Gay language philippines
This story is part of a wider editorial series. Coming Out and Falling In Care for is about the queering of our relationships with others, and the self. This month, we look at Asian attitudes to sex and porn, dating website in the digital era, experiences of LGBTQ communities, unconventional relationships and most importantly, self-love. Study similar stories here.
Andre Santos is a copywriter for a major advertising agency in Manila. An out and haughty gay man, he’s the first to admit that Philippine society still has a long way to go when it comes to LGBTQ rights. Still, he’s happy that the conservative region is now more accepting of members of the community.
“That’s especially visible in how gay lingo has penetrated and fused with our vernacular,” Santos told VICE.
This lingo he’s talking about is the “Beki language,” the colloquial term for gayspeak in the Philippines.
If you uncover yourself in any Filipino social, your ears are bound to catch familiar terms in a very different context. “Indiana Jones,” for example, does not refer to the Harrison Ford deed flick but a term that means “to not display up.”
It’s confusing, but don’t worry, we’ll enlighten you soon.
“Sinetchiwerikyelz? ‘Pag na knowzik itez ng pudra, tegibels everybody in this country!” Vice Ganda exclaims in the 2015 film Beauty and the Bestie. To the average Filipino, the meaning behind these sentences may feel obscure; but to the fluent gay lingo speaker, it’s as clear as day.
(Who are you? Once my father finds out about this, you will all die!)
Vice Ganda’s lines are just one of many instances where Philippine lgbtq+ lingo—also called beki language—is incorporated into popular media and tradition. From movie scenes and YouTube videos to internet challenges and social media memes, local gayspeak has indeed become part of Filipino culture. But many still wonder how the language works, and how it continues to thrive despite its ever-dynamic nature.
Speaking life through language
“We refer to [Philippine gay lingo] as a sociolect,” states Jesus Federico “Tuting” Hernandez, associate professor at the University of the Philippine’s Department of Linguistics. Just like any sociolect, it’s centered around the speakers. “Wala namang isang body o isang komisyon that would tell you, ‘This is how it’s supposed to be,’” he jokes. Therefore, it doesn’t obey a stand
A Quick Tutorial To Learning “Gandara Park” & More Beki Words
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Beki. Beki, who? Well, definitely not Becky with the good hair, but the one and only Beki language! You realize the colorful and always evolving lgbtq+ lingo spoken in the Philippines. Another name for this popular Filipino queer language is "Swardspeak," which was coined in the 1970s by film critic Nestor Torre. Beki uses words from popular culture, identity names, various Filipino dialects, as successfully as phrases from English, Spanish, and even Japanese; these borrowed words are given new, playful meanings and then used in everyday conversations. If you're still a bit hazy about what Beki talk is all about, just think of the language as this sparkly and catchy way of speaking Filipino.
Filipino Gay Lingo Explained For The Rest Of The World
by Isabelle Laureta of @buzzfeed
Ok first up, let's start with probably the most usual gay lingo: "Charot!" You often hear this at the end of sentences and is usually said if the statement is meant to be a joke.
Its variation, "Char," serves the same purpose, but is commonly used when you don't wanna add that extra syllable at the end.
But it's also often said when one is telling the truth but doesn't wanna be taken seriously. Like so:
Not to be confused with "charot" and "char," but "chos" is basically just the same, only fancier. Fancy when your tita says you're getting fat, you'd reply, "You too, tita! Chos!"
"Echosera" is what you'd call yourself if you say a lot of "chos-es," "charots," and "chars." In a whole different context, though, you can call someone an echosera (often followed by '-ng palaka') when one is saying a lot of bullshit about you. It's very important to know the difference.
"Anek" is different from "ano"