Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Academic Community
Major in English
JR G. Requita
2017
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The study of gay language is a relatively new and topical area within Sociolinguistics,
which focuses on the language of members of the LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender
including the use of Lavender Lexicons, and how members of the community affirm their
sexuality and gender through language. Cage (2003) states that due to heteronormative ideas of
gender, sexuality and language, members of LGBTI communities worldwide, particularly gay
men and lesbians, have developed a Lavender Culture which includes the use of code switching
in their spoken communication, and non-verbal paralanguage which communicates to other gays
Gay men in the Philippines, especially those who are out, speak to each other using a colorful
language that they invented, mixing English, Tagalog, Visayan, and sometimes even Japanese.
Those who would hear (or read) Filipino gay slang for the first time feel like they are deciphering
a Da Vinci Code.
The use of gay lingo means of defying the cultural norms and creating an identity of their
own. Gay speak evolves really fast, with obsolete words and phrases being rewritten and replaced
especially when non-gays learn what it means. As such, the reason of the researchers in
conducting this study is to answer how and why many males from an
acquired gay lingo and its benefits to their academic and personal lives who were already
influenced by gay speak and used it, as it is after all under the umbrella of Sociolinguistics. It is a
The research aims to determine the male acquisition of gay lingo and its importance.
a. Age
b. Civil Status
c. Tribe
4. How does the use of gay lingo affects their status in the society?
For the society as a whole, this study will serve as a vehicle to understand how and why
males acquire gay language or queer language and accept the speech of queer community in hope
For the scholars, this study will be a contribution that would inspire them to broaden the
topics or issues stated. It will be a great contribution to the field of linguistics and subject for
research.
For the body of knowledge, this study will have a utility value especially to linguists as
this phenomenon is rapidly spreading throughout the community and cannot be isolated.
For the individuals who seek sympathy and insights related to the queer language and its
miscellany, this study is an open book for them to better understand queer community, learn more
The study will focus mainly on the male acquisition of gay lingo. The respondents of the
research will be selected based on the set parameters. They will be male heterosexuals studying at
Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology who are using swardspeak or gay speak
daily. Questions that will be asked to the selected respondents will be personal and will be
Researchers will be guided by the factors in selecting respondents which includes ability
to speak gay lingo, dress code, vices, group of friends, manner of movements and practices in the
This chapter indicates the ideas relevant to the present subject relating to the other studies
and is briefly discussed to provide the foundation of the proposed study. In order to develop a
new method and procedures, careful review of literature and studies must be done for the
According to Bing and Bergvall (1996) the central target of Queer Language is the
linguistic manifestation of heteronormativity and, connected with it, binary gender and sexual
identity discourses. “Linguistic” manifestation may in principle pertain to both language use and
that from a Queer Linguistic point of view, the binary distinction between language use and
system must be questioned because discourses (including heteronormativity) affect both, although
they exhibit different degrees of discursive materialization. When analyzing language use, a
Queer Linguistic approach assumes that (sexual/gendered) identities do not exist pre-discursively
but are constructed socially in the very moment of speaking or writing. Thus identities
relevant question then is no longer “How do gay and heterosexual men speak?” but rather “How
are sexual identities linguistically constructed in particular contexts?”. Instead of asking how the
binary macro-categories differ in their speech behavior, one would rather ask which differences
are to be found within these categories and whether not a large amount of similarity between the
two can also be identified. This is significant for gender studies at large, which used to
gender similarity were frequently not seen as worthy of attention or publication. Furthermore,
Motschenbacher (2008) also states that research practices thatonly highlight inter-gender or
hetero-/ homosexual differences may have a certain commercial value, but they strengthen
heteronormative discourses.
At the core of sociolinguistics is the fact that human societies are internally differentiated,
Chambers (1995) and Fasold (1984) both agrees that a sociolinguistic approach to
problems of language and interaction target the aspects of social problems that give people a
common basis to understanding and communicating with each other. In addition, Myhill (2004)
and Skutnabb –Kangas (2000) states that the origins and uses of initial language
around, andstereotyping resulting from the linguistic (i.e. tonal, phonetic, semantic, etc.)
