Atapis: The Pangasinenses' Many Words for Crazy

 

LIST: Atapis: Pangasinan words for crazy

 

Among the Pangasinenses, the number of colloquial terms for the word 'crazy' is simply phenomenal, if not out of this world, with some words even having variants. I wonder why. 

 

1.         abalang so nonot to, abalang so kanonotan to

 

2.         abetelay utek to (his brain caught some chills) 

 

3.         abetelay muling to (his forehead caught some chills) 

abigot (San Fabian)

 

4.         abulok so ulo to (his head rotted)

 

5.         aburingkitis

 

6.         aburis

 

7.         adaplisan (got slightly hit), nandaplis

 

8.         aderal so ulo to (his head got damaged)

 

9.         aga napamintuan so ibabaga to

 

10.      agetaget

 

11.      agto ni awali'y mundo

 

12.      aguret

 

13.      akagsiw

 akalog so ulo to

14.      akanat

 

15.      aketket na duweg (bitten by a carabao)

 

16.      akotitkotit

 

17.      akublas?

 

18.      akudyas

 

19.      akustil, nankustil

 

20.      alaok so ibabaga to

 

21.      alamatan, wala'y lamat na ulo to (his head got a crack)

 

22.      alimmoreng

 

23.      alintaweng

 

24.      alinturang

 

25.      alipeng

 

26.      ambagel 

 

27.      ambagtit

 

28.      ambasit, nanbasit, basit, nambasit 

 

29.      ambelat so sasakbaten to (he's carrying a heavy load)

 

30.      ambreng

31.      anggapoy kalakal to

 

32.      angkampis, nankampis

 

33.      angkesay, kesay-kesay, nankesay (Alaminos?)

 

34.      apataa'y lurem (nahagip ng ulap, got hit by a cloud) (Dagupan)

 

35.      apisit (squished), naksit

 

36.      arageman so utek to (his brain has got blown by the wind) 

 

37.      asaplian

 

38.      aselepan (possessed)

 

39.      asibok (puffed up)

 

40.      asibukan na mauges a dagem (got blown upon by a bad wind)

 

41.      asipeg (nahagip, got bumped)

 

42.      ataknik

 

43.      atapaaw

 

44.      atapis, nantapis, di tapis 

 

45.      atekepay lurem

 

46.      atetewe

 

47.      atikong

 

48.      atipos, atipus

 

49.      atiris, nantiris 

 

50.      atiwel, atiwel ya singa aso, singa ason nantiwel (like a rabid dog), nantiwel 

 

51.      atorik, aturit

 

52.      awaweng, wawaweng

 

53.      awegweg 

 

54.      awelwel 

 

55.      awengweng

 

56.      bagtit (also Ilocano)

 

57.      baleg so bulan, ombabaleg so bulan

 

58.      bankeleng

 

59.      bantiwel

 

60.      bantokaling

 

61.      bayakew

 

62.      bobolanen, bubulanen, bulan-bulanen

 

63.      bulatis

 

64.      de bulan

 

65.      di katit, nankatit, walay katit to (Bayambang) 

 

66.      di latlata, nanlatlata 

 

67.      di saltik 

 

68.      di galing, wala'y galing-galing to (has magical powers?)

 

69.      dugong

 

70.      gilit-gilit

 

71.      inyanak nen sulaw/tulaw

 

72.      kalawakaw

 

73.      kangaw

 

74.      karis

 

75.      katok, akatok, nangkatok, nankatok 

 

76.      kinmaro

 

77.      klaret

 

78.      kulang-kulang (is lacking), akulangan

 

79.      kulang na binting, diya'd piso kulang na binting (lacks 25 centavos)

 

80.      kulang na bulan (lacks some months)

 

81.      kulang na kwerdas

 

82.      kulang na pesetas

 

83.      kulang na tinggal

 

84.      kulang na tornilyo

 

85.      kutagong

 

86.      kutapling - singa inanid sirom, makulyapis, kulang na kalakal

 

87.      kuwalis, kualis

 

88.      kuwareg

 

89.      kuwating, nankuwating 

 

90.      kuwatit, nankuwatit 

 

91.      linmukak so tornilyo to (lumuwag ang turnilyo, has loose screws) 

 

92.      lokloko, loko-loko

 

93.      Lucas (para'd say laki ya aderal so ulo to)

 

94.      Lukring, Lucresia (para'd bii ya aderal so ulo to)

 

95.      makakaimis ya singa bakes (seems smiling like a monkey)

 

96.      mamarlang

 

97.      masagana 99

 

98.      minsay

 naaliweg

99.      naambaling so ulo to

 

100.  naapunan (possessed), inapunan

 

101.  nagtelan, nagtela'y utek to (his brain turned cold)

 

102.  naksit (squished)

 

103.  nandaiset, wala'y daiset to (has a little something) 

 

104.  nan-F (slang, with F meaning few) (Bayambang)

 

105.  nangkatiw

 

106.  nankalting, akaltingan

 

107.  nankampis, angkampis

 

108.  nankupat 

 

109.  nankuriring, wala'y kring-kring

 

110.  wala'y kuliling, nankuliling, nankililing, nantililing, nankularing 

 

