Chavacano
Chavacano or Chabacano is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Other currently existing varieties are found in Cavite City and Ternate, located in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.
The different varieties of Chavacano differ in certain aspects like vocabulary but they are generally mutually intelligible by speakers of these varieties, especially between neighboring varieties. While a majority of the lexicon of the different Chavacano varieties derive from Spanish, their grammatical structures are generally similar to other Philippine languages. Among Philippine languages, it is the only one that is not an Austronesian language, but like Malayo-Polynesian languages, it uses reduplication.
The word is derived from Spanish, roughly meaning "poor taste" or "vulgar", though the term itself carries no negative connotations to contemporary speakers and has lost its original Spanish meaning.
Distribution and variants
Varieties
Linguists have identified at least six Spanish Creole varieties in the Philippines. Their classification is based on their substrate languages and the regions where they are commonly spoken. The three known varieties of Chavacano with Tagalog as their substrate language are the Luzon-based creoles of which are Caviteño, Bahra or Ternateño and Ermiteño.| Variety | Places | Native speakers |
| Zamboangueño | Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, | 359,000 |
| Caviteño | Cavite | 4,000 |
| Cotabateño | Cotabato City, Maguindanao | Extinct |
| Castellano Abakay | Davao Region, Davao City | Extinct |
| Ternateño | Ternate | 3,000 |
| Ermiteño | Ermita | Extinct |
There are a number of theories on how these different varieties of Chavacano have evolved and how they are related to one another. According to some linguists, Zamboangueño Chavacano is believed to have been influenced by Caviteño Chabacano as evidenced by prominent Zamboangueño families who descended from Spanish Army officers, primarily Caviteño mestizos, stationed at Fort Pilar in the 19th century. When Caviteño officers recruited workers and technicians from Iloilo to man their sugar plantations and rice fields to reduce the local population's dependence on the Donativo de Zamboanga, the Spanish colonial government levied taxes on the islanders to support the fort's operations. With the subsequent migration of Ilonggo traders to Zamboanga, the Zamboangueño Chavacano was infused with Hiligaynon words as the previous migrant community was assimilated.
Most of what appears to be Cebuano words in Zamboangueño Chavacano are actually Hiligaynon. Although Zamboangueño Chavacano's contact with Cebuano began much earlier when Cebuano soldiers were stationed at Fort Pilar during the Spanish colonial period, it was not until closer to the middle of the 20th century that borrowings from Cebuano accelerated from more migration from the Visayas as well as the current migration from other Visayan-speaking areas of the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Zamboangueño is spoken in Zamboanga City, Basilan, parts of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte. Zamboangueño Chavacano is the most dynamically spoken language of Philippine Creole Spanish. It is used as a lingua franca between both Muslim and Christians in the Southwestern Mindanao and Basilan Islands communities. Its influence has spread to other islands in the west, such as the Jolo Islands, as well as to Cotabato and Davao in Mindanao, and finally down south to Malaysia. The other varieties of Chavacano with Cebuano as their primary substrate language are the Mindanao-based creoles of which are Castellano Abakay or Chavacano Davaoeño, influenced by Chinese and Japanese, and divided into two varieties, Castellano Abakay Chino and Castellano Abakay Japón, and Cotabateño. Both Cotabateño and Davaoeño are very similar to Zamboangueño.
Characteristics
The Chavacano languages in the Philippines are creoles based on Mexican Spanish and possibly, Portuguese. In some Chavacano languages, most words are common with Andalusian Spanish, but there are many words borrowed from Nahuatl, a language native to Central Mexico, which aren’t found in Andalusian Spanish. Although the vocabulary is largely Mexican, its grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages, primarily Ilonggo, Tagalog and Cebuano. By way of Spanish, its vocabulary also has influences from the Native American languages Nahuatl, Taino, Quechua, etc. as can be evidenced by the words chongo, tiange, etc.In contrast with the Luzon-based dialects, the Zamboangueño variety has the most borrowings and/or influence from other Philippine Austronesian languages including Hiligaynon and Tagalog. Words of Malay origin are present in the Zamboangueño variety; the latter is included because although not local in Philippines, it was the lingua franca of maritime Southeast Asia. As the Zamboangueño variety is also spoken by Muslims, the variety has some Arabic loanwords, most commonly Islamic terms. In spite of this, it’s difficult to trace whether these words have their origin in the local population or in Spanish itself, given that Spanish has about 6,000 words of Arabic origin. Chavacano also contains loanwords of Persian origin which enter Chavacano via Malay and Arabic; both Persian and Spanish are Indo-European languages.