Downes (1998) and Skutnabb-Kangas (2000) accentuated that language remains the most
values. Thelegacies of histories can be found in the sociolinguistic structures and language
patterns ofindividuals, communities and nations. The social strata, class structures, gender roles
and stereotypes of domesticity are reflected in the language and patterns of social interaction that
arederived from the experience of yesterday (McConnell-Ginet, 2011). We are faced daily with
the strength of the inequality and oppression of days gone by, each memory a result of a word, a
concept, a piece of legislation that permitted, forced or guides the actions of a social being. We
cannot take language away from interaction if we desire to fully grasp the realm of political,
social, economic and cultural dynamism. The ways in which language and people change open
areas for improvement, bring about hope for an equal tomorrow and challenge the present to look
towards a brighter future. It may be that a day will come when we no longer talk about sex or
gender, race or ethnicity, sexuality or normative behavior, because the indifference in which we
should treat socially constructed hierarchies will be no more; Identities will come from within and
we will have the chance to define and redefine, time and time again, the relevant meanings of all
The most widely-used term for gay or homosexual male in the Philippines is the Tagalog
bakla or Sugbuhanon bayot. Both however are regarded as pejorative and demeaning, abusive
even to the point of being a stigma. The more acceptable ones are bading or badette, marse, or
atey, which are, when qualified, mere euphemisms to the supposed to be neutral term bakla but
otherwise having achieved negative connotation. Words in any language depend on the context
for meaning. Although the term bakla is also attributed to cowardice, in the literary Pasyon,
where it is quoted as “Si Jesus ay nabacla.” on the part when he was tempted by the devil, the
term signifies having doubts, confusion, or second thoughts. Its connection possibly relies on
being confused or having second thoughts about ones gender or sexual orientation.
While the language Filipino has been stuck on its seedling stage rather than its fruition
and struck with controversies and trivialities, swardspeak has been an active language, by being
an amalgam of many different languages used across the country – balaychina, from Visayan
balay, jombagin from Hiligaynon sumbagon1, and matud and daot from Sugbuhanon – and even
from Asian language such as Nippongootoko, nomu, sukoshi and European languages with
achtunggak from German achtung, Janno Gibbs from English give, and Ombre Miles from the
Spanish hombre. The diversity and richness of the assemblage of terms that are collected and
used to create the pool of swardspeak is as diverse as the langue naturelle of Filipinos. True to its
form, swardspeak may verily be a national language – one that binds a people, is a combination
Swardspeak is the language of Filipino gay men. However, with its current user base, it is not
exclusive to the mentioned population. Even women these days are known to have been using
swardspeak. The use of swardspeak has become prevalent even among women; those who are
referred to as babaengbakla, also known as fag hag, as early as four decades ago. Aside from this,
gayspeak is also adaptive. A set of gay vocabulary is determined by the social class the user
belongs to, since many if not all of the words created or modified in gayspeak is from another
language. Thus, diction is affected by either the profession, orientation, principles, or even
environment of the Filipino gay individual. Those from with extensive education background and
considered part of the upper working class stratum, would have a different set of words used
compared to those of the lower strata (e.g. Penicillin and nochikels both pertain to phallus). The
spectrum of users of this language based on age also enjoys a wide range just by inference on
how the 1970s Philippine societal scenario was teeming and was, flamboyantly active. But,
Garcia may have posited that swardspeak, a sublanguage, “provided gays symbolic purchase into
Aside from sex, the other concerns which swardspeak apparently addresses are identity,
community-formation, and the outing of someone whom the swardspeaker thinks is ‘one of the
tribe.
With this, Garcia may have unconsciously positioned swardspeak under a major,
acceptable and accepted language when he added that it is “less an actual language”; thereby
solidifying the very structure of oppression that the language is trying to dismantle.
On the contrary, quite on the rise recently is the usage of words in many different media – in film,
radio, television, and even in print. Mass media, more particularly television, has been pivotal in
the proliferation and dissemination of the words currently being used. The range of terminologies
churned out by swardspeakers has become massive and extensive that almost all words can have
Philippine gay lingo”). This, directly negates Garcia’s mention of the limited scope of vocabulary
swardspeak had, which was, unfortunately more focused on the physical and sexual overtones
There has been no widely accepted document that details the rules in creating terms to be
used in swardspeak. Although lately, through the technology available these days, there have
been attempts by many to list down commonalities and repetitive usages in various instances
which may well constitute in the future the Baklarila or Baklangbalarila (gay grammar). This
absence of accepted rules to form conversational messages in spoken language could possibly be
the message content itself. Swardspeak was born into the world to defy the rules that have been
set in place to suppress the rights a particular sector of the society. It would then be ironic for the
progenitors to use that very same reason – which could be detrimental, counter-ethical, and
anachronous. In creating the common tongue among Filipino gay men, the biggest consideration
is for the message to be concealed. Tagalog Gay Lingo 101 (va.michaelangelo) presents the most
common alterations to popular terms, giving birth to a new set of communication pattern (SA,
Catacutan, 1998).