111.  nankularet

 

112.  nankutas, akutas

 

113.  nanlaring

 

114.  nanlaris

 

115.  nipatog ed barko

 

116.  nipatog ed bulan, apatogan na bulan (got bumped at/by the moon)

 

117.  nipatog ed lurem

 

118.  nansagpit na alasas (Bayambang)

 

119.  nipasentek

 

120.  onsasalagasag 

 

121.  onsisige

 

122.  paratangtang, paratagtag

 

123.  simmalagasag 

 

124.  sulok-sulok

 

125.  tawel

 

126.  taweng

 

127.  tedte 

 

128.  tegtele

 

129.  terenggoy

 

130.  terenta y cingco

 

131.  tinmelek

 

132.  tinmerak lay katiresan to

 

133.  tinmikyab so kanonotan to

 

134.  tulao

 

135.  wala'y banting to (has a bell)

walay eng-eng to 

136.  wala'y kudyas, di kudyas

 

137.  wala'y kulang-kulang to

 

138.  wala'y pisisigeen to

 

139.  wala'y sagar (may sayad, has ___?) 

 

140.  wala'y sarili to'n mundo

 

141.  wangel

 

 

Sources: Resty Odon, Vernaliza Ferrer, Ismael Malicdem Jr., Peter Caragan, Melchor Orpilla, Santiago Villafania, Joey Ferrer, John Quinto, Clarita F. Tagab, Iluminada Junio, What's Up Dagupan (FB page), Sylvester Quintos, Efren Abulencia, Virginia Jasmin Pasalo, Pangasinan Natan, Sara'y Taga-Pangasinan FB page, Clarita F. Tagab, et al.

 

 

Notes on the Niog

Next to rice and bamboo in terms of local cultural significance in the area of native flora is perhaps the coconut.

Called niog, the coconut used to grow in profusion throughout the town, until residents chopped off their clumps of trees -- including coconut, anahaw, narra, mabolo and other native forest trees -- to give way to highly profitable onion farms.

Niog is, of course, regarded as the tree of life, as in the rest of the Philippines, for it has many uses.

It is, of course, foremost a food. The meat can be scooped out of the shell using a spoon and eaten as is, or scraped using a balikátkat and mixed in kanen (rice cakes) and salads, or grated using an igar or a manual iron grater with wooden support that one sits on.

The grated coconut is pressed twice to make gatá (gátañg, gátas), the extracted coconut 'milk' (actually juice) used in main dishes, rice cakes, and soupy desserts. In fact, almost all native rice cakes have either coconut meat or coconut milk. In local cooking, there is a distinction made between the first pressing of the coconut milk (the rich and creamy unaan a pespes or kakang gata in Tagalog) and the second one, which is much attenuated.

The coconut embryo is called pála. It is found inside a mature coconut fruit that is starting to grow a shoot. The kids often scramble for it to enjoy the soft, wet, spongy, sweetish outgrowth.

Coconut 'water' is called tabol, while coconut flower juice (actually sap) is called tuba. These are favorite drinks. Tuba may be fermented into vinegar or wine.

Depending on how it is prepared or cooked, the coconut gives off several distinct and strong flavors. The scraped meat is often candied, called bokáyo (bukayo, bocayo). There are a few of varieties of bocayo -- they may come in chewy balls drizzled with sesame seeds and may use white or brown sugar. The harder disc-shaped ones are called bocarillo.

Niog is also made into 'coco jam' or coconut milk jam called katiba. In Pangasinan in the '50s-'60s, if katiba or coco jam was cooked until almost solid, it became coconut candy, which was wrapped in rolled coupon bond. Old-timers say it was their version of chocolate, 'coconut chocolate.'

Coconut milk reduction is called ganusal, the curds that separate from the oil after cooking the coconut 'milk' under low fire for quite sometime.

Coconut oil is used for frying and sauteing.

Apungol or coconut pith (ubod ng niyog in Tagalog) is cut into strips and eaten as fresh lumpia or fried lumpia.

 

Grated coconut is also used to make the popular panaderia item pan de coco. 

Locals have particular terms to classify or categorize coconut. Amamareng is a dwarf variety of coconut bearing smaller-than-usual fruits. Macapuno is a small variety of coconut with thick, soft meat that is highly preferred in making coconut candies. Botayong is a tear-shaped, immature coconut that is bound to drop to the ground without reaching maturity, thus the idiomatic expression "manaalagar na napelag ya botayong" (waiting for a botayong to fall), to refer to an idler or lazybone, or "napelag la'y botayong," to mean someone is about to cry.

Coconut is also classified according to age. Buko is used just like in Tagalog: to refer to young coconut fruit in general, but there are other terms. Malamuteg (what Tagalogs call malauhog) is young coconut with soft, thin, and a bit slimy meat, and acidic 'water.' Kareket-ubet (literally 'very black-bottomed') refers to a mature coconut whose ubet (butt) shows a deep brown shell when the bottom part of the niog is lopped off. The coconut fruit is then considered to be bobokáyoén (the Tagalog equivalent is gumaan), or in the middle stage of development: still green on the outside but mature (i.e., thick and firm) enough to be used for bokáyo or candied coconut. Lalaraken is also used for really mature coconut, from which to extract the fragrant oil (larak or laná) for use as puyok (healing liniment or moisturizing lotion). Larak made on Holy Friday is supposed to have healing properties.

