Speaking in tongues: How bekimon and jejemon fit into the Filipino language

On a special Buwan ng Wikang Filipino episode of the program "Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie," Professor Winnie Monsod invited Commissioner Carmelita Abdurahman of the Commission of the Filipino Language and Filipino-Canadian comedian Mikey Bustos to discuss how our language has changed over the years, and how the emergence of “jejemon" and “bekimon” fits into all of this.  

Jejemon refers to a stylized way of encoding words in text, a method popularized by many Filipino youths. “Hello, where are you,” for example, can become “e0H., w3r r U?”

 

Bekimon, on the other hand, is a stylized way of speaking created by people in the gay community, which includes adding affixes to words or substituting them with rhyming pop culture references. Obvious examples include using the name of a Welsh singer to express hunger with “Gu-Tom Jones,” or describing an old person as a “Thundercat,” derived from the cartoon TV show and the word “matanda.”

 

Changing times

 

Mareng Winnie counts herself among those confused by these changes in structure and vocabulary. “Hindi ba mawawala na ang rules natin sa language?” asked Mareng Winne.

 

But once in a while, our language evolves to modify meanings or create new ones entirely. For example, the words “hot” and “cool” are no longer limited to describing temperatures but  can both mean affirmation or admiration towards a particular thing.

 

Language, however, is strangely fickle. Older words like "bagets" and "jeproks" might knit a few brows, but if you exclaim, “astig" or “bongga,” people will understand what you’re trying to say.

 

Today we use words like “undress,” “champion” and “lackluster” in conversations. These have been around since they were coined by the famous playwright William Shakespeare in the 17th century. Those words are among a list of around 1,700 new words and phrases first heard of in his plays.

 

But new terms don’t always turn into household words — incidentally, another phrase invented by Shakespeare. People left the word “radical” in the seventies, and today say “epic” to express awe. In the same way, “fly” turned into “sick,” and “mojo” turned into “swag.” The next generation doesn’t pick up everything they hear.

 

Wistful thinking

 

Dr. Abdurahman noted that even words in Filipino didn’t stem purely from ethnic influences. Instead of “salampupuwit,” for example, most Filipinos are more comfortable with the word “silya” that claims Spanish roots.

 

Some people, Mareng Winnie included, still think that the beauty of the original language is unparalleled and needs to be highlighted some more. “I would still love to learn the Filipino [used by] Francisco Balagtas,” she said.

 

Having been raised in a country that speaks English and French, Mikey Bustos understands that it’s important to know the origins of the colloquial language you speak. “Similarly, I want to learn classical Filipino,” he said, acknowledging that his formal lessons in the language only began in January. He added that in Canada, they don’t teach Canadian French in schools, but instead instruct students in French as spoken by the French themselves.

 

But in the end, our expert thinks we should just let things be: if people find a use for them, words will find a way to stay.

 

“Isa lang ang wika sa mga nagbabago sa mundo," said Abdurahman. “Hayaan lang nating lumaganap ito dahil napapayaman nito ang ating wika.” — Job de Leon/CM, GMA News