Demographics
The highest number of Chavacano speakers are found in Zamboanga City and in the island province of Basilan. A significant number of Chavacano speakers are found in Cavite City and Ternate. There are also speakers in some areas in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao, and in Cotabato City. 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 as the 2000 population of Zamboanga City, whose main language is Chavacano, far exceeded that census figure. Also, the figure doesn’t include Chavacano speakers of the Filipino diaspora. All the same, Zamboangueño is the variety with the most number of speakers, being the official language of Zamboanga City whose population is now believed to be over a million; is also an official language in Basilan.Chavacano speakers are also found in Semporna and elsewhere in Sabah as Sabah was under partial Spanish sovereignty and via Filipino refugees who escaped from Zamboanga Peninsula and predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao like Sulu Archipelago.
A small number of Zamboanga's indigenous peoples and of Basilan, such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and the Yakans, majority of those people are Sunni Muslims, also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chavacano de Zamboanga, all of them are neighbors of Christians. Speakers of the Chavacano de Zamboanga, both Christians and Muslims, also live in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. Christians and Muslims in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Cotabato City, and Saranggani speak Chavacano de Zamboanga. Take note that Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Maguindanao, Cotabato City, Soccsksargen and Davao Region became part of short-lived Republic of Zamboanga, which chose Chavacano as official language.
Social significance
Chavacano has been primarily and practically a spoken language. In the past, its use in literature was limited and chiefly local to the geographical location where the particular variety of the language was spoken. Its use as a spoken language far exceeds its use in literary work in comparison to the use of Spanish in the Philippines which was more successful as a written language than a spoken language. In recent years, there have been efforts to encourage the use of Chavacano as a written language, but the attempts were mostly minor attempts in folklore and religious literature and few pieces of written materials by the print media. In Zamboanga City, while the language is used by the mass media, the Catholic Church, education, and the local government, there have been few literary work written in Zamboangueño and access to these resources by the general public isn’t readily available; Bibles of Protestant Christians are also written in standard Chavacano. As Chavacano is spoken by Muslims as second language not only in Zamboanga City and Basilan but even in Sulu and Tawi-tawi, a number of Qur'an books are published in Chavacano.The Zamboangueño variety has been constantly evolving especially during half of the past century until the present. Zamboangueño has been experiencing an infusion of English and more Tagalog words and from other languages worldwide in its vocabulary and there have been debates and discussions among older Chavacano speakers, new generation of Chavacano speakers, scholars, linguists, sociologists, historians, and educators regarding its preservation, cultivation, standardization, and its future as a Spanish-based creole. In 2000, The Instituto Cervantes in Manila hosted a conference entitled "Shedding Light on the Chavacano Language" at the Ateneo de Manila University. Starting school year 2012–13, the Zamboangueño variant has also been taught at schools following the implementation of the Department of Education's policy of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. It serves as a medium of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3 and as a separate subject from grades 1 to 3.
Because of the grammatical structures, Castilian usage, and archaic Spanish words and phrases that Chavacano uses, between speakers of both contemporary Spanish and Chavacano who are uninitiated, both languages appear to be non-intelligible to a large extent. For the initiated speakers, Chavacano can be intelligible to some Spanish speakers, and while most Spanish words can easily be understood by Chavacano speakers, many would struggle to understand a complete Spanish sentence.
