Tagalog profanity

Obscene graffiti on a memorial in San Juan, Metro Manila. The inscription reads Docdocos burat titi, insinuating that "Docdocos" has an uncircumcised penis, which is a cultural taboo for young adult males in the Philippines.[1]: 16 

Tagalog profanity can refer to a wide range of offensive, blasphemous, and taboo words or expressions in the Tagalog language of the Philippines. Due to Filipino culture, expressions which may sound benign when translated back to English can cause great offense; while some expressions English speakers might take great offense to can sound benign to a Tagalog speaker. Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is the standard register of Tagalog, so as such the terms Filipino profanity and Filipino swear words are sometimes also employed.[2]

In Tagalog, profanity has many names: in a religious or formal context, it is called lapastangang pananalita ("blasphemous/irreverent speech") or pag-alipusta/panlalait ("insult"). The word paghamak is also sometimes used formally and has a sense similar to "affront". Colloquially, the words mura ("swear word") and sumumpâ ("to wish evil [on someone]") are used.[3]

Owing to successive Spanish and American colonial administrations, some Tagalog profanity has its etymological roots in the profanity of European languages. Other concepts, like hiya, are similar to sociological concepts such as face, which are common across East Asia.[4]

Unlike in Western culture, where certain words are never acceptable in all but the most informal contexts, Tagalog profanity is context-sensitive: words which are considered profane or insulting in one context are often acceptable in another.[5][6]

  1. ^ Tan, Michael L. (2008). "Philippine Keywords in Sexuality". University of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ English, Leo James (2015). Tagalog-English Dictionary (27 ed.). Quezon City: Kalayaan Press Mktg. Ent. Inc. (National Book Store). ISBN 978-9710844654.
  4. ^ Brazal, Agnes M. (2020-10-20). "Recasting Ethics of Face and Hiya (Shame) in the Light of Cybersexual Violence Against Women". International Journal of Practical Theology. 24 (2): 285–302. doi:10.1515/ijpt-2019-0019. ISSN 1612-9768. S2CID 227313808.
  5. ^ Penalosa, Nina (2016-03-23). "When Bullying Follows You Home: Growing Up Chubby and Filipino". Wear Your Voice: Intersectional Feminist Media. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Gueco, Nizza (2016-09-05). "We Hired A Native Tagalog Speaker: Here's What The Filipino Prez REALLY Said". Liberal America Magazine. Retrieved 2017-01-25.