More recently, coconut that is best for fruit salad is described as isasalad. This is between the malamuteg and bobocayoen stages. The coconut water of this stage is also ideally sweet, no longer sour to the taste and to the stomach.

Buko juice is best enjoyed chilled, with scraped meat and some evaporated milk. Since it is a diuretic, buko water is often used to cure or relieve kidney ailments.

There are specific terms to refer to other parts of the the niog. A young, dried-up fallen coconut is called cocót, and it is often halved and used as firewood.

The coconut shell is called lapís, and it is used to make kitchen implements, handicrafts, and firewood. A big lapis that is polished, with the upper portion carefully cut so as to save it for use as cover, is used as inuman or even as an orinola -- it is called abaáb or ungot.

The huge coconut leaf frond is called bulunyog or palápa, and it is used to build a hut's roof and walls. Palapa, when used to light one's way at night, is called banoot. A makeshift enclosure made of coconut leaves and bamboo used for the wedding reception, for example, is called pala-pala. The leaves are also woven and stylized into palaspas or Palm Sunday wreaths. The coconut leaves' midribs are removed and the sticks are gathered together to make tingting or yard broom.

 

The fibrous netting that clings on base of the palapa or the fruit of the niog is called balanet, and it is used as scrub as well and for handicraft materials like purse. 

Halved coconut husks (called bunot) with the shell intact -- are used to make íkat (or bunot) or scrub for polishing floors. A bad haircut or hair style is often likened to a bunot.

Bunot may be used in many other ways: pierced with teken (thin bamboo pole) where chickens may roost at night up in the trees, as toilet paper of some sort, as rooting agent when grafting plants, as part of a trap to catch sibaweng (beetle) using crushed hot peppers as lure, and as flowering pots (with the coconut shell intact).

Coconut meat that has been grated and pressed for its milk is called kupag. It is used as animal feed.

The coconut trunk is used as post or lumber.

As the cliche goes, no part of the tree of life is thrown away. No part of local life is left 'untouched' by the coconut.

References: Dr. Leticia B. Ursua (coconut candy, bocarillo), Dr. Margarita R. Untalan (botayong and botayong idiom), Melchor Orpilla (abaáb/ungot), Oscar Ora (bunot uses; pala vs pala-pala), Perfecto Beltran (ginuyor)

Diparan - Mga Lokal na Salawikain at Paniniwala (Folk Wisdom through Local Sayings/Proverbs and Beliefs)

(Category: Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe)

Traditional Pangasinan literature comes in written and oral forms. In Dr. Perla S. Nelmida’s collection, Pangasinan's ancient folk literature in the oral traditions include 631 proverbs, 465 riddles and puzzles, 131 folk tales, and 170 folk songs.

As for written literature kuritan is the term used to mean Pangasinan literature, but it also refers to the ancient Pangasinan script, which has become extinct. 

Ancient Pangasinan literature includes the tongtong or tagaumen (tales or stories), gawaran and uliran (myths and legends), diparan (maxims, pithy sayings, proverbs), and pabitla or bonikew (riddles). The surviving literature written in Pangasinan language are in Latin script, and include the awaran-dili or bilay-awaran (biography), salaysay (essay), diglat (fiction), awaran (history), tongtong or salaysay (narrative), kombilay (novel), and anlong (poem).

Here is an attempt at recovering some of the proverbs from collective memory.

Sayings/Proverbs

Say bilay aga sininger. (Life is not tied.) - Ang buhay ay di natin piho. Life is uncertain.

No manbagtik so kabayo, alagar mo’y itunda to. (When the horse is running, wait for it to stop.). - Agmo susumlangen so manpapasnok ya tuo. Do not meet an angry person at the height of his anger.

Say mangiras, banbantayay eras. Say makuli, man-inawa naani. (The lazy is being watched by hunger. The hardworking will later on prosper.) 

Aga untitit so bulilit no ag napildit. (The mouse won't screech if it does not get pinched.) - Di ka masasaktan kung 'di ka guilty! You won't react if you're not guilty.

Naksel so kalsada, narasa'y kusina. (The street is full, the kitchen is hungry.) - being showy in an unseemly way (even though one can't afford it)

Pekpek ed duweg, batil ed baka (the carabao takes the hit, but the cow gets the bruise) - refers to a person who gets hurt by words directed at someone else

Dyad inkapili-pili, say nakar to lunek. Out of extreme choosiness, one ends up in the quagmire.

Nanlayag so dalin. (The land has ears.) - Kahit anong itinatago mo na baho ng isang tao, sisingaw at sisingaw yan.; Walay layag na dalin. (The land has ears.) - Aga niamot so sikreto laot la ed saray tsismosa. Ang sikreto ay di maitago dahil sa mga makakating labi. A secret can't be kept because of gossip.

Say matila, kapinsa'y matakew. - A liar is cousin to a thief. 

