English-Ilokano Dictionary by Agcaoili Now Available

A. Agcaoili

Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili of the University of Hawaii at Manoa posted the following in his FaceBook on Tuesday, January 4, 2011:

For the first time, an English-Ilokano Dictionary, one of the more comprehensive dictionaries on the Ilokano language, is out of the press.

The limited American hardbound edition is published by TMI Global Hawaii. To order, email aurelioagcaoili@gmail.com.

The Philippine edtion is published by Cornerstone of Arts & Sciences, Quezon City. To order, contact the publisher, Cecilia Suarez, president and ceo: caspublishing010@gmail.com or checheasuarez@yahoo.com, 0922-824-3227.

The Philippine edition is due for soft launch in March 2011; another launch at the 6th Nakem International in Ifugao State University, May 23-25; and another launch at the 3rd TMI Global Writers Conference, May 27-29.

The dictionary brings out the repertoire of the Ilokano language as spoken in the Philippines and in the diaspora; likewise, it follows a pre-category approach. Total number of entries in this volume is 18,000 plus.

A companion volume, the Ilokano-English, is being prepared.

Perfect “10”: Moments To Be Proud Of

Last night’s Argentine tango by Nichole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough garnered the pair another Perfect “10” on Dancing With The Stars. Their cha-cha dance just before that got them two perfect “10’s” and a “9”.

Oh well, here they are dancing the Argentine tango and the cha-cha; enjoy:

The other Perfect “10” Nicole and Derek earned last week (May 10, 2010) dancing the paso doble:

ilocano-online.com

Ladingitenmi ti pannacapucaw ti dati nga Ilocano Online (ilocano-online.com).  Dati a libre a hosting nga impaay ti Google.  Ngem gapu iti di napacpacadaan a panangisardeng ti Google iti libre a hosting, capilitan a naisardeng ti panangtarabay iti Ilocano Online.

Calicagumanmi nga ituloy daytoy iti sabali a hosting babaen ti sabali nga url, ilocanoonline.com.  Padaanan.

Cabayatanna, panggepenmi nga iragpin ditoy a blog dagiti dati a nabiag a pinanid ti Ilocano Online.  Suroten babaen ti ilocano-online.com.
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Naragsac a Baro Tawen tay Amin!

English is our national language

Section 7, Article XIV, of the 1987 Constitution provides that “For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.”

For all intents and purposes, English is our more predominant national language in (a) the three branches of government, (b) public and private schools as medium of instruction (MOI) in accordance with Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Exec. Order 210 of 2003 as implemented by DepEd Order No. 36, and (c) the other non-Tagalog speaking regions of the country. (Well, the regional languages have been essentially dropped or ignored as auxiliary media of instruction, period.)  Even some of the proponents of Filipino as the national language seem to have a comfortable preference expressing themselves in English; can’t blame them for using this de facto global language to convince the rest of us who are not Tagalogs  to communicate in Tagalog, er, Filipino.

‘Ilocano samtoy’ blog combined with ‘ILOCANO ONLINE’

And so I started my first blog, ‘Ilocano language, culture, literature’ (ilocano-samtoy.blogspot.com), a couple of years ago.  I thoroughly enjoy the give-and-take with fellow bloggers and other folks in cyberspace, which is the next best thing to actually having a conversation with another warm-blooded human being sans the eye contact, gestures, the occasional wink, spit or tactile stuff.  The emoticons and YouTube and other Internet freebie gadgets/utility software help tremendously in conveying one’s thoughts or chuckles.  And the freedom of expression that comes with blogging, ah–

Today, however, I have reached a fork on the blogging road.  Henceforth, the older blog–Ilocano-samtoy–is combined with ILOCANO ONLINE.  Ilocano-samtoy covers essentially the same themes as those we dwell on here that’s why I decided it’s best to concentrate my attention here.  I appreciate your hopping along.  After all,

