Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur 4418
www.cbsua.edu.ph
ISO 9001:2015
TÜV-R 01 100 1934918

COLLEGE OF DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION

1st Semester Academic Year 2020-2021
CASE STUDY

EVOLUTION OF THE BICOL WORDS IN SAN

FERNANDO, CAMARINES SUR
Jennifer D. Recamara
Central Bicol State University of Agriculture, San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines
E-mail: Jennifer.recamara@cbsua.edu,ph

ABSTRACT

Language has the characteristic of being dynamic. It changes in many of its

aspects – grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary – as time passes. Words can be
compared through selecting a sample of words that are used in the current
generation and words that are used in former times, although there are instances
that words were thrived or haven’t been used by people any longer. Bicol language
has continuously evolved, and there were Bicol words where its pronunciation and
meaning changed, and some were haven’t been used by Bicolanos anymore. The
researcher was motivated to make a case study that tackles the evolution of the
Bicol words to determine and distinguish the difference of the current words used by
Bicolanos in San Fernando, Camarines Sur, and the Bicol words in the former times.

The researcher used Descriptive Research Design and Convenience

Sampling. Five (5) participants who came from the baby boomer generation were
chosen and they were interviewed by the researcher about different Bicol words that
were thrived or haven’t been used by people any longer and the reasons why
language was evolving.

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 The Bicol words given by the participants were categorized; the Things,
Animals, part of the body, and Personality/Expression category. The reasons on why
language was evolving were also categorized into three parts; the Social Media,
Culture and Tradition as dynamic, and Environment.

INTRODUCTION

Language is indispensable in all aspects of the social environment. It is the

medium to communicate and collect information such as ideas, emotions, and strong
desires to understand nature and the world where the people live in. They establish
and maintain a strong relationship with their families and interact with other people
outside their community through language. Learning about different languages can
also be a weapon to improve the economic status through interacting with foreign
countries.

The language or dialect reflects the socio-cultural idiosyncrasies of a certain

region or village. Any material written during the pre-hispanic or colonial past can be
carefully studied to determine the changes in local words or idioms from the early
times to the present age. There were many studies about how languages evolve;
that is why the researcher was inspired to make a case study that focuses on the
evolution of the Bicol words – how it was pronounced, how its meaning changes, and
how it sometimes became obsolete.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Language has the characteristic of being dynamic. It changes in many of its

aspects – grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary – as time passes. In some
instances, two languages can become more similar or different from each other.
Similarly, a comparison can be made of the same words in their form several
centuries ago (old variety) with its current form (new variety). Words can be
compared through selecting a sample of words that are used in the current
generation and words that are used in former times, although there are instances
that words were thrived or haven’t been used by people any longer.

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 The Philippines is an archipelago with 7,107 multicultural and multilingual
islands. The country has three main islands, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, divided
into 17 regions, each region composed of several provinces. Based on the National
Statistics Office data, as of 2020, the country's population is at 108.1 million. The
World Bank estimated the Philippines population is equivalent to 1.41% of the total
world population. There were 80 major ethnolinguistic groups and subgroups that
make the Philippine society more diverse and complex. The people speak at least
171 languages, and there were eight languages that are considered major
languages – Tagalog, Cebuano, Bicol, Hiligaynon, Pampango, Waray, Ilocano,
Pangasinan – according to the number of speakers.

Unlike in other monolingual regions, the Bicol region, also known as Region 5,
is multilingual. There are 4 major Bicol languages spoken in the 6 provinces of this
region, in which out of these languages are 11 dialects. (Lewis, Simons, and Fennig,
2014). Bicol languages include the Inland Bikol of Bikol-Rinconada (Rinconada
area), Bikol-Cam. Sur (Buhi, Cam. Sur; Libon, Oas, Daraga, Albay and Donsol,
Sorsogon), Bikol-Pandan (Northern Catanduanes). Standard Bikol is based on the
coastal Bikol language of Legazpi's dialect and is understood widely throughout the
region even though they cannot speak it fluently.

Bicol language has continuously evolved, and there were Bicol words where
its pronunciation and meaning changed, and some were haven’t been used by
Bicolanos anymore. “Balbal na Salita” are words spoken on the street, which is a low
class of language; however, Filipinos, especially Bicolanos, used it. There was also
“G language,” wherein it is a language in which after every syllable you put a ‘G’ and
the syllable again, and it was also used by the Bicolanos in which the purpose is for
fun. Due to these, some of the original Bicol words were thrived or even became
obsolete. It is above the premise that it motivates the researcher to make a case
study that tackles the evolution of the Bicol words to determine and distinguish the
difference of the current words used by Bicolanos in San Fernando, Camarines Sur,
and the Bicol words in the former times.