No iner so kulay masamit, wadman so kanit. (Kung naasan ang matamis, nandoon ang langgam. Where there are sweets, there are ants.) -  When you are wealthy, you have lots of friends. (Note: Kanit is a kind of small ant that has a fragrant smell.) 

Anggano agka manbalikas, diad awawey nalikas. (Even if you don't say it, one can guess your actual state.) - Actions speak louder than words.

 

No antoy asabi, iyonor so ugali. (Adapt yourself to situations in life.). syn: Tabas mo'y kawes mo onung ed abel mo. (Adjust the cut of your dress to the size of your cloth.)

No walay kamaungan, walay kaugsan. (If there is an advantage, there is also a disadvantage.)

Dengel ka'y bilin piyan agka natolintolin. (Listen to advice so you won't stumble, fall, and roll over. Real meaning: Listen to advice to avoid mistakes.)

Bilang mo'y takken mo ed bilang na kaarom, aliwan diad taon. (Count your age by the number of your friends not by years.)

Anggapo'y toon makapanbilay ed kabokbokoran. (No person can live alone.)

Say too ya anggapo'y nonot to ed arapen, mairap to ya sabien so limpyon panagbilay. (A person without ambition rarely comes to true greatness.)

Manpasnok ka ed utangan, aleg ed pansingilan." (Be angry with the lender, but not with the debtor.)

Iyaagel, nasisinagel. - No kapigan mon ipipireg o iyaamot, sikato met su narandan ya naloor o naala o nasakitan. Kung ano ang pinakaiingatan, siya pa ang nasasaktan o nahahagip o nabubunggo. (Just when you are preventing something from being done, that's when it happens.)

Say alabas ya aro maganon naumas. - Too much love will not last.

Anggapo'y unegna'd bangan ag nauringan. - (No one who touches a sooty pot won't get sooty.) var.: Anggapo'y ombebenben ed bangan ag naoringan. (No one holds a pot without having soot [on one's hands].) - Anggapo'y mibabali'd kasalanan ya ag nalanor, o anggapo'y mikakabiangan ed maoges ya gawa ya ag nalanor. (Nobody who participates in evil is spared from evil or from being implicated.)

Say lakin uneksab ed abong, isulong to'y pugay to. - (A man who comes down from the house will wear his ?____.) Man is man when he is out of the house, meaning, he can be forgiven for some misdemeanors done (womanizing).

Natilak so aral, ag natilak so natural. - (Literally, One might leave behind one's education, but one's nature will never be left behind.) True character appears even when one has high education.

Amin ya too maong anggad agto ibagel. (Everyone is good until one becomes crazy.) - Anggapoy inyanak ya loko, kanyan say bagel ya too so sarag to met mansimbalo. (No one is born evil, that's why an evil person is able to change for the better.)

Say makasi, naatotay lasi. (The merciful one gets farted on by lightning.) - Tutulungan mo la lantiy sakey a too, sika ni so maoges. The one who is kind and helpful ends up the one being seen in a bad light.

Say pagbabawi, wala'd kaunoran. (Regret/repentance happens in the end.) - Nasa huli ang pagsisisi. When you realize the truth, it is too late to amend. 

No anto'y nangel mo, ikupit mo'y sangim. (Whatever you heard, just close your mouth.) - Kung anuman ang narinig mo, itiklop mo na lang ang bibig mo.

 

Dakel niy kanen mon belas. (Marami ka pang kakaining bigas. You still have a lot of rice to eat.) - You still have a long way to go. syn.: Agmo ni nainom so nainom kon danum. (You have not drunk yet the water I have drunk.)

Say liket banbantaya'y ermen. (Happiness is stalked by sadness. or: Joy is always guarded by sorrow.)

Say abangonan, mairap ya lingwanan. (What tradition has set is not easy to forget.)

No anggapo'y kuarta ed kawigin bulsa, agto kabaliksa'y anggapo'y kuarta met ed bulsan kawanan. (When there's money in the left pocket, it doesn't mean there is no money in the right pocket as well.)

Say kagalangan kayamanan. (Honor is wealth.)

Pabarong mo lay ateng mo, aliwa labat so biyenan/katulangan mo. (You may offend your parents, but never ever your mother/father-in-law.)

Say nganak, no kinmotak, wala'y agawa. (When a hen cackles, something happened.) / Sakey ak ya nganak. No kinmotak ak walay ginawak. (I am a hen. When I cackle, it means I did something.)

Agkayo manatae ed solar yo. (Huwag magkalat (o dumumi) sa sariling bakuran. Don't take a dump in your own yard.) 

 

Gawaen ta pagawa. (Will do it then have it done by others.) - Do desirable things, and after that, have the credibility to lead others to do the same good things too. It is like doing an act of kindness, and others will see and do the same good example set.

 

Agmo ipopormisa so siwsiw anggad agni abetag so itnol. (Don't promise the chick when the egg has not cracked yet.) 

 

Ibabatikan koy pitek, nakar koy lunek. (I was running away from muck, but I ended up in the quagmire.) - My situation has gone from bad to worse.

No antikey so oles, ikokot so sali. (If the blanket is short, then bend your feet.) - Mantipid, imanesan so wala. Magtipid, pagkasyahin kung ano ang meron habang di pa nakakaluwag-luwag. Live with what you have, or live within your means while times are hard.
 
