Social Phrases in Siargaonon

13 words and phrases, recorded by a native speaker of Siargaonon (Surigaonon), the language of Siargao Island in the Philippines. Part of Conversations & The Wider World.

Hearing it spoken

Written Siargaonon can only take you so far — the sounds are what give a speaker away. Two rules matter more than any other: the letter J is always hard, as in the English "jump" (never softened to a "y"), and many words that use an L in neighbouring languages use a Y here — ulo becomes uyo, balay becomes bayay. The pronunciation guide covers both in detail.

Every phrase on this page can be heard aloud, drilled with flashcards and quizzes, and scheduled for review in the free app.

Ka- Turns a Word Into a Feeling

Four of the phrases above start the same way, and it is not a coincidence. Kahawoy is tired, Ka-aya is bored, Kataw-anan is funny, and Kalisto mo tells someone they are very good at something.

The ka- prefix marks a present state — how something is right now, rather than what it does. Once you notice it, a row of unrelated-looking vocabulary turns into one pattern with several outputs, which is a great deal less to remember.

Tag- Does It Too, For What the Body Wants

Tag-tuyog is sleepy and Tag gutom ako is I am hungry. Both use tag- rather than ka-, and both describe a bodily state pressing on you rather than a mood you are simply in.

The same tag- shows up in Taghigugma ta kaw for I love you. Feeling, in this language, is often something that comes over you.

Ra, the Word That Softens

Marajaw ra means I am fine, and the whole tone of it sits in that final ra. Without it you have a flat statement of goodness; with it you have the easy, unfussed reply that someone actually gives when asked how they are.

These small words carry more than their size suggests. Dropping them leaves speech grammatical but stiff, which is exactly how a phrasebook sounds.

Two Replies Worth Having Ready

Inday uno is I don't know, and it will save you more often than any other phrase here. Nauno man kaw? asks what happened to you — note the na- at the front, pointing at something already done, and uno man asking what it was.

Keep exploring

Is a word missing, or is something here wrong? This record is incomplete by definition — a living language is bigger than any one speaker. Tell us and it will be reviewed and added.