challenges existing power structures within wider social and cultural contexts. The birth of a
common language among gays clearly and explicitly defies the culture that the Philippines has
had. It had tried to break away from the dualistic perspective of life – heaven and hell, black and
white, man and woman. Swardspeak was the weapon that Filipino gay men used to connect with
other gays – those who are discriminated, oppressed, and ridiculed and belittled.
arguably, users of gayspeak do not have terms for ditse, sanse, diko, sangko, and bunso. The
general term for a male is kuyey and for the female, atey (and its variants, e.g. teh, ateng,
acheng). Bakla, baklush, badette can be used interchangeably between the two sexes, particularly
for female acquaintances. “Language is an example of a control and conditioning factor in the
over-all thought of what gender is. Precedence of masculine over feminine words denotes
dominance and superiority.” (Catacutan, 2012) The aforementioned Tagalog words for siblings
“employ a hierarchy and distinction to refer to older brothers and sisters. Although some would
contend that these show a culture of respect, nevertheless, these unconsciously inculcate in an
individual, submission to the “ruling” strata.” (Catacutan, 2012) In contrast, swardspeak does not
look at age and sex as a means to exploit or impose power over another individual.
Language is an oppressive mechanism. Taboo words or terms such as regla, which refers
to menstruation, is treated as denigrating therefore euphemisms such as dalaw and meron are used
instead of the base term which is but natural for any healthy woman of age. Swardspeak is able to
send the same message across by using the suffix “–belle” and create reglabelle (or sometimes
Regla Bella Torres, a popular Brazilian volleyball player). Although some may argue that this
may still be a euphemism of the original term, the nature of swardspeak verily proves that the
new term for menstruation is common, natural, and acceptable as opposed to the base term being
regarded as improper and even, unclean. Language as part of culture can be used by society as a
means to maintain gender inequality, through power relations, which is both repressive and
oppressive. In this case, men, because of the patriarchal society, have always had the upper hand.
Swardspeak is a mode of the many forms of social resistance. How some gays are drag
queens, flamboyantly displaying faux fur and donning makeup of extreme proportions and hues,
dressing up like the latest Barbie doll or beauty pageant title holder, swardspeak rebels against the
norm of syntactic rules but gives heavy emphasis on semantics through shared consciousness and
knowledge but more importantly, unconventional pragmatics. The outright intention in the use
communications. However, it is also a battle against the norm or the status quo. It does not adhere
to strict form, nor does it squarely follow structures which other forms of languages have.
Even in its earlier stages, swardspeak was the essential communication medium Filipino gays
used. Rightfully, swardspeak can be classified as an argot, a secret language. Even with its rising
popularity these days, swardspeakers, through wit, find new derivations of terminologies in order
The term swardspeak was born during the country’s darkest days – the Martial law era.
Talking bad against the government can put you to jail, or smite you and banish you from the face
of the Earth. It was about the same time that the Philippines, in the 1970s, coined the term jeproks
and repa (or repapips) by syllable invertion (Tan, 2002). What effected the sprouting of these
terms and communication modes could be attributed to the power exerted against free speech.
Swardspeak, on that regard is also an underground movement. It destroys the clout of power
being brandished to minorities, oppressing those who would speak truth, and gagging the
Filipinos preventing them to communicate efficiently and freely. Furthermore, it “reflects the
Gays have been using this mode to express themselves. From the time that freedom of
expression has regained its footing in the Philippines after the 1986 revolution, a lot has already
been founded. From the 80s to the early years of 2000s, two shows have been created by
Calvo’sKatokmgaMisis and Out – both of which had segments that dedicated to explaining the
meanings and etymologies of gay terms. These shows have made the swardspeak experience
transcend into national awareness by means of mass media. In the more recent years, Vice Ganda
of Showtime was able to concoct terms that have gained national scope and usage with anyare
This mode of expression has become pervasive, able to migrate from spoken to written
and now to hypertext. Compendiums or lexicons of gay terms abound in many sites in the Web.
In the popular social networking site Facebook, BEKINARY – The BEKIMON dictionary lists
gay terms along with its meanings, some with etymologies. Aside from this, the owner of the
account has also uploaded videos in Youtube (bernjosep), starting three years ago, with a couple
of them breaching the 100,000 hits mark. Aside from these, the Filipino gay individual has taken
steps to celebrate his coming out by recreating himself or his works in the virtual world. Bloggers
abound, many of them becoming “avenues for a more entertaining discussion on gayspeak. These
bloggers are gatekeepers and progenitors of gayspeak; they maintain the sanctity of their own
craft … as well as contribute to the development of this language” (Casabal). The Filipino gay
rhetoric, from being a common tongue among many parloristas and baklanghalimaw or tarat, has
been slowly introduced into mainstream Filipino usage through different media. It has
successfully, though not completely, hurdled waves of discrimination. It has transformed from
one medium of communication to another, able to adapt to challenges technologies have ushered
us in. With Bekimon and other sites, ‘professing’ and using it online for various purposes, in
different platforms, swardspeak is here to stay – everything that ever was - available forever
Catacutan, 2012).