Terminology
The term Chavacano or Chabacano originated from the Spanish word ' which literally means "poor taste", "vulgar", "common", "of low quality", or "coarse". Chavacano has since evolved into a word of its own in different spellings with no negative connotation, but to simply being the name of the language itself.During the Spanish colonial period, what is today called Chavacano was also called by the Spanish-speaking population as the "lenguaje de la calle", "lenguaje de parian", or "lenguaje de cocina" to distinguish it from the Spanish language spoken by those of the upper class, which consisted of Spaniards and educated Natives.
Linguists use the term Philippine Creole Spanish''' which can be further divided into two geographic classifications: Manila Bay Creoles and Mindanao Creole. The varieties of the language are geographically related. The Manila Bay Creoles have Tagalog as their substrate language while The Mindanao Creoles have Visayan, Subanon, and Sama as their substrate language.
Chavacano/Chabacano speakers themselves have different preferences on whether to spell the language with a V or a B. They emphasise the difference between their variety and others using their own geographical location as a point of reference. Language speakers in Ternate also use the term Bahra to refer to their language and their city. Chavacano varieties usually have their area name attached to the language.
In Zamboanga City, most people are using the V in spelling the language as Chavacano. In the three-day Chavacano Orthography Congress held on Nov 19-21, 2014, wherein it included the presentation by researchers on Chavacano, mostly results from surveys conducted among selected respondents in the city, the newly organized Chavacano Orthography Council met with the officials of the Department of Education and agreed among others that the language is to be spelled with the V. Most people in support of this move would like to distance their language Chavacano to the word Chabacano which also means ‘vulgar” in Spanish.
| Location | Geographical area | Alternative names and spellings |
| Zamboanga | Mindanao | Chavacano, Zamboangueño, Zamboangueño Chavacano |
| Cavite | Manila Bay | Chabacano de Cavite, Caviteño, Chabacano Caviteño, Linguaje de Niso |
| Basilan | Mindanao | Zamboangueño, Chavacano de Zamboanga |
| Cotabato | Mindanao | Cotabateño, Chavacano Cotabateño |
| Davao | Mindanao | Davaoeño, Chavacano Davaoeño, Castellano Abakay, Davao Chavacano |
| Ermita | Manila Bay | Ermitense, Ermita Chabacano |
| Ternate | Manila Bay | Ternateño, Ternateño Chabacano, Bahra, Linguaje di Bahra |
Historical background
There is no definite conclusion on the precise history of how these different varieties of Chavacano developed.Prior to the formation of what is today the Philippines, what existed were a collection of various islands and different ethnolinguistic groups inhabiting them. The Spanish colonisation of the Philippine islands had led to the presence of the Spanish language in the islands. Though Spanish was the language of the government, the various languages originating and found in the islands remained the mother tongue of the various inhabitants. Instead of using Spanish to spread Christianity, Spanish missionaries preferred to learn the various local languages. With over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, the Spanish language came to influence the various Philippine languages to varying degrees by way of aspects like new loanwords and expressions.
Creole languages have formed at various points in time around the world due to colonialism. As a result of contact between speakers of two mutually non-intelligible languages, creole languages have evolved in some cases to facilitate communication. This usually involves taking the vocabulary of another language and grammatical features of the native language. In contrast to the numerous French-based creole languages, only three creole languages have been found to be Spanish-based or heavily influenced: Papiamento, Palenquero, and Chavacano. In the Philippines, a major difficulty in tracing the development of Chabacano is the confusion attributed to in accounts of travelers to the Philippines between a coherent creole language, `broken Spanish', and fluent Spanish. The earliest believed attestation of a coherent creole language spoken in Cavite City comes from the Augustinian priest Martínez de Zúñiga who in his 1803 accounts of his travels in the Philippines, Estadismos de las Islas Filipinas, notes that "In Cavite and in its suburb of San Roque, a very corrupted Spanish is spoken, whose phraseology is entirely taken from the language of the country". Mentions of a vernacular referred to as "kitchen Spanish" and "language of the market", or other terms are found in a number of texts of the 19th century. However, the kind of vernacular referred to by these terms are imprecise and these terms may refer to a fully fledged creole or to a Spanish-pidgin spoken by Chinese and Filipino merchants.