Say unaan ya kinmutak, sikatoy nandutak. (The first one to cluck is the one who made a mess or the one who messed up.) - The guilty one will unwittingly speak up in unsolicited defense.

Ibabatikan koy pitek, nakar koy lunek. (I was running away from mud, but I ended up in a quagmire.) - My situation has gone from bad to worse.
 
Agmo ipopormisa so siwsiw anggad agni abetag so itnol. (Don't promise the chick when the egg has not hatched yet.) - Don't make a promise prematurely, i.e., without any assurance of delivering it.

Walay layag na dalin. (The land has ears.) - Aga niamot so sikreto laot la ed saray tsismosa. Ang sikreto ay di maitago dahil sa mga makakating labi. A secret can't be kept because of gossip.

Gawaen ta pagawa. (Will do it then have it done by others.) - Do desirable things, and after that, have the credibility to lead others to do the same good things too. It is like doing an act of kindness, and others will see and do the same good example set.

 

Agmo ibabagan pobpobre so too no saksakey ya bulsa so anengneng mo. (Don't call someone poor if all you saw was just one pocket.)

Say balatyang deraley lati to met lamlamang. (A metal is ruined by its own rust.) - Kadalaan mo lamlamang so manderal ed sika. (It's your own blood relatives who would put you down or turn you over to ruin.) Or: Sarili nating kahinaan lang din ang sisira sa atin. (It is our own fault that would lead us to ruin.)

Angapo'y dinmiwit ed kawali ya ag naoringan. Or: Angapo'y dinmiwit ed banga ya ag naoringan. (No one who has touched the frying pan or pot is left without being sooty.) -  No one who took a part in evil is free of guilt. ("No akila ka'd arum a tuo ya maugës, o akibabali ka ëd kagagawa da, anggan maung kan tuo, nalanor ka; o makapigamít ka'd mabanday o maugës a kasumpalan da." - M.O.)

No asingger kad patugan, anggapo so pagam. - "Walan-walay betang mo ya anggapo'y mintis no sika'y wala'd kusina. Singa no saray politicians ya wala'y project da, amin ya kimmanapa ed saman ya project, wala'y apag da." (E.A.) You are assured of, or you can rest in, prosperity when you are well or properly connected. 

Aga manbunga'y mangga so pantol. (The santol tree wont bear mangoes.) - If you are a family of thieves, for example, chances are, your forebears will also be thieves.

Say kapalaran agnibatican. (You can't run away from fate.)

No inyatol so lewet, say ogaw napekewet. (If you keep the whipping stick, the child will end up being bent.) - the equivalent of "Spare the rod, spoil the child."

Say biin/asawan ngorongoro, agto apaknaa'y dasel to! (A woman who nags (?) has not __ her ____.) - Ibabagad makolkol o maonganget ya bii o asawa. (What someone says to a nagger wife.)

Agka masyadon kapasiguro / Ta anggan kuaresma walay bagyo. (Don't be too certain / For even during Lent there could be storm.) (Huwag ka pakasiguro / Dahil kahit Kuwaresma may bagyo.)

Agmakalay mandagsa / Makalay mankalkalna. (He who hurries will not get anything / He who moves slowly will get something.)

Kapigan ka ni mantarong? No abasa ka la? (When are you going to use a veil/shade?When you are already wet?) - Manalwar ka ta piano agka mambabawi ed kaonoray agew. Take care. Always be cautious. 

Natilak so aral, agnatilak so natural. - Say ugalin aliwa, umpaway ya umpaway anggan atagtagey so inaral mo.

Anggapo'y unas ya masamit angga'd nguro. (There is no sugarcane that is sweet up to the tip.) - Say sankakaaron malmalet so ulopan da ed gapo, kabekbekta et naderal so pankakaaro da o nagmaliw iran mankabusol. Kadalasan, ang pagkakaibigang buong-buo sa umpisa ay nauuwi rin sa pagkasira ng samahan. No friendship lasts forever. 

No mamakan ka na aso, agmo isusubo angga'd taklay mo. (If you feed a dog, do not put the food inside its mouth up to you arm.) - Kaukulan mo so man-alwar ta say toon tulungan mo, no sikato et mauges, abusoen to la lanti so itutulong mo, balesen to ka ni na mauges. Singa pamakan ed aso ya sakmalen to angga ed taklay mo. Kung tutulong ka sa isang tao at ito ay nagkataong mapagmalabis, baka sakmalin pa ang buong braso mo (aabusuhin ka na, gagawan ka pa ng masama). If you help someone and that person is the abusive type, take care or else you will indeed be not just abused but also done evil to.

Say toon masaol aga makarimol. - A person who is deceitful won't win. 

Say toon awet, agto naipalugar so punget. - A stingy person won't give you an inch. (?)

Anos labat, walan sansiya. - Be patient, for soon you will realize what you've been aiming for.

***

Traditional Parental Advice

Anos labat so bilay. (Life is all about patient perseverance.) - It is believed that life is innately hard, so one must persevere to be able to survive it. “Say imbaga nen atateng mi nen saman, mairap a talaga so bilay, kanyan man-anos ka'd bilay.” (Our parents said that life was really hard, so you must persevere in life.)

