Cebuano

Philippine Accent Quick Tips {4}

Philippine Accent Quick Tips

Dec 14, 2013

No matter how proficient I become at speaking Cebuano I’ll always have my accent working against me. They don’t call it accent, they say it’s my slang. It’s actually a combination of a number of things, including pronunciation of certain letters/letter combinations that create many of the puzzled looks I get.

Maybe some of the foreigners have experienced this with their Filipino spouses. After repeating a basic English word over and over, you finally realize what they mean and pronounce it back to them with “Oh….”. “ComFORTable” was my first encounter with that phenomenon.
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By Category: Cultural Adjustment, Langauge Tags: , , ,

Should You Learn Cebuano or Filipino? {6}

Should You Learn Cebuano or Filipino?

Nov 16, 2013

For most of those moving to the Philippines and desiring to learn a new language, the choice is fairly clear. Depending upon where you will live, either Cebuano or Filipino (Tagalog for the purposes of this article) is more prevalent. This is especially true in the larger cities. If you wish to live in a remote province, then you very possibly have other choices. I wish you luck with that. Unless you are one of those talented people that picks up languages without trying, you aren’t likely to get much in the way of reference material with anything but Filipino or Cebuano.

If Davao is your intended destination, then the the river gets a little muddy.
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By Category: Cultural Adjustment, Davao, Langauge Tags: , , ,

Bisaya (Cebuano) Phrases Flashcards {0}

Bisaya (Cebuano) Phrases Flashcards

Aug 5, 2013

I’m pleased to announce a new Bisaya flashcard offering, Anki Bisaya Phrasebook Flashcards. This set uses the excellent Anki Flashcard software that is compatible on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. A great feature is the ability to sync your progress across all your devices.

There are over 800 phrases and words with native Audio included for each Bisaya phrase or word. The content consists of the most commonly used phrases, covering over 40 subjects. Master these words and phrases and you will be well on your way to conversing in everyday Bisaya. This is an excellent companion to the full language courses, or as a stand alone study to get you up and going quickly with common terms.
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By Category: Cultural Adjustment, Langauge Tags: , , ,

Restarting Bisaya Lessons {2}

Restarting Bisaya Lessons

Sep 10, 2012

I paused my Bisaya Lessons earlier this year. The pause was longer than anticipated, almost seven months. The reality is that I hadn’t been having steady lessons even up to that point, so it may be the better part of a year since I have been active with them.

For the most part I didn’t study during that time. Nearly all I did was some back and forth with my asawa in our correspondences prior to my move. That certainly was a help, but didn’t serve to move me ahead in my studies. As it turns out, I would need to wait until I made my move, part of the reason for pausing, before I would be able to continue again.
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By Category: Cultural Adjustment, Davao, Langauge Tags: , , ,

Bisaya Lessons Paused {16}

Bisaya Lessons Paused

Feb 19, 2012

I had my first Bisaya lesson in quite some time yesterday evening. It really wasn’t a true lesson, as it turned out to be a discussion of what was going on in our lives, and why further lessons would need to be put on hold.

My progress has been slow the last year. I’m not sure what lesson I was on a year ago, maybe number 26 or so, but I’ve only managed to make it to lesson 30 since then. In the big scheme of things, that is not so bad, as it is half way. That is an accomplishment of sorts. If you look at how long that took me, well it isn’t so great.
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By Category: Cultural Adjustment, Langauge, Retirement Tags: , , ,

He or She {2}

He or She

Oct 9, 2011

Communication deficiencies can, more often than not, be the cause of many misunderstandings. It is difficult enough when two people (supposedly) speak the same language, it is even a greater challenge when native languages are different.

If the words spoken were all that mattered, it would be a much simpler affair, but the meaning behind those words is not always necessarily comprehended in the manner intended. Believing that because your words were understood, but not knowing that the message wasn’t, can compound the problem even further.
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By Category: Langauge Tags: , ,

Akong Bisaya Maestra {7}

Akong Bisaya Maestra

Jan 23, 2011

As many readers that have been visiting my blog for any time now will know, I have been taking Bisaya (Cebuano) lessons online for around two years now. You might be thinking that I should be pretty proficient at it by now. Well, I agree that would be the case if it wasn’t such a stop and go affair for me.

That’s what I want to write a little about today. First the incredible patience of my teacher (maestra, magtutudlo) and second the nature of my lessons and what the have become to me.
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By Category: Langauge, Retirement Tags: , , , , ,

Bankerohan Public Market Davao City {17}

Bankerohan Public Market Davao City

Oct 31, 2010

One of my favorite places that I visited during our recent trip to Davao and Samal Island was the Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City. The trip to the market was toward the end of our visit and served two purposes, to help me practice my Cebuano (Bisaya) in a “live setting”, and of course to see this gem of Davao City. My only regret was that I didn’t spend more time there. Next time it will be a priority for me.

I’d not been to the Bankerohan Public Market during any previous visits, so this was quite a treat for me. I wasn’t expecting it to be so large and so nice. I was also able to go through part of the Agdao Market while there this time, but I much prefer the Bankerohan Market. The stalls, and really the whole setup, just seemed so much nicer. I’m not sure how the two compare in prices, as I didn’t really get a chance to buy that much and there was an awful lot to take in.
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By Category: Cost of living, Food, Tourist Attractions Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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