No dimo saluadan, amangan malipatam ti ag-Ilocano

Cadagitoy napalaabas nga aldaw, nakisinnucatac iti email ken ni Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili, tubo ti ciudad ti Laoag ken nagturpos iti University of the Philippines, premiado a mannurat, lider ti gunglo ti NAKEM, maysa cadagiti sagat nga adigi ti panangparang-ay iti Ilocano ken agdama a Coordinator ti Programa a Pagsasao ken Kur-itan nga Ilocano, Departamento dagiti Pagsasao ken Kur-itan nga Indo-Pacifica, Universidad ti Hawai’i iti Manoa:

Sunday, January 25, 2009, 11:23AM

Patgec nga Ariel:  Annugotec nga akikid ti focus ti blog co, ibangui.wordpress.com, isu ngarud nga umay ca man singaen ken ruroden bareng mapan mo usisaen no ania ti pagcurangan dagiti dua a naudi nga impaskin co sadiay.

Yamanec unay ti ania a criticism nga ipaaymo, Cabsat.

Agraem, —Manong Joe

Monday, January 26, 2009, 4:36PM

Patgek a Manong Joe:  Dinardarasko a sinirpat ti blogyo gapu ta ammoc nga adu ti maadal ken maagsaw.  Ket agpayso!  More, more!  —Ariel

Monday, January 26, 2009, 6:45PM

Dear Ariel:  Thanks for taking the time to humor me.  One thing I was painfully aware of was that the rhetoric was terribly inadequate.  I know you have more ammo in your arsenal.  By all means, let’s use ’em.

The all too enervating reality in what we are trying to do to save Ilocano is the crippling silence of a lot of our fellow Ilocanos who are in a position to see to it that we don’t witness the eventual, albeit slow demise of our language.  —Manong Joe

Monday, January 26, 2009, 7:09PM

Manong Joe:  Dayta ngarud, Apo Joe, ti pagsaksakitan ti nakem ti adu kadatayo iti daytoy a tignayan.  Dagiti pangnamnamaantayo a makatulong iti daytoy a tignayan, awanda.  Ngem ala, aramid daytoy a kultural, aramid a pulitical, ken aramid a kabulig ti ranget ken pannakiranget, iti man bukod a bagi, iti man kailian/kailokanuan, ken/wenno iti sabali pay. Sapay ta agballigitayo.

Maysa a panagsaludar kenca, —Ariel

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 9:25AM

Patgec nga Ariel:  Kinaagpayso na, lacayacon ngem agsipud ta nabayagen a nagtaeng ditoy agdama nga ayanco, nairuamacon a maibilang a cadawyan wenno ordinario laeng (nga isu ti kinaagpaysona) isu nga agalumiimac nga awagam iti “Apo”.  Isu a pangngaasim ta isardengmo ti panangawagmo caniac iti “Apo”.  Caniac a maysa, ni Apo Dios laeng ti rebbengna a maawagan iti Apo.

I know that the move to invigorate Ilocano, such as envisioned in the Gunigundo Bill, requires funding.  However, being this poor rat, I can’t help much in that aspect.  So who can we turn to as our patrons who would not be squeamish about unloosing their power, influence and financial resources to keep the fight alive and kicking and focused laser-sharp to getting the desired results and eventually winning the fight for multilingual education?  Maybe your NAKEM group could come together and formulate a strategy focused on this Gunigundo Bill in particular and, in general, on placing Tagalog on an equal footing with the other major local languages such as Ilocano, Cebuano, Bicol, etc., CERTAINLY NOT as the favored language which is lording it over the other languages at such a costly sacrifice of losing these non-Tagalog languages forever–maybe not in our lifetime but forever any way such as we have witnessed happen with other languages that died.

In other words, here’s your chance, Ariel, to have your group fashion a formidable Ilocano language movement manifesto that has a backbone and muscle to bring about the needed results in much the same manner as the Tagalistas took advantage of the corridors of power to have Tagalog declared as the pseudo “national language”.  As I wrote you earlier, I really don’t mind having English as the national language, as indeed it is now constitutionally, being that it is is also the global lingua franca, and have the other local languages thrive equally with Tagalog in the spirit of the Gunigundo Bill.  Earlier in the mid 1900s, we relished the perception that we had the highest percentage of our population who spoke English with a high literacy rate to boot until the Tagalistas, with their hidden agenda of effectively colonizing the country themselves, came along on the coattails of a Tagalog-speaking president and a swath of Tagalog cohorts in high places.  The rest of us Ilocanos, Cebuanos, Bicolanos, Pampanguenos Hiligaynons, Pangasinenses, Warays, etc., stood by almost completely mesmerized and scarcely lifted a finger at the coming demise of our respective languages, cultures and unique bodies of literature.  WE WERE SO UTTERLY TRUSTING AND DUMB THAT UNTIL NOW NOT VERY MANY AMONG US KNEW AND UNDERSTOOD OR EVEN CARED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HIT US.