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METHODOLOGY

I. RESEARCH DESIGN

The Researcher used Descriptive Research Design to start with a general

idea and uses it as a tool that could lead to the subject that would be dealt with in the
future. It was used to determine how the Bicol words evolved – their pronunciations,
meanings, and distinguish why Bicol word changes over time.

II. RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY

The researcher used Convenience Sampling to easily reach or contact the

respondents who are available and willing to participate. There were 5 participants
who came from the baby boomer generation; they were chosen because they are
the ones who live longer and surely have known several Bicol words that were
thrived or haven't been used by Bicolanos any longer.

All the respondents were from San Fernando, Camarines Sur. Participant A
was from Rizal, San Fernando, she was 66 years old and had Sari-Sari Store;
Participant B was from Bonifacio, San Fernando, he has no job due to his age (72);
however, he has a pension to support himself; Participant C was from Grijalvo, San
Fernando, he was a construction worker and 57 years old; Participant D was from
Buenavista, San Fernando, she was 52 years old, and a teacher in public school;
and Participant E was from Del Pilar, San Fernando and she was a faith healer.

III. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The researcher used unstructured interviews; the questions to the participants

were about Bicol words and why some Bicol words were thrived or haven't been
used by Bicolanos any longer.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In this part of the study, the results of the interview by the researcher were
discussed in order to show the response of the participants regarding with the
evolution of the Bicol words. It also aims to discuss the interpretations of the
researcher based on the gathered data.
TABLE 1. The Bicol words given by the participants (Words that were thrived or
dead-words)
CATEGORY WORDS (Meaning-Translation)
Things Hamak- banig (translation: Bed)
Silya- tukawan (translation: Chair)
Baul-Aparador (translation: Cabinet)
Kasilyasan-Kubeta (translation: Comfort
Room)
Dulay-Paso (translation: Vase)
Tubtob-Tabo (translation: Pitcher)
Garapon-Bote (translation: Bottle)
Gasera-Ilawan (translation: Lamp)
Bakya-Tsinelas (translation: Slippers)
Lamasdo-Bado (translation: Dress)
Kalo-Kupya (translation: Cap)
Bobon-Bumbahan (translation: Water
Pump)
Langag-harong (translation: House)
Animals Kurasmag-Ikos (translation: Cat)
Damasyo-Ido (Dog)
PROOF
“Kadakol nang nagbarago
ngunian. Kadto ngani, papara-
apod mi lang kasilyasan ang
kubeta, ngunian baga CR na.
Dati, nakaralot sana kaming
laboy” (“There were so many
changes in today’s generation;
when we were young, we only
used soil to cover our wastes
but now, there’s what we called
“Kubeta”) (Participant D)
“Ay, kadto kaya mahirap sana
man kami, kaya nagamit
kaming gasera para
maliwanag sa harong mi.
Minsan man pag mayong
pangkarigos, mabumba lang
kami ta mayong pambakal
tubig” (“In the former times, we
used lamp to light our home.
Sometimes, whenever we want
to take a bath, we just use the
water pump because we have
no money to buy water which is
more clean”) (Participant E)
“Uso man baga nowadays ang
mga ikos-ikos, dayo, arog
kayan. Iyo nay an, dati apod
dyan, kurasmag saka
damasyo. Natatandaan ko
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Part of the body Tabay-Bitis (translation:Legs)
Muro-Kamot (translation: Hand)
Ngaros-Nguso (translation: Mouth)
Yukyok-Kili-kili (translation: Under arm)
Lawog-Muka (translation: Face)
Personality/Expressio Masiri-Maismot (translation: Selfish)
n Namumuot-Nagpapadangat
(translation: Loving someone)
Katuspok-tururugnon (translation:
Always want to sleep)
Gusgos-Gurang (translation: Old)
Uugod-ugod-Nanluluya (translation:
Weak)
Nangalag-kalag-Naghihiling-hiling
(translation: Looking around)
Nag-uungot-Nagrereklamo (translation:
Complaining)
ngani kadto, kinagat ko kang
kurasmag, patudok baga kami
anti-rabies ta masakit na”
(“Nowadays, having a pet like
dog and cat is normal. People
used to call it kurasmag and
damasyo. I remember when
our cat bite me; I was injected
an anti-rabies vaccine because
no one knows if our cat has
rabies or none”) (Participant D)
“Aram mo pa ang yukyok? Kili-
kili na kaya yan ngunian hay.
Kadto samo, dapat malinig kili-
kili ta namasta na pag bako.
May uru-uransod” (“Are you
familiar with yukyok? It has
been called Kili-kili now. On our
generation, having a clean
underarm is a must because if
you don’t clean it, you would
have a body-odor”) (Participant
B)
“Mga arog kong gurang na,
apod samo dati, gusgos na.
Maluluya na baga ta iyo man
baga ang gurang na, maluluya”
(“As you can see, I am already
old and those people who have
the same age as mine, we’re
weak because that’s what
happening when you’re getting
old”) (Participant A)

The table showed that the Bicol words given by the participants were
categorized into four category; Things, Animals, Part of the body, and Personality/
Expression. The category with the highest number of words was the Things Category
and the category with the least number of words was the Animals Category.