The manner of formation of this type of speech found in a number of communities around the Philippines remains unclear today. A sample of what is today called Chabacano may be found in dialogues contained in chapters 18 and 28 of Filipino writer José Rizal's 1891 work El Filibusterismo. The dialogue found in chapter 18 is:
In the 1883 work of German linguist Hugo Schuchardt Uber das Malaiospanische der Philippinen, he presents fragments of texts and comments of what he calls "Malayo-Spanish". However, the first to give a general study and investigation of the varieties of Chavacano as a group was by Keith Whinnom in his 1956 work The Spanish Contact Vernaculars in the Philippine Islands . Whinnom gives an overall view of the history and grammar of what he calls "Ermitaño" of Ermita in Manila, "Caviteño" of Cavite and "Zamboangueño" of Zamboanga. In it, he also postulated his monogenetic theory on the origin of these vernaculars.
Linguists are unsettled on how these vernaculars formed and how they connect to one another, if any. There are many theories but the two main theories of the origin of Chavacano are: Whinnom's "monogenetic theory" and a "parallel-development" theory proposed by Frake in 1971.
Monogenetic theory
According to the Monogentic theory or one-way theory advanced by Whinnom, all varieties of Chavacano result from a single source and that varieties are related to each other.Parallel-development theory
The parallel development theory or two-way theory as advocated by Frake in 1971, the variants found in Luzon and Mindanao had evolved autonomously from each other.Zamboangueño
On 23 June 1635, Zamboanga City became a permanent foothold of the Spanish government with the construction of the San José Fortress. Bombardment and harassment from pirates and raiders of the sultans of Mindanao and Jolo and the determination to spread Christianity further south of the Philippines forced the Spanish missionary friars to request reinforcements from the colonial government.The military authorities decided to import labour from Luzon and the Visayas. Thus, the construction workforce eventually consisted of Spanish, Mexican and Peruvian soldiers, masons from Cavite, sacadas from Cebu and Iloilo, and those from the various local tribes of Zamboanga like the Samals and Subanons.
Language differences made it difficult for one ethnic group to communicate with another. To add to this, work instructions were issued in Spanish. The majority of the workers were unschooled and therefore did not understand Spanish but needed to communicate with each other and the Spaniards. A pidgin developed and became a full-fledged creole language still in use today as a lingua franca and/or as official language, mainly in Zamboanga City.
When the Sultanate of Sulu gave up its territories in Sulu Archipelago to Spain within late 1700s, Spanish settlers and soldiers brought the language to the region until Spain, Germany, and United Kingdom signed an agreement named the Madrid Protocol of 1885 that recognised Spanish rule of Sulu Archipelago. Chavacano becomes a lingua franca of Sulu Archipelago ; although North Borneo is not included on the Spanish East Indies area as stated on the Protocol and control by the United Kingdom, Chavacano has still a little impact in Semporna.
From then on, constant Spanish military reinforcements as well as increased presence of Spanish religious and educational institutions have fostered the Spanish creole.
Caviteño / Ternateño
The Merdicas were Catholic natives of the islands of Ternate and Tidore of the Moluccas in the vicinity of New Guinea, converted during the Portuguese occupation of the islands by Jesuit missionaries. The islands were later captured by the Spanish who vied for their control with the Dutch. In 1663, the Spanish garrison in Ternate were forced to pull out to defend Manila against an impending invasion by the Chinese pirate Koxinga. A number of Merdicas volunteered to help, eventually being resettled in a sandbar near the mouth of the Maragondon river and Tanza, Cavite, Manila.The invasion did not occur as Koxinga fell ill and died. The Merdicas community eventually integrated into the local population. Today, the place is called Ternate after the island of Ternate in the Moluccas, and the descendants of the Merdicas continue to use their Spanish creole which came to be known as Caviteño or Ternateño Chavacano.
Samples
Zamboangueño
;Donde tu hay anda?;Ya mirá yo con José.