Unor mo'y ateng mo. (Obey your parents.) - One must obey one's parents because they know better and they know what is best for us. “Mainumay kumon no unoren mo so atateng mo ed amin a ibabaga dan maong para'd sika.” (Life becomes easy when you are obedient to your parents, since they know what is best for you.) 

Mi-aroan ka'd arom a totoo. (Love other people.) - “Diyad amin ya laen mo, maong met ya antam so mi-arod arom, piyan nabangatan da kay kaantaan met ed panagbilay tan wala'y untulong met ed sika ed paniirap mo.” (Wherever you go, it is good that you know how to socialize with others (beyond your family), for you to be instructed about life, and to have company in your struggles.) 

Paunla ka ni labat, papawil kami la. (You're just on your way there, we are on our way back.) - It is believed that when someone is ‘paunla’ or ‘on their way’ while the other one is ‘papawil’ or ‘returning’, it means that people who have passed through life's struggles or challenges have gained much more knowledge and wisdom from their experience and thus have earned the right to guide someone else (usually the younger ones) because they have experienced it first-hand. 

Aliwa so mangkawes na antikey. (It is wrong to wear short dress.) - According to Leonita Romano, parents in the past were strict with how their daughters dressed up. They frowned on women wearing short clothes, as they considered it to be immodest. "Pagagalitan at parurusahan ang sinumang magdamit ng maiikli sa panahon namin, at natatakot kaming mapagalitan noon, kaya lahat ng bawal di namin ginagawa," she said.

Pilim a maong so asawam. (Choose carefully whom to marry.) - People of marrying age were advised by their parents to decide carefully and wisely which person to choose because marriage is a lifelong commitment, and once committed, there was no turning back. If you chose the wrong person, you faced the consequences. According to Minda B.  Pagsolingan, her father -- a soldier -- would often advise her, “Piliin mo’y mayaman ya asawa, ta piyan unasenso ka ed bilay.” (Choose a rich husband/wife so that you can have a better life.) Being vocal about the issue was the parents' way of expressing their love and concern for their children.

Igalang mo so mas panguluan ed sika. (Respect the person older than you.) - This means younger people must respect those who are older than them. This outright demand for respect according to age is based on the presumption that the older ones have much more experience in life and thus have gained more knowledge and wisdom than younger ones, who need their guidance.

Agka misasalaok no mantutungtong ira'y matatakken. (Don't butt in when elders talk.) - According to Mr. Renato Mamaril, this means that when adults are having a conversation, children should not butt in. Disobeying this indicates that one does not have respect for one's elders or one has no manners.

***

Local Beliefs

No malayag ka, andukey so bilay mo. - If you are ear-y, you have a long life

No ginmatel so limam, wala'y unsabin kwartam. - If your hand turns itchy, you will have money soon.

Say pelsaan, matila. - The one who has a boil is a liar.

Say bungaan, masiim. - The one who has sore eyes is a voyeur. 

No say ugaw mansinok, ibaga ra wala'y nantakew na itnol. - If a child hiccups, they say that someone has stolen an egg.

No say ugaw ya melag et amil, pakan moy bao'y baboy pian manmaliw a malabir. - If a little child [has a speech defect in which he/she mispronounces certain syllables], give him/her pig's vagina so he/she will become talkative.

Sa’y nankamkampuyod abay na eleng, singob-singoben to’y inawa. - The one who has a mole near the nose will keep on smelling a comfortable life.

No say kamkampuyo'd lupa et natetertera'y luwa, manangibalo. (When your mole on the face is found where tears fall, your spouse will die ahead of you someday.)

 

Sarata'y inaatey ya masaol ed dalin, sikara man so sigsilew ya manangibalang ditad taew. (Landgrabbers, when they die, become the sigsiglew or fireball that cause people to lose their way in the field.)

Say balaw, ibeg. (Ang pagpintas ay inggit. Fault-finding is envy.)

See also: Bayambang Municipal News: Isebel So... (Sara'y Alimaong): A compilation of local superstitious beliefs

KEY INFORMANTS: Jose Paningbatan Ferrer, Cadre Site; Elvira Ferrer, Cadre Site; Leonita A. Romano, Tatarac; Minda B. Pagsolingan, Cadre Site; Mrs. Florentina S. De Guzman, Bical Norte; Mr. Renato C. Mamaril, Sapang

PROFILERS/MAPPERS: Carl Jason Centeno, Ralph Michael Tumaneng, Cindy Grospe, Rezza Mae Pagsolingan, Marlyn De Guzman, Shekinah Macaraeg

Grade 12 HUMSS-Psalms

Date Profiled: January 16, 2019

ADVISER: Mr. Christopher Q. Gozum

Subject: Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

School: Bayambang National High School – Senior High School

School Year: 2018-2019

References/Consultants/Validators/Additional Informants: Dr. Leticia B. Ursua, Melchor Orpilla, Taga-Pangasinan Ak, Aroen Ko'y Salitak Facebook page members, Mildred S. Odon, Lorenzo Bancolita, Joey Ferrer, Marilyn dela Cruz, Pangasinan 101 Facebook page, November 14, 2014, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=756224651080573&id=710246092345096; Lorenzo Frianeza, citing KSD Wikaalaman and personal knowledge and other members of Saray Taga-Pangasinan Facebook page, in the post, https://www.facebook.com/groups/154584501713515/posts/1819915165180432/, Efren Abulencia, Geri Domingo, Lynn Rosario Alberto, Pangasinan Natan

Compiler, Translator, and Editor: Resty S. Odon

Ay Agi, Agayla Ya! -- Traditional Expressions

The following are common expressions that have been traditionally used in Bayambang and other parts of Pangasinan. They are listed here separately as they are generally non-idiomatic in usage, i.e., they have more or less literal meaning. Put another way, they are favorite non-idiomatic utterances to express specific thoughts and feelings.