Theoretical Framework
The study is anchored on the Queer theory which states that identities are not fixed and
do not determine who we are. It suggests that it is meaningless to talk in general about any group,
as identities consists of so many elements which assume that people can be seen collectively on
the basis of one shared characteristics is wrong. Heavily influenced by the work of Lauren
Berlant, Leo Bersani, Judith Butler, Lee Edelman, Jack Halberstam, David Halperin, José Esteban
Muñoz, and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Queer theory builds both upon feminist challenges to the
idea that gender is part of the essential self and upon gay/lesbian studies’ closes examination of
the socially constructed nature of sexual acts and identities. Whereas gay/lesbian studies focused
its inquiries into natural and unnatural behaviour with respect to homosexual behaviour, queer
theory expands its focus to encompass any kind of sexual activity or identity that falls into
Queer theory "focuses on mismatches between sex, gender and desire". Queer has been
associated most prominently with bisexual, lesbian and gay subjects, but its analytic framework
also includes such topics as cross-dressing, intersex bodies and identities, gender ambiguity and
gender-corrective surgery. Queer theory's attempted debunking of stable (and correlated) sexes,
genders, and sexualities develops out of the specifically lesbian and gay reworking of the post-
structuralist figuring of identity as a constellation of multiple and unstable positions. Queer theory
examines the constitutive discourses of homosexuality developed in the last century in order to
place "queer" in its historical context, and surveys contemporary arguments both for and against
Research Paradigm
Age
Civil Status
Tribe
Male Acquisition – refers to the learning of the respondents of gay lingo in Doroluman
particularly at CFCST.
Gay Lingo–refers to the jargon or language used by gays inside and outside the CFCST Campus.
Academic Community- refers to the institution where the study will be conducted, specifically
well as name of places, celebrities and trademark brands, giving them new meanings in different
contexts. e.i. Tai chi – namatay – died, Purita Corales – mahirap – poor, Myanmar – maliit – little
Lavender Linguistics – refers to the study of language as it is used by gay, lesbian, bisexual,
Queer –refers to the umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual.
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, discussions of the methods of the study are presented which include
Research Design
descriptive design will be employed to obtain the demographic profile such as age, civil status ans
tribe. Phenomenological method will be also used to obtain cohesive information that will be
The study will be conducted specifically at Cotabato Foundation College of Science and
The respondents of the study will be male heterosexuals who are studying at Cotabato
Foundation College of Science and Technology, Doroluman, Arakan, Cotabato and who are using
Research Instrument
The instruments that will be use are researcher-made questionnaire to be used to gather
the needed data for the respondent’s demographic profile and a semi-structured in-depth
interview.
The requirements in the designing good collections of data were considered in the
Preference for the use of the structured questionnaire is premised on several research
assumptions such as a) cost of being a least expensive means of gathering data, b) avoidance of
personal bias, c) less pressure for immediate response, and giving the respondents a greater
feeling of anonymity. In the end, it will encourage open responses to sensitive issues at hand.
To capture the essence of the phenomenon under investigation, a letter will be presented
to the respondents informing them of the nature of the research, the topic to be discussed and
extent of their participation. After seeking their permission and willingness to participate, they
will be given the questionnaire and will be under one-on-one interview. To elicit natural
responses for questions, all the respondents will be interviewed in locations of their own choice
The in-depth and semi-structured interview will be conducted in English language and
will be translated into dialect in which the respondent is fluent if necessary. They will be given
the freedom to answer the questions in other languages like Filipino, the national language or in
their native language that they are comfortable with to ensure the richness of data. The
respondents will be oriented about the observation to be done in which would include video or
audio recordings. The recorded proceedings will be transcribed to produce the field text which
Interview Questionnaire
31-35 Widow IP
___________________
Cage, K., 2003. From Moffietaal to Gayle - the evolution of a South African gay argot.
Johannesburg, South Africa,
Cage, K., 2003. Gayle: the language of kinks and queens: a history and dictionary of gay
Motschenbacher, H., 2008. Impact: Studies in Language and Society: Language, Gender and
Publishing Company.
From Web
Casabal, N.V., 2008. Gay Language: Defying the Structural Limits of English Language in the
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/harris/Eng101_QueerDef.pdf.