;Ya empezá ele buscá que buscá entero lugar con el sal.
;Ya andá ele na escuela.
;Si Mario ya dormí na casa.
;El hombre, con quien ya man encuentro tu, es mi hermano.
;El persona con quien tu tan cuento, bien alegre gayot.
Another sample of Zamboangueño Chavacano
Ermiteño
The following is sample of Ermitaño taken from the April 1917 publication of The Philippine Review, the poem was written by the Filipino Spanish-language writer Jesús Balmori and is entitled "Na Maldito Arena":Ta sumí el sol na fondo del mar, y el mar, callao el boca. Ta jugá con su mana marejadas com'un muchacha nerviosa con su mana pulseras. El viento no mas el que ta alborota, el viento y el pecho de Felisa que ta lleno de sampaguitas na fuera y lleno de suspiros na dentro...
According to Keith Whinnom's "Spanish contact vernaculars in the Philippine Islands", there were reportedly still an estimated 12,000 speakers in 1942 of Ermitaño. After World War II, much of Manila was destroyed and its citizens displaced. This variety is considered to be virtually extinct.
Caviteño / Ternateño
;Nisós ya pidí pabor cun su papáng.Another sample of Chavacano de Cavite
Chavacano de Cavite:Puede nisós hablá: que grande nga palá el sacrificio del mga héroes para niso independencia. Debe nga palá no niso ulvida con ilos. Ansina ya ba numa? Debe hací niso mga cosa para dale sabí que ta aprecia niso con el mga héroes. Que preparáo din niso hací sacrificio para el pueblo. ¿Qué laya? ¿Escribí mga novela como José Rizal?
Spanish:
Nosotros podemos decir qué grandes sacrificios ofrecieron nuestros héroes para obtener nuestra independencia. Entonces, no nos olvidemos de ellos. ¿Como lo logramos? Necesitamos hacer cosas para que sepan que apreciamos a nuestros héroes; que estamos preparados tambien a sacrificar por la nación. ¿Cómo lo haremos? ¿Hay que escribir también novelas como José Rizal?
English:
We can say what great sacrifices our heroes have done to achieve our independence. We should therefore not forget them. How do we do that? We should do things to let it be known that we appreciate the heroes; that we are prepared to make sacrifices for our people. How? Should we write novels like José Rizal?
Castellano Abakay (Chavacano Davaoeño)
Below are samples of dialogues and sentences of Davaoeño in two spoken forms: Castellano Abakay Chino by the Chinese speakers of Chabacano and Castellano Abakay Japon by the Japanese speakers. Chavacano Davaoeño became an extinct dialect of the Chavacano language as of the 2000s.Castellano Abakay Chino
- Note: only selected phrases are given with Spanish translations, some are interpretations and rough English translations are also given.
; Valentina y Conching
; Ako hablá ese esposa mio, paciencia plimelo. Cuando male negocio, comé nugaw. Pero, cuando bueno negocio, katáy manok.
; ¡Corre pronto! ¡Caé aguacero! Yo hablá contigo cuando salé casa lleva payóng. No quiere ahora mucho mojáo.
; ¿Ese ba Tinong no hay vergüenza? Anda visita casa ese novia, comé ya allí. Ese papa de iya novia, regañá mucho. Ese Tinong, no hay colocación. ¿Cosa dale comé esposa después?
Castellano Abakay Japon
Estimated English translations provided with Japanese words.; ¿Por qué usted no andá paseo? Karâ tiene coche, viaje usted. ¿Cosa hace dinero? Trabaja mucho, no gozá.
- Karâ – por ; from or by
; Señora, yo dale este pescado usted. No grande, pero mucho bueno. Ese kirey y muy bonito.
- Kirei – hermosa, "bonita" ; beautiful, bonny
Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag
Zamboangueño
English
Vocabulary
Forms and style
Chavacano has two registers or sociolects: The common, colloquial, vulgar or familiar and the formal register/sociolects. Broadly speaking, the formal register is closer to Spanish, and the colloquial register to the local Austronesian languages.In the common, colloquial, vulgar or familiar register/sociolect, words of local origin or a mixture of local and Spanish words predominate. The common or familiar register is used ordinarily when conversing with people of equal or lower status in society. It is also used more commonly in the family, with friends and acquaintances. Its use is of general acceptance and usage.