 

Aga ibaliwan na asawak so agi to./Aga ibaliwan na agik so asawa to. (My wife will not wear mourning cloth for her sibling./My sibling will not wear mourning cloth for his wife.) - I will not allow it (a negative incident) to happen.
 

Agayla ya! - an expression of exasperation; roughly, "Ano ba yan!" or "Oh, geez!"

 

Agka mangitaltalek; Aga mangabkabilang ("Di ka sumusunod [sa utos]!"?) - "You're not giving due respect, as though you hear nothing [I say]!"; synonym: Dengel ka layag, talos ed pagpag. (Listen, ear; out on the other.)

 

Agka manisia, lakad tumbong nen Alicia (vulgar usage: You don't believe it? Get inside Alicia's butt!)

 

Agka mapaga ta say paga walad ponsya. (Don't worry because worrying lies in feasting.)

 

Ag ka pad 'tan! (Huwag ka nga diyan!; roughly, Don't you be so...?) - roughly, "Scram!" or "Leave me alone!"

Agkayo mapaga ta wala kayo'd amaga. (Don't worry because you are on dry ground.)

 

Agko intilak sa paltak kod batalan mi! (I did not leave my balls in our bathroom!) - I will show you who the man of the house is!
 

Agmo nalingaw so layag mo'd samit. Karapas mo wadtan. - You can't see your ears with how delicious it is! Touch them, they are there.

 

Agmo pinunuyan tan ta atan ya too katipunan Kastila. (Don't mind him because he is a ____ Spaniard.)
 

Akidadoy - aki-poncia; nagpunta sa kainan; went to a feast; syn. akibagkong, akiponcia, akibangaw, akikan, aki-angot

 

Alig-alig, kapinsa'y dalig (copycat, cousin of wheel) 

 

Aliston kapakapa. (Active but ineffective.) 

 

Ambalbalanga syanga - (so red) - came from a local riddle: "Ambalbalanga si Anga, Andekereket si Aket, say makabitla, nakewet; Answer: Bugayong"

 

Anac na lasi; Anac na lasi ka; Lasi ka (anak ka ng kidlat; child of lightning) - local version of "Anak ng pating!"; a filler expression that has a range of meanings, from mock irritation to being a mild expletive

 

Andeket mareret - Ang maitim tapat. The dark one has love sincere.

Andekereket siaket, no mangaro malet. - Maitim man ako, malupit naman kung magmahal. Though I am dark, when I fall in love, I fall hard.  

 

Anggan wala kad akwalan nen inam, sukiten taka. (Even though you are on your mother's lap, I will come pick you with a stick.) - Agtoka niagel nen inam ed pasnok ko. Even your mother can't protect you from my anger.

Anggapo la'd bilay (wala na sa buhay; no longer in life) - patay na; is dead

 

Anggapo ni'y kalakal to - wala pa sa tamang edad o pag-intindi; does not have maturity of mind yet or proper understanding; he is too immature to know or understand

 

Angapo'y arom, Kanayon/Kapinsan/Etc. ya peteg, ____ tayo - expressions that establish kinship: There's no difference; First-degree relative/cousin/etc.; Our _____ (example: Who else but our John and no other.)

 

Anggapo'y wala (walang meron; nothing there) - that's nothing; don't mention it (equivalent of "you're welcome")

 

Anigang met!/Animas! (euphemism for "Animal!") - exclamatory element in a situation like, Anigang met. Akin inbagam lan tampol? Animas la yan traffic, na-late ak la lamet! (roughly, What the heck! Why did you say it right away? What the heck, I'll be late again!)

 

Apaterter to'y luac (Caused my tears to fall) - has caused me to cry

 

Ay agi! - roughly, "Hay, naku!" or "Oh, brother!"

 

Bandyaw - sa mga kababaihan, baduy na pagdadala ng damit; lousy dressing style among women, i.e., those who love wearing ill-fitting because extra-loose skirts and the like

 

Bari, bari, apo laki, bai/Bambano lalig - an expression used when one is new to a place, to tell spirits not to hurt him

 

Batot-banting ([no translation]) - burloloy; tiny, insignificant adornment; Ex.: Nambabangil ya batot-banting to!; synonym: bakbakutot

 

Dengel ka layag, talos ed pagpag - a local version of "In in one ear and out of the other"

 

Dia'd samit to nalingwanan mo'y katulangan mo. - You will forget your mother-in-law with how delicious it is!

