Badafsyonary

A conversation went like this: "Hay, naku. ’Yan na si chennylin. Wa na talk." "Queber?" the other answers flippantly. "Dyulalay yan ni madir. Baka tigi tayo any moment." Another joins in. "Dyulalay o chimiaa? Chaka naman n’yan!" In chorus, they shout, "Planggana!" Upon seeing a tall-tanned man passing, "Ay... si papa..."

How much of that did you understand? I hardly understood anything and we’re not meant to. That’s because it’s gay lingo.

To the gays "chennylin" means dakilang alalay. If they say "Wa na talk," everybody must keep quiet. "Queber" is shortcut for "I don’t care." "Dyulalay" or "chimiaa" also means alalay or maid, while "chaka" means ugly. When they say "planggana," it means you are correct.

This group from Tarlac sometimes shrieks louder than the girls. They are teased, often ridiculed scoffed at with contempt by a mean homophobic community. Still they will always be my friends. They’re whom we call the baklas or the badings. They’re out of the closets and into the streets. At least they’re honest about themselves.

I don’t know how the homosexuals ended up being called gays, but if you base it on the original meaning of the word, it fits them perfectly. The term gay is said to have been first used in the 13th century and lifted from the old French gai, meaning happy. Isn’t that meaning indicative of badings? They’re usually full of cheer. Don’t we often see them as carefree and animated?

In Victorian England, female and male prostitutes were called gays because they dressed gaily. Eventually the gay boys became a term used for male homosexuals. Public stance toward gays has progressed with time. In days gone by, the mind-set with respect to homosexuals was significantly negative. Aside from that homosexuality was regarded as a mental disorder even a result of faulty development. While moral codes discussed homosexuality as terms of immoral, sinful and a manifestation of human weakness. In 1969, it was the emergence of gay rights activists that triggered the gradual change in people’s opinions. For my part I’ve always respected their creativity having worked them and enjoyed their presence, ability and skills.

Let’s go to their distinct and secret language again!

The local gay lingo is as colorful and as confusing as any foreign language. A vocabulary exclusively theirs, expressed in their own bubbly fashion, frequently elicits laughter from us.

But who knows how these words came about? An etymologist would sooner give up than be able to figure them out. For instance, how did the Tagalog word "wala" get shortened to "wa," and the short word "ito" lengthened to "ititch?" How can the words "no" be converted to "wishing," and "joke" translated to "charing"? Well, I’m sure if you ask any of them, they won’t be able to give you any concrete answers either. What they’ll tell you is that their lingo might evolve and have other variations but it’s definitely here to stay.

So, lest we be called syonda, let’s let Elmer, one of my favorite badings from Tarlac, give us a crash course on gay lingo. Although we don’t intend to talk the way they do, at least let’s understand them.

First, let’s get into money matters. "Money" is "anda" or "datress." How did that happen? "Makyono" is a loose pronunciation of the Tagalog word "magkano" or in English, "how much." Easy, right? How about when they say, "give love?" Are they asking for a hug? Nope, they mean, "give money" or "pay up."

The fair is to them, "dyomasai." "Hawaii" is not just the beautiful island of sun and sea. For them, it means "fifty." "Ham" is not the food. It means "hundred." And "kiao" is not a bird, it means "thousand."

Now to some other basic words. Boys are also called "minola," while the girls are called "Jennifer," "girlash" or "chennylin." Fat is "masyoba," while thin is "syuyat." Straight-forward is "tarush," while those that are good in making empty promises are called "chikadora." The good-looking are called "BY." The ugly are "chaka" or "chapter," and the good-looking but only from afar are called "layogenic."

Now, let me excuse myself and make a disclaimer to these artists whose names have been corrupted or given a different meaning.

For example, "Shyonda Romero" is used to refer to an old person while Chanda Romero means a person with a bulging tummy. "Luz Valdez" means to lose, while "Jinky Oda" means jinx. "Carmi Martin" or "Carmina" is "half-man," and "Pilita" means involuntary submission. Then, there’s "Carmen Ronda," a term they use for joy rides, and finally "Smelanie Marquez" referring to those with bad odor.

Again, how or why? The reasons really, really escape me.

There’s really a lot more, and although I find their lingo amusing, it’s too much for me to remember. And why should we learn their lingo? Why should we care, you ask? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been around many gays and I just have the greatest fun with them. The majority I know are loyal, efficient and reliable. They are artistically-gifted and many of them are respected in their chosen fields. They put their talents to productive use and successfully push themselves to be the best. They are good people, sometimes even better than those we recognize as straight. Now why shouldn’t we try to understand them?

Last year, these were the gayspeak words in style. "Tsugi Lou Blanco" which meant you are dead, "Pagoda Ricemill" meant I’m tired, "Chuk chak Chenes" meant you’ve been fired, "Ranjit Shahani" meant you’re old, and "Babushka" meant goodbye.

Every year new words are created. The gayspeak language is never static. It grows continuously with new meanings all the time. Webster would surely be confused.