Rethinking Filipinisms

“Sir, sorry I’m late. It’s traffic!”

I have heard this explanation from students countless times. Sometimes, I believe them. Other times, I wonder whether they simply woke up late. But what interests me here is not their excuse. It is the expression it’s traffic, which Filipinos commonly use to describe heavy traffic on the road. Elsewhere, one might say there’s heavy traffic or the traffic was terrible. Here, we understand exactly what the student means.

There are many other expressions like this. We say brownout when electricity goes off, ballpen when we need something to write with, and batchmate when referring to someone who graduated in the same year. We tell someone to fall in line, ask another person to open the light, or say for a while when we want somebody to wait. These expressions are often called Filipinisms.

In linguistics, Filipinisms refer to words, expressions, meanings, or grammatical constructions associated with English as used in the Philippines. Some have developed distinctive meanings, while others reflect the influence of Philippine languages on English. They are among the features that distinguish Philippine English from other varieties, particularly American and British English.

Unfortunately, the term Filipinism has sometimes been associated with incorrect English. I remember encountering lists of Filipinisms that students were expected to avoid. The usual exercise involved identifying the supposedly incorrect expression and replacing it with its American English equivalent. Comfort room became restroom. Brownout became power outage. Open the light became turn on the light.

I understand why teachers do this. We want our students to communicate effectively, especially when speaking with people outside the Philippines. But I wonder whether we have also taught them, perhaps unintentionally, that the English they use in their own country is somehow inferior. The problem begins when we assume that whatever differs from American or British English must be wrong.

English has never belonged exclusively to one country. It is spoken in different parts of the world, and wherever it travels, it encounters other languages and cultures. These encounters inevitably influence how people speak it. Singaporeans, Indians, Nigerians, and Filipinos have developed their own ways of using English. Linguists recognize these varieties under the broader framework of World Englishes.

Philippine English developed through a similar process. English was introduced and institutionalized during American colonization, particularly through education. But Filipinos did not simply preserve the language exactly as it was introduced. Over generations, they adapted it to their experiences, linguistic backgrounds, and communicative needs.

Consider the word salvage. In many English-speaking countries, it means to rescue or recover something. In the Philippines, however, it acquired another, rather disturbing meaning: to kill someone extrajudicially. The word itself is English, but its Philippine meaning reflects a particular historical and social experience.

Or consider batchmate. It is a convenient expression because Filipinos frequently identify themselves according to their graduating batches. We could say “someone who graduated in the same year as I did,” but why use ten words when one familiar word communicates the same idea?

Of course, not every unusual expression uttered by a Filipino should automatically qualify as an established feature of Philippine English. There is a difference between a conventional expression recognized by a speech community and an occasional grammatical error. Linguists examine how frequently expressions occur, how systematically they are used, and whether speakers recognize and accept them.

This is particulary important in teaching. When a student says open the light, I can explain that turn on the light is the conventional expression in many other English varieties. That is useful knowledge. But I do not need to ridicule the student’s expression or make the student feel that speaking English the Filipino way is embarrassing.

I can teach the difference without treating one variety as inherently superior. After all, language proficiency is not simply the ability to imitate Americans or British speakers. It also involves knowing which expressions are appropriate for particular audiences and situations. A Filipino may comfortably ask for the CR at home and use restroom when traveling abroad. Neither choice necessarily diminishes the other.

What concerns me is how easily language correction becomes a judgment of the person speaking. We sometimes hear someone use a Filipinism and immediately question that person’s education or competence in English. I have seen how conscious students become of their English when they are afraid that every sentence will be scrutinized for errors. And I must admit that, as an English teacher, I have also participated in this culture of correction.

I find the discussion of Filipinisms particularly important. It forces me to reconsider what I correct, why I correct it, and whose standards I am using. I am not suggesting that we abandon grammar or disregard internationally accepted conventions. Students deserve to learn these conventions because they expand their communicative possibilities. But they also deserve to know that Philippine English is not simply failed American English.

The next time a student comes to class late and tells me, “Sir, sorry I’m late. It’s traffic!” I might still remind the student to leave home earlier. I might even explain that there was heavy traffic is more widely used elsewhere. But I would rather spend my time asking why the student was late than making the student feel embarrassed about speaking English the Filipino way.

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Michael Caesar C. Tubal teaches language, literature, and pedagogy at West Visayas State University College of Education. In his free time, if he is not reading or writing, he watches past episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race or joins book clubs in Iloilo City.