Alibata -Sample of Chavacano de Zamboanga

2007-12-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

Alibata - Trenta’y cuatro kilometro desde'l pueblo de Zamboanga, el Bunguiao que un barrio chico estaba como un desierto. No hay gente quien ta queda aqui. Abundante este lugar de maga animal particularmente como puerco, gatorgalla, venao y otro mas pa. Maga pajariador lang ta visita con este lugar.

'Bunguiao, a small village, thirty four kilometers from the city of Zamboanga, was once a wilderness. Stockbridge Consultants.No people lived here. The place abounded with wild animals like pigs, wildcats, deer, and still others. The place was visited only by (bird) hunters.'

Alibata - the Chavacano Language

2007-12-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

Alibata - Chavacano (as a proper noun and a derivative of the Spanish adjective "chabacano" and as it is generally accepted in literature, the broadcast media, and Zamboangueños) or Chabacano (from the Spanish adjective) is the common name for the several varieties of the Philippine Creole Spanish spoken in the Philippines. The word chabacano—which the name Chavacano is derived from—is Spanish for "poor taste," "vulgar," "common," "tasteless," "tacky," or "coarse."

Chavacano speakers are concentrated mostly in Zamboanga City and in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, and Basilan. It is also spoken in some areas of Cavite, Davao, and Cotabato. According to the official 2000 Philippine census, there were altogether 607,200 Chavacano speakers in the Philippines in that same year. The exact figure could be higher than the census figure as the population of Zamboanga City, whose main language is Chavacano, far exceeded the census figure in 2000.

Speakers are also found in Semporna, Sabah in Malaysia—not surprisingly—because this northern part of Borneo is close to the Sulu islands and Zamboanga Peninsula and was once part of Spanish Philippines until the late 19th century. Some people of the Muslim ethnic tribes of Zamboanga such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and of Basilan such as the Yakans also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are muslim speakers of the Chabacano de Zamboanga.

There are several varieties of this creole and their classification is based on their substrate languages and the regions where they are commonly spoken. The three known varieties of Chavacano/Chabacano which have Tagalog as their substrate language are Caviteño (spoken in Cavite), Ternateño (spoken in Ternate, Cavite), and Ermitaño (once spoken in Ermita and now extinct). The other varieties which have Cebuano as their substrate language are Zamboangueño (spoken in Zamboanga City), Davaoeño (spoken in areas of Davao), and Cotabateño (spoken in Cotabato City). Zamboangueño is the variety with the most number of speakers, being the main language of Zamboanga City. Alibata is with the ancient filipino writing.

The vocabulary is predominantly derived from the Spanish language, while grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages such as Tagalog and Cebuano. It is used in education, print media, television and radio.

seocontest2008

Alibata -Sample of Chavacano de Zamboanga

Alibata - the Chavacano Language