History has clearly demonstrated again and again that people with distinctly unique languages/dialects tend to gravitate to the language vigorously propagated by governments as the language of commerce for purely economic or survival reasons.  And that, as you and I know, is what’s happening to the non-Tagalog languages in the Philippines.  The increasing use of Tagalog and the conversely decreasing use of the others can only spell out a sure consequence, namely, the demise of the non-Tagalog languages.

Someone wrote:  “Ethnic genocide is the destruction of a culture.  You can compare it to a living being who is born, lives, and dies.  If he dies a natural death after a long and beautiful life, very well.  But if we kill him, or we don’t help him when he is in danger, that’s something else…  It’s the same with languages in danger of extinction.”

I was kind of hoping that Bannawag, Tawid NewsMagasin, and other Ilocano publications of note, Ilocano writers and Ilocano bloggers would show some energy to carry the torch.  But I believe most of them find no immediacy to the attendant issues.  There just seems to be an incredible amount of apathy toward preserving one’s mother tongue simply because the people who dictate policy and who care to influence the Constitution are brainwashed about the imposition of Tagalog (which was not even the language of the majority at the time) as one of our national languages.  We seem to fail to see that government is just a bunch of people like the rest of us–with their own sellfish agenda.  At this point in time, the Tagalogs just seem to have more energy and determination to assert themselves to colonize the rest of us who, to their undisguised eleation, are mere uncomplaining sacrificial lambs waiting to be butchered and skewered.  —Manong Joe

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 11:11AM

Dear Ariel:  Please don’t get tired of the repetitious messages coming from me.  I suppose you don’t need them.  But what’s important is for you and the rest of us to keep repeating the message until something like the ground beneath our feet shifts in our favor.  We’ve got to keep pounding the message:

“What matters is not the death of a language in itself, but what that death can bring:  When a language disappears, a whole way of thinking, a vision of the world disappears with it, which can only impoversih human culture and the capacity of people to understand the world around them.”

We are nearing the threshold of inevitability of Ilocano being supplanted entirely by Tagalog/Filipino.  We can no longer afford to waste our chances.  NOW IS THE TIME TO FIGHT BACK AND ASSERT OUR RIGHTS TO THE USE AND PRESERVATION OF OUR NATIVE TONGUE, OUR CULTURE, OUR LITERATURE, OUR HERITAGE.

If we don’t, the time will come when the agcamcam (the new Tagalog colonizers) among us don’t even need the obligatory or deferential but insulting and despicable “Okinnam, okinnam…”  —Manong Joe

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 11:13AM

Manong Joe:  Wen, ngarud:  nakakaskas-ang.  Adu dagiti Tagalista a maibilang a kabusor daytoy numo ngem diak agalumiim.  Kinaagpaysuanna, profesorko pay ti maysa kadakuada.  Ngem saan a mabalin daytoy, Manong Joe.  Masapul ti nanakman a dangadang–ken masapul ti kinaregget a kankanayon, a no dadduma ket agmawmaw met.  Mabannog ti puso, madudog ti kararua nangruna no ti makita ket dagiti pada met a nengneng a dida met ammo ti lablabidenda.  Anian!  Ngem saan a gasat daytoy:  daytoy ket resulta ti saan nga umno a panagsirmata ken kinaawan panagparmata iti masakbayan.  Awan pabasolen no di met laeng datayo.  Saan a gasat, saan a ti sabali tapno iti kasta ket makasursurotayo a makibalubal iti nagan dagiti fundamental a karbengantayo. —Ariel

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 11:33AM

Patgec nga Ariel:  Idi nagawidac iti daytay napalabas a Marso, dimo ngata patien ngem casla adda pimmusay a parte ti kina-Ilocanoc idi sungbatandac iti Tagalog tunggal nakisaritaac iti Ilocano cadagiti pada nga Ilocano iti amin a nagpasiarac idiay Ilocandia, agraman dagiti cailian idiay Bangui.

