Weather in Siargaonon

10 words and phrases, recorded by a native speaker of Siargaonon (Surigaonon), the language of Siargao Island in the Philippines. Part of Everyday Life.

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.

Bagjo Is Not Small Talk Here

Bagjo. means typhoon, and on Siargao it is a practical word rather than a meteorological one. The island sits in the path of storms that cross the Philippine Sea, and the word comes up in conversation the way rain does elsewhere — as something to plan around.

It is worth learning early for exactly that reason. If you hear it in a shop or on a boat, it is not being said idly.

Karajaw: How to Say Very

Two of the phrases above show the same trick. Paso karajaw kuman. is it's very hot today, and Hangin karajaw. is it's very windy. On its own, Paso. is simply hot.

Karajaw is the intensifier, and it goes after the thing it strengthens, not before it as very does in English. It is the same word that turns thanks into warm thanks in Salamat karajaw, and good into really good in Marajaw karajaw. Learn it once and you can strengthen almost anything.

Uyan, and the Missing L Again

Uyan. is rain. Neighbouring languages say ulan; Siargaonon softens that L to a Y, exactly as it does in Uyo for head. If you already know some Bisaya, this is one of the handful of shifts that will carry you a long way.

One Word for Weather and Season

Uno may panahon? asks what the weather is — but panahon also carries time and season. Asking it can mean asking about today's sky or about the time of year, and context settles which.

Note the question word too. This is uno may, not uno man: it asks what something does rather than what it is. Weather is treated as something happening, not something being.

And Mu uyan ba silom? — will it rain tomorrow — puts three pieces of grammar in five syllables: the mu- prefix for something still to come, the particle ba that turns a statement into a question, and Silom for tomorrow.

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.