In the formal register/sociolect, words of Spanish origin or Spanish words predominate. The formal register is used especially when conversing with people of higher status in society. It is also used when conversing with elders and those in authority. It is more commonly used by older generations, by Zamboangueño mestizos, and in the barrios. It is the form used in speeches, education, media, and writing. The formal register used in conversation is sometimes mixed with some degree of colloquial register.
The following examples show a contrast between the usage of formal words and common or familiar words in Chavacano:
| English | Chavacano | Chavacano | Spanish |
| slippery | resbalozo/resbaladizo | malandug | resbaloso/resbaladizo |
| rice | morisqueta | kanon/arroz | morisqueta /arroz |
| rain | lluvia/aguacero | aguacero/ulan | lluvia/aguacero |
| dish | vianda/comida | comida/ulam | vianda/comida |
| braggart/boastful | orgulloso | bugalon/ hambuguero | orgulloso |
| car | coche | auto | auto/coche |
| housemaid | muchacho /muchacha | ayudanta ; ayudante | muchacha/ayudante |
| father | papá | pápang | papá |
| mother | mamá | mámang | mamá |
| grandfather | abuelo | abuelo/lolo | abuelo/lolo |
| grandmother | abuela | abuela/lola | abuela/lela |
| small | chico/pequeño | pequeño/diutay | pequeño/chico |
| nuisance | fastidio | asarante / salawayun | fastidio |
| hard-headed | testarudo | duro cabeza/duro pulso | testarudo/cabeza dura |
| slippers | chancla | chinelas | chancla/chinelas |
| married | de estado/de estao | casado/casao | casado |
| parents | padres | tata'y nana | padres |
| naughty | travieso | guachi / guachinanggo | travieso |
| slide | rezbalasa/deslizar | landug | resbalar/deslizar |
| ugly | feo /fea | malacara, malacuka | feo |
| rainshower | lluve | talítih | lluvia |
| lightning | rayo | rayo/quirlat | rayo |
| thunder/thunderstorm | trueno | trueno | trueno |
| tornado | tornado/remolino, remulleno | ipo-ipo | tornado/remolino |
| thin | delgado/flaco/chiquito | flaco/flaquit | delgado/flaco/flaquito |
Writing system
Chavacano is written using the Latin script. As Chavacano has mostly been a spoken language than a written one, multiple ways of writing the different varieties of Chavacano exist. Most published Chavacano texts utilize spelling systems nearly identical to Spanish, adjusting certain spellings of words to reflect how they are pronounced by native Chavacano speakers. Since the propagation of the usage of the Filipino language in education and the media as the national language, Filipino's orthography has affected how certain persons might spell Chavacano, especially since recent generations have grown unfamiliar with Spanish orthography; Most published works, and the general media, however more often retain Spanish-based spelling systems.The kind of writing system used to write Chavacano may differ according to the writer of the text. Writing may be written using a Spanish-derived writing system, where all words are spelled adhering to basic Spanish orthographic rules; it may also be written "phonetically", similar to the modern orthography of Filipino; another writing style uses a mixture of the two, spelling words based on an etymological approach, using phonetic spelling for words of Filipino origin and Spanish spelling rules for words of Spanish origin.
in Zamboanga, an etymological-based approach was formally recently endorsed by the local city government and this is the system used in public schools as part of the mother-tongue policy of the Department of Education for kindergarten to grade 3. In principle, words of Spanish origin are to be spelled using Spanish rules while Chavacano words of local origin are spelled in the manner according to their origin. Thus, the letter k appear mostly in words of Austronesian origin or in loanwords from other Philippine languages.
It is uncommon in modern written works to include the acute accent and the trema in writing except in linguistic or highly formalized texts. Also, the letters ñ and ll are sometimes replaced by ny and ly in informal texts.
