WEEKLY READING # 1 Now na.

December 09, 2005 (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) By: Michael L. Tan

PO? PO. PO! Notice how the meanings change with each punctuation mark? Thats human language for you, a whole range of linguistic practices that include gestures and voice tone and body language. Po also reminds us about the many social functions of human language in this case, etiquette, the ways through which we express politeness, respect, deference. Polite pronouns Lets look at the way we use plural pronouns to express respect. In Filipino, we go, Kumusta po kayo? when talking to older people. But note that we use kayo, the plural you, even when were talking to one person. The Chinese do something similar, both verbally and in written form, using nin, again the plural you, rather than ni, the singular form when addressing an older person or someone higher in status. Its intriguing to speculate on why different cultures do this. I suspect its a way of inflating a person of substance and importance, almost like saying, youre not just an ordinary person but equivalent to many people. A few weeks back, I was listening to Ofelia Ac-ac, a fellow anthropologist, as she described a conversation with her mother and I perked up as I caught a new twist to the use of pronouns for Tagalog etiquette. Lets see how you would handle the situation. If you see your lakwatserang (wanderlust) grandmother preparing to leave the house, how would you ask her where shes going? It would be rude to ask, Saan ka pupunta? without the po and with the ka, or singular you. Instead, we go, Saan po kayo pupunta? But Ofelia says even that version would not be polite enough in Paete, where the proper way is to ask, Saan po baga siya pupunta? (Where is she going?) What you see here is the use of the third-person singular to address an older person. Again, we can only speculate on how this came about. Laguna had well developed feudal structures dating back several centuries so I suspect these linguistic rules reflected a time when you could not directly address some feudal lord. Grandmothers come close to those powerful datus. (Even if you used the correct pronoun, shed give you that None of your business, hijo look.) She is, well, SHE and Paetes linguistic etiquette reinforces this notion. So, next time you want to curry favor by asking if Lolas arthritic leg is aching and if you can massage it, you may need to go: Masakit po baga ang paa niya? Gusto po niyang hagurin ko? I should say Ofelia is from Paete, Laguna, and isnt sure how widely practiced this third-person singular etiquette is, even within Laguna, so we (and I mean Ofelia and myself) would appreciate readers writing in about this. Po Lets move to a much better known example of linguistic etiquette: po. Note that po isnt used in all Philippine languages; in fact, many our languages in the Visayas and Mindanao dont use that word at all, which is why people from the south will sometimes forget to use po when they speak Tagalog, and end up being perceived as rude. But this only reflects cultural diversity in the Philippines. In many Visayan languages, people will use palihug, which is often translated as please but which actually means much more: excuse me, if you have time and even thanks in advance. I thought of po while listening to Garci in Congress. What I thoroughly enjoyed was watching this honorable commissioner having to po the Young Turks of Congress. Po is, after all, a powerful indicator of power and for now, at least, Garci knows he has to kowtow to Congress, although quite often the tone of his voice rendered his po meaningless. This is, precisely, what linguistic anthropologists do: we read the meanings between po by picking up on the tone of the voice, on the body movements. Unfortunately, because of work, I could only catch Garci on the radio, while driving. I would have loved to watch him together with psycholinguists, some of whom can even tell if the speaker is lying or not. Garci's po is so reluctant and opportunistic, totally bereft of the graciousness that usually comes with the word. Garci reminds us that po and other linguistic devices (sorry, excuse me) can be overused, until they become

practically meaningless. As the Chinese go, "u le bo te" theres politeness in form, but without the substance, the correct attitude. Linguistic versatility Social scientists who explore language also enjoy looking at the way language evolves, again with words and body gestures and tones, adjusting to new needs and situations. What comes to mind is the way we now live in times where everything seems to be of great urgency, where we want things done right away. How then do we do this in a society where politeness is so important, and yet where palihug or even please becomes too laid back, too at your leisure? I love the way Filipinos have in recent months come up with a short phrase thats gentle and firm, yet urgently commanding. Im referring to the title of todays column combining the English now and the Filipino an (already), what linguists call code mixing, which itself has a function. Note ngayon na, using two Tagalog words, comes through as an absolute command yet when you have the code mixing, you soften the phrase. Its a wonderfully versatile phrase, suitable for all occasions depending on the medium of the message. I first noticed the phrase when I got a text from a friend, a Protestant pastor, asking if we could talk. I texted back, When? and got Now na as the reply. I laughed out loud, trying to imagine him saying it, in his deep baritone, but yes, it was appropriate in the way it said: Urgent. You better call immediately ASAP. . please. Now na is wonderful for parents, allowing you to order your children to do something, and yet conveying a sense of pleading. You dont even have to say, honey or labs. With couples, now na often suggests an incentive, Hey, if you do it now na, Ill reward you later. . . and what a reward it can sometimes be, so much so that we might find a replacement for the notorious kalabit, which Jose Panganibans 1970 Tagalog-English dictionary rather discreetly described as using the index finger to remind someone about something. No, the kalabit could well be replaced with a more polite now na. . .now na. . . Can bosses use now na? I think you can, but you have to practice and modulate your voice, or you might end up sounding too wimpy, or, worse, seductive. Its tough to sound stern with now na but maybe with time, well find a way to do that. For starters, how about rallies with placards and chanting to call on the president, Now Na! Theres the challenge, to make it sound urgent and determined, maybe even threatening, yet coming through as being excruciatingly polite. Now na? Now na po!