Dayta ti dackel a paggiddiatan ti caadduan cadagiti pada nga Ilocano dita Hawaii.  Iti daydi naudi a panagpasiarco dita Hawaii, napaliiwco a lumawag ti rupa ken macaisem dagiti Ilocano no casaritam ida iti Ilocano, uray pay no dimo am-ammo ida–sadiay Honolulu wenno Hilo airports, idiay USS Arizona Memorial Park, Ala Moana Center, wenno idiay Waikiki Beach.  Nadlawco dagiti pada nga Ilocano nga ibaw-ingda ti panagkitada kenca apaman a mangegda nga ag-Ilocano ca.

Sal-ut a biag!  —Manong Joe

Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 12:03PM

Manong Joe:  Daytoy, Manong Joe, ti empirikal a datos a mismo a nakitam.  Isu nga agung-ungetakon.  Ket iti NAKEM Conference idiay Batac idi 2007, diak nagawidan ti ngiwngiwko ket imbagak nga estupido ti pagannurotan ti govierno maipapan iti edukasion, kultura, ken lengguahe–a nengneng a padak dagiti agpatpataray iti sistema ti educasion.  Iti tallaong nga imbagak dayta.  No dadduma, masapul a kulibagtongem dagitoy pada nga Ilokano a sinalbag.

Ala, makapaunget nga agpayso.  Idi agsubli dagiti nagbakasion a fakultimi, kasta met ti imbagada ken nagung-ungetda met ta agin-Tatagalog kano met dagiti mamaestro ken mamaestra.  Pwe, kunam man!  —Ariel

(Originally published in ibangui.wordpress.com)

Dagiti baro nga agcamcam

No dimo naamiris a dagus no apay nga impostec ti “Okinnam, okinnam…” ditoy baba, ti cangrunaan a calicagumac nga ipakita kenca isu ti kinabileg ti pagsasao a pangparucma iti cayat a parmeken.  Nadlawmo nga iti canito (agarup 94 seconds calpasan panangrugi ti YouTube video) a nag-Ilocano dagiti kumacanta nga agpabuya, nabulosan daytoy iti panagray-aw dagiti caadduan nga Ilocano cadagiti nagtitipon nga agbuya.

No di pay nalawag dita utec ken pamanunotam no apay nga incalicagum dagidi nagturay cas iti daydi Presidente Manuel Quezon, Lope K. Santos ken dagiti naruay a pasurot da cadagiti nangangato a puesto ti govierno manipud idi 1935 agingga ita, ti calicagum da a mangparang-ay iti “nailian a pagsasao” a naibatay iti Tagalog, nalabit mautob mo itan no apay babaen ti mismo nga ejemplo iti “Okinnam, okinnam…”  Kinapudnona, masapul dagiti baro nga agcamcam–dagiti Tagalog–a macasursuro ca nga agsao iti Tagalog tapno:

• nalaclaca a maawatam dagiti ibilin da nga aramidem;
• maawatam ida no lacuan da ca idiay tiendaan ken shopping mall, wenno umay da ca danonen a lacuan dita balay mo;
• mapanca agbuya iti pelicula a Tagalog, agdengngegca iti Tagalog radio broadcast ket mangegmo dagiti advertisements iti Tagalog, gumatang ca iti Tagalog a diario, periodico, ken libro, gumatang ca iti ticket tapno inca agbuya cadagiti live performances iti Tagalog ken dadduma pay;
• ipagarupmo nga ay-ayatem ti ilim ken tumulong ca a mangidur-as iti “pangacaycaysa” tayo babaen ti panangsursurom nga agsao iti Tagalog, er, Filipino (“Filipino” ti pangawagda ita, imbes a Tagalog, tapno dica agaripapa wenno agtukkiad nga agsursuro nga ag-Tagalog).  Ngem iti panagcunam, adda cadi talaga naing-inget a panagcaycaysa tayo ita mayarig idi un-unana?
• in-inut a dimo aramaten ti Ilocano, ti nacayanacam a pagsasao, tapno in-inut a malipatam daytoy ket iti casta mapucaw a mamimpinsan ti ca-competencia dagiti baro nga agcamcam–dagiti Tagalog.

