makapaet (can make you thirsty), mapayket (nanlalagkit or annoyingly sticky), makatikel (can choke you).
Part 4: Tanol: Words for Sound
Furthermore, Pangasinan poet and book author Santiago Villafania has observed that the language has an equally high number of synonyms for sound. Aquick sampler: alaldis - the sound of whipping; alalbog - the sound of bumping, as in one's head on the wall; alaltog, abagtog - the sound of bumping, as in one's head on the wall; alalsik - the sound of splashing water; matalangatang - the sound of tin can; mapalakapak - the sound of firecrackers; mapalagapag - strong booming sound; makakilem - nakakangilong tunog or a sound that causes discomfort to the teeth; manateet - the sound of, say, bamboo branches rubbing each other; mataningting - the tinny sound of, like, spoon falling on the floor; masanitsit - the sound of frying in oil; matalagutog - the sound of, say, big drums; matalakutok - the clucking sound of fowl; matalakatak - the sound of raindrop; sutsot - to call someone using the sound "Psst!"; tansit - to issue a sound of annoyance from one's mouth using roughly the /tst/ sound.
Local mediaman and musician Oscar Ora lists the following onomatopoeic words off the top of his head: magalasagas, magalareger, makalasakas, mapalasapas.
Part 5: Atapis: Words for Crazy
The number of colloquial terms for the word 'crazy' is particularly phenomenal, if not out of this world, with some words even having variants that one wonders about the reason behind the seeming obsession.
The synonyms in alphabetical order: aderal so ulo, aketket na duweg (bitten by a carabao), wala'y lamat na ulo to (his head has a crack), alintaweng, ambagel, ambasit or nanbasit, apataa'y lurem (nahagip ng ulap, got hit by a cloud), apisit (squished), arageman so utek (his brain has got blown by the wind), asibukan na mauges a dagem (got blown upon by a bad wind), asipeg (nahagip, got bumped), ataknik, atapaaw, atapis or nantapis or di tapis, atiris, nantiris, awaweng/wawaweng, awegweg, awelwel, di katit or nankatit , di latlata or nanlatlata, di saltik, di galing or wala'y galing-galing to (has magical powers), katok or akatok/nangkatok, kulang na binting or diya'd piso kulang na binting (lacks 25 centavos), kulang na bulan (lacks some months), kulang na kwerdas, kulang-kulang (is lacking), kuwating or nankuwating, kuwatit or nankuwatit, linmukak so tornilyo to (lumuwag ang turnilyo, has loose screws), lokloko or loko-loko, makakaimis ya singa bakes (seems smiling like a monkey), minsay (reportedly a local neologism from "mental psychopathic"), naapunan (possessed), nan-agpit na alasas (clipped dried banan leaves in his armpit), nandaiset or wala'y daiset (has a little something), nan-F (slang: with F, F meaning few, fool, or foolish), nankupat, nankuriring, wala'y kring-kring/wala'y kuliling (has something ringing), nankuliling, nankililing, nantililing, nankularing, nankularet, nankutas orakutas, nipatog ed bulan or apatogan na bulan (got bumped at/by the moon), wala'y banting to (has a bell), wala'y sagar (may sayad, has something dragging on the floor?).
An online survey conducted much earlier on the Facebook page 'What's Up Dagupan' came up with the following finds, on top of the above: abulok so ulo, aburis, agetaget, aguret, akagsiw, akudyas, akustil, nankustil, alamatan, alinturang, alipeng, ambagtit, ambreng, angkampis, nankampis, asibok, atikong, atipos/atipus, atorik, baleg so bulan, bankeleng, bantiwel, bantokaling, bayakew, bobolanen, bulatis, gilit-gilit, kalawakaw, kulang na pesetas, kutagong, mamarlang, nangkatiw, nankalting, akaltingan, nipatog ed barko, paratangtang, paratagtag, sulok-sulok, terenggoy, terenta y cingco, tulao, wala'y pisisigeen.
The diversity of synonyms and level of precision are consistent with those of the rest of the country, but the Pangasinan language is particularly strikingly rich.
Sources: Perfecto Beltran, Joseph Quinto, Joey Ferrer, Lily Luz Ursua-Abella, Resty Odon, Andrea Ferrer Umoypa, Leticia Ursua, Clarita F. Tagab, Melchor Orpilla, Vernaliza Ferrer, Ismael Malicdem Jr., Peter Caragan, Melchor Orpilla, Santiago Villafania, Joey Ferrer, John Quinto, Clarita F. Tagab, Iluminada Junio Mabanglo, What's Up Dagupan (FB page), Sylvester Quintos, Rosabella Austria, Leo B. Aquino Jr., et al.
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