 

Ey - a term used to emphasize a point, like the Ilocano "ngay." Example: "Akin ey?" (Why so?); no Tagalog equivalent

 

Gala, gala ____ (name of person)! - an expression used when someone is shocked out of sheer fright; used purportedly to call someone's soul back after leaving someone's body in shock

 

Gagawen mo? - an expression that roughly means, "Really?!"; kagagawa: one's ways; gawa-gawa(noun): pretense/falsity

 

Imbaga-bagam! ("Sinabi mo pa!") - "Oh, you said it right!"

 

Inatey so angabil. - (The one who hurt someone was the one who died.) The one who intended evil was the one who got hurt.
 

Kiyen - literally, short for kayarian or the thing owned, but used as a filler word like "kuwan" or "that thing" 

 

Maim-impis lay layag mo (ya laki), ta patawin ka lan patawin. (Your ears are too thin because you keep on carrying someone on your back.)

 

Manlilingwanan kami la. - Then let's forget one another. - said when very angry at what someone did to you, usually something perceived as an unjust act

 

Manpasangi kila pian makataway lay tooy taba-taba.

 

Mareen la'y panamaley to (has a peaceful married life) - refers to a person who has settled down (gotten married and started his/her own family)

 

Matog-makok - matog is short for malastog (braggart), while makok is short for malakok or matila (braggart and/or liar), malakok is another term for malastog or matila; bragging liar
 

No adiwit, nala. No akablit, akila (when touched, it is hit; when nudged by fingers, it goes with it) - 

"Parehas lamlamang!"; "Yun din yun!"; even if a word is not pronounced or spelled correctly, if it’s used and pronounced similarly as it should be, then the meaning is the same

 

No laki ka, laki ak met. (If you are a man, so am I.)

 

No oleg tan, kinetket to ka la. (If that was a snake, you would have been bitten already.)
 

Panangasi'y Diyos - local version of "kung may awa ang Diyos" or God willing

 

Pawilen ko'y anaiyan, agko pawilen yan lugar. - literally: I will go back to where I took a dump, (but) I will not go back to this place.

 

Puera anto ca man - "May nothing (bad) happens!"; expressed when someone says something ominous to you

 

Puera baltik! - uttered to dispel the supposedly negative energy as a result of someone's unsolicited praise

 

Puera bungis - "May I not lose a tooth." - uttered when one smells an intense sweet smell

 

Puera buril! - uttered when one sees a witch

 

Puera bwisit - "May I not fall into bad luck." - an expression used whenever one sees a skink, which is considered to be a harbinger of bad luck

 

Say dakel.... - literally, the many...; an exasperated expression; e.g. Say dakel binuntalan ta ka'd tan! (roughly: Mamaya mo, buntalin kita diyan! If you're not careful, I will hit you.)

 

Sirin? (ah ganun?; oh yeah?) - a local version of ngarud in Ilocano, gani in Visayan, and na in Tagalog; a sentence filler serving an intensive or emphatic purpose; Example: Onla ti la sirin. -- instead of just Onla ti la.

 

Tabi, tabi, tabi! - an expression to warn unseen beings (spirits) when one is about to throw away some trash or hot water in the vicinity so as not to hurt them 

 

Tunggal daiset (bit little bit) - utay-utay, unti-unti; bit by bit; Ex.: Tunggal daiset ya napelag

 

Inlambong to ak ed botbot ya banga. (I was boiled in a __? claypot) - Titilaan to kan arap-arapan o lolokoen to ka. (You are being lied to or deceived to your face.)

Manisia ka'd dueg ya bungis! (Would you believe a carabao with missing teeth?) - Say sasalitaen mo ag nepeg ya panisiaan o ag balot ya napanisiaan. (What you say is not believable.)

Matalag nen say delap. (Rarer than flood.) - rare indeed

Aliwa Pilo; Agaylatan Pilo ey - ?

Marianon garapon - ?; Example: "Ay Marianon garapon, ag makalabas ed traffic!"

Akauley la'y Vicenten lakanat. ; Akauley la'y Vicenten dapmeg. (equivalent of the expression, Bahala na si Batman?)

Singa ka another. (Para ka namang iba sa akin.) - ?

Singa mangala ak na baton ipekpek ko'd ulok. (Para akong kukuha ng batong ipupukpok ko sa aking ulo.) - ?

Kalawit mo'y bitewen no inaro mo ak. (Pick the stars for me if you love me.) - ?

Bari-bari, say nasiritan ko ag umbabawi. (Pasintabi! Ang maiihian ko ay huwag babawi.) - ?

Gerger moy bëklëw ko! (Gilitin mo ang leeg ko!) - ?

Agka mapaga ta say paga walad ponsya. (Huwag kang mag-alala, dahil ang pag-alala ay nasa piging.) - ?

Agko ninengneng, nilinggis ko labat. (Hindi ko pinagmasdan, sinipat ko lamang.) - ?

Laki nen baem (Your granda and your grandma?) - ?

 
Informants:

 

Bayambang Culture Mapping Facebook page members

 

Lorenzo Frianeza, citing KSD Wikaalaman and personal knowledge and other members of Saray Taga Pangasinan Facebook page