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This is the blog of Ian Rosales Casocot. Filipino writer. Sometime academic. Former backpacker. Twink bait. Hamster lover.

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Thursday, July 22, 2021

entry arrow12:44 PM | Going for Binisaya

Interesting to note: the people in this fight are scrambling to have their missives in English translated to Binisaya, which is amusing. But also makes me sad: why do we feel so inadequate in expressing ourselves, at least writing-wise, in our own language? [I know why actually.]

I sometimes feel the same way, because I really did grow up speaking and writing in English in Dumaguete. And we were really taught, even in the public schools, to consider Binisaya as inferior. [I have a whole TED Talks devoted to this, if you're interested! Click here.]

But when I do put my mind on writing in Binisaya for real, okay ra baya. True, sige ka og consult sa dictionary, but often just to make sure if the word in our head which we are familiar with is actually the right word to use. [It’s a result of us not being familiar with a Binisaya word on the page. Reading actually is just a matter of our brain recognizing the shape of words. And since we don’t usually read in Binisaya, at least for the burgis like me, wala na praktis atong brain sa hugis sa atong mga pulong.]

And Oriental Negrense Binisaya is very different, too, from Sugbuanon or Bol-anon or Kagayanon, so there’s that extra challenge. We call our own variety as Binisayang Binuglas [after Buglas]. And it deserves to be widely studied and used. Or else sige ra magpa-translate kay insecure ‘ta sa atong dila.

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