According to the table shown above, the Bicol words given by the participants
have a connection with their status and experiences in life. Participant D was a
teacher; therefore, the words given by her were mostly related to things that she

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commonly used in a classroom; Participant A runs a business which is the sari-sari
store. The words given by her were mostly about the products she sells; she even
mentioned a candy named “Dilimon” during the interview, saying that it hasn’t been
eaten by people anymore; Participant C was a construction worker; therefore, his
words were related to his job, and since he was only going home after work, he also
mentioned kitchen wares; Participant B has no job, and his words were commonly
used or expressed by people in interacting; lastly, the Participant E was a faith
healer; therefore, the words given by her were mostly about the parts of the body
that she was healed and the personality of the people she communicated with.

Table 2. The reasons why words are evolving gathered by the Researcher

REASONS PROOF
Social Media “Kung tano kaya nagbabago ang mga
tataramon ta ang mga aki baga ngunian,
turuudon nang magfacebook arog kayan.
Sa facebook baga dakulon iba-ibang
lengguwahe, minsan naa-adapt naman
lang ninda yan. May mga tinatararam
duman na minsan natutuudan naman
lang kang mga tao na gamiton.”
(Because of Social Media like Facebook,
people were simultaneously adapting
and learning other’s language since most
of us was using Social Media, even
people from foreign countries.)
(Participant D)
Culture and tradition as dynamic “Ang kultura ta kaya patuloy na
nagbabago. Di kung patuloy yan
mabago, kaiba na dyan ang wika ta. May
mga tataramon ngunian na pwedeng
pirang taon, dae na tinataram o bihira
nalang taramon ta may bago na naman
kitang natuudan itaram” (Our culture was

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 dynamic and our language too. There are
words that we might not be using
anymore after several years because
there are new words that we learned)
(Participant B)
ENVIRONMENT “Minsan may mga barkada kita o
kabistado na kagagamit mga ibang
tataramon baga. Ako, si pinsan ko,
LGBTQ kaya tuudon syang baraguhon
mga tinatararam nya. Minsan ngani dae
ko na naiintindihan , mala baga naa-
adapt ko naman lang.” (We have some
friends or someone we just know that
were using different language that we’re
not familiar with; just like my cousin, he
belongs to LGBTQ and he literally
changes his words to the point that I
can’t understand what he was trying to
say but I just adapt his words and
sometimes using those.)

The Table 2 showed that the reasons why words are evolving were also
categorized into three parts; the Social Media, Culture and tradition as dynamic, and
the Environment.

The table has shown that the language were evolving because of Social
Media through engaging with foreigners or someone that people met online; Culture
and Tradition because it is dynamic and people were adapting the changes as days
passes; lastly, Environment because there will be changes in the language when a
person knows someone or if he/she was surrounded by different people with different
cultures and style of speaking.

CONCLUSION
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 The Case study entitled “Evolution of the Bicol Words in San Fernando,
Camarines Sur” was conducted. The researcher interviewed the 5 participants; they
gave set of Bicol Words and mentioned reasons on why languages were evolving.

The words given by the participants were mostly related to their status and
experiences in life and was categorized into four parts; the Things Category, Animals
Category, Part of the body Category, and Personality/Expression Category. The
reasons on why languages were evolving were also categorized into three parts; the
Social Media, Culture and Tradition as dynamic, and Environment.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study would not have been possible without the help of our Introduction

to Linguistics teacher, Ms. Julie Amara Mostoles for the continuous support for my

research, for her patience, motivation, and immense knowledge.

I am indebted to the respondents who participated and for giving their

knowledge about my study for data gathering.

I am thankful for my sister for giving me suggestions and recommendations

for the improvement of my research.

And lastly, I would like to thank my parents for supporting this research and

also for giving me moral support in everything I do.

The Researcher

REFERENCES

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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicol_Region
http://gwhs-stg02.i.gov.ph/~s2govnccaph/subcommissions/subcommission-
on-cultural-communities-and-traditional-arts-sccta/central-cultural-communities/the-
bicolanos/
https://www.nature.com/subjects/evolution-of-language#:~:text=Evolution
%20of%20language%20is%20the,occur%20through%20the%20same
%20mechanisms.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10539-005-5597-1

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