Saan da a ganggannaet.  Saan a babaen ti paltog wenno campilan ti panangparmec da kenca tapno sumuco ca ket surotem ti wagas ti biag a calicaguman da a surotem tapno maiturayan da ca ken nalaclaca a sepsepen da ta nagling-etam.

Malagipmo dagiti napaspasamac iti daydi Norman Conquest of England?  Malagipmo a daydi William (“William the Conqueror”), duque ti Normandy ti amianan a Frances, ti nangirusat idi 1066 AD iti panangsakup iti England.  Segun ti Wikipedia, “The Norman Conquest was a pivotal event in English history for several reasons. It largely removed the native ruling class, replacing it with a foreign, French-speaking monarchy, aristocracy and clerical hierarchy. This in turn brought about a transformation of the English language and the culture of England. By subjecting the country to rulers originating in France it linked England more closely with continental Europe, while lessening Scandinavian influence, and set the stage for a rivalry with France that would continue intermittently for more than eight centuries. It also had important consequences for the rest of the British Isles, paving the way for further Norman invasions in Wales and Ireland, and the extensive penetration of the aristocracy of Scotland by Norman and other French-speaking families… One of the most obvious changes was the introduction of Anglo-Norman, a northern dialect of Old French, as the language of the ruling classes in England, displacing Old English. Even after the decline of Norman, French retained the status of a prestige language for nearly 300 years and has had (with Norman) a significant influence on the language, which is easily visible in Modern English…”

Ilocano: R.I.P.?

No dimo pay la maawatan wenno adda pay la panagduaduam  no apay a cayat dagiti Tagalog–dagiti baro nga agcamcam–nga agsursuro ca nga ag-Tagalog, isingasingco nga ulitem a basaen ti Norman Conquest of England.

Malacsid no awan nabati a gagarmo nga agtukkiad nga iturayan dagiti baro nga agcamcam ken awan ti panangilalam iti Ilocano–ti bucod mo a nacayanacan a pagsasao agraman ti cannawidan ken literatura ni Ilocano.  Cas pagarigan, pumusay ti Bannawag agsipud ta bumassit a bumassit ti bilang dagiti Ilocano a gumatang iti daytoy a periodico, dimonto ngata iliwen?

(Published originally in ibangui.wordpress.com)

Okinnam, okinnam…

Here’s a brief line on each of the members of the above group:

Rey Valera is a singer, songwriter, music director and film scorer from the Philippines.  He wrote and produced songs that were recorded by various singers, most notably Sharon Cuneta.

Rico J. Puno is a popular Filipino pop singing artist who is credited as a pioneer-promoter of original Filipino music. He started the trend of incorporating Tagalog lyrics in his rendition of the American song The Way We Were and other foreign songs. Also known as Rico J. and as The Total Entertainer, Puno is a singer who regularly infused his on-stage performance with comedy and jokes.

Marco Sison, an award-winning singer and recording artist; he was a graduate of the popular “Student Canteen” noon time television show in the Philippines where he was undefeated for 14 consecutive weeks in the late 1970s

Nonoy Zuniga, award-winning singer/recording artist with international stints in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China and New Zealand.

“Hajji” Alejandro is a Filipino singer and actor. He’s the father of singerRachel Alejandro. The original Kilabot ng Kolehiyala (College Girls’ Heartthrob), Alejandro is best remembered for such songs as Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, and Nakapagtataka.

In contrast to the “clean” act and powerful performance of Charice Pempengco as in the videos in the previous blog entry, the comedic antics of these OPM (for Original Pilipino Music) hitmakers, became vulgar slapstick and, like it or not, the Filipino locals somewhere in Hawaii seem to love it.  A little over 90 seconds into the video, it’s “Okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam, okinnam,” perhaps upon recognizing that the crowd was predominantly Ilocano.  Whoa!

What do you think?

(Published originally in ibangui.wordpress.com)