Alphabet
The Chavacano alphabet has 30 letters, includinga, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, rr, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
Letters and letter names
| A a | a | J j | jota | R r | ere |
| B b | be | K k | ka | Rr rr | erre |
| C c | ce | L l | ele | S s | ese |
| Ch ch | che | Ll ll | elle | T t | te |
| D d | de | M m | eme | U u | u |
| E e | e | N n | ene | V v | uve |
| F f | efe | Ñ ñ | eñe | W w | doble u |
| G g | ge | O o | o | X x | equis |
| H h | hache | P p | pe | Y y | ye |
| I i | i | Q q | cu | Z z | zeta zeda |
Other letter combinations include rr, which is pronounced or, and ng, which is pronounced. Another combination was ñg, which was pronounced but is now obsolete and is only written as ng.
Some sounds are not represented in the Chavacano written language. These sounds are mostly in words of Philippine and foreign origin. Furthermore, the pronunciation of some words of Spanish origin have become distorted or Philippinized in modern Chavacano. Some vowels have become allophonized and some consonants have changed their pronunciation..
Glottal stops, as in Filipino languages, are not also indicated. These sounds are mainly found in words of Philippine origin and are only indicated in dictionaries and when they are, the circumflex accent is used.
Other pronunciation changes in some words of Spanish origin include:
between vowels which are fricative allophones are pronounced as they are in Chavacano.
Other sounds
Sounds from English
Diphthongs
| Letters | Pronunciation | Example | Significant |
| ae | aye | caé | fall, to fall |
| ai | ay | caido | fallen, fell |
| ao | aow | cuidao | take care, cared |
| ea | eya | patéa | kick, to kick |
| ei | ey | reí | laugh |
| eo | eyo | vídeo | video |
| ia | ya | advertencia | warning, notice |
| ie | ye | cien | one hundred, hundred |
| io | yo | canción | song |
| iu | yu | saciút | to move the hips a little |
| uo | ow | institutuo | institute |
| qu | ke | qué, que | what, that, than |
| gu | strong g | guía | to guide, guide |
| ua | wa | agua | water |
| ue | we | cuento | story |
| ui | wi | cuidá | care, to take care |
| oi | oy | oí | hear, to hear |
Grammar
Simple sentence structure (verb–subject–object word order)
Chavacano is a language with the verb–subject–object sentence order. This is because it follows the Hiligaynon or Tagalog grammatical structures. However, the subject–verb–object order does exist in Chavacano but only for emphasis purposes. New generations have been slowly and vigorously using the S-V-O pattern mainly because of the influence of the English language. These recent practices have been most prevalent and evident in the mass media particularly among Chavacano newswriters who translate news leads from English or Tagalog to Chavacano where the "who" is emphasized more than the "what". Because the mass media represent "legitimacy", it is understood by Chavacano speakers that the S-V-O sentence structure used by Chavacano journalists is standardized.Declarative affirmative sentences in the simple present, past, and future tenses
Chavacano generally follows the simple verb–subject–object or verb–object–subject sentence structure typical of Hiligaynon or Tagalog in declarative affirmative sentences:The subject always appears after the verb, and in cases where pronominal subjects are used in sentences, they will never occur before the verb:
Declarative negative sentences in the simple present, past, and future tenses
When the predicate of the sentence is negated, Chavacano uses the words jendeh to negate the verb in the present tense, no hay to negate the verb that was supposed to happen in the past, and jendêh or nunca to negate the verb that will not or will never happen in the future respectively. This manner of negating the predicate always happens in the verb–subject–object or verb–object–subject sentence structure:Present Tense
Past Tense
Future Tense
The negator jendeh can appear before the subject in a subject–verb–object structure to negate the subject rather than the predicate in the present, past, and future tenses:
Present Tense
Past Tense
Future Tense
The negator nunca can appear before the subject in a subject–verb–object structure to strongly negate the subject rather than the predicate in the future tense:
Future Tense
The negator no hay and nunca can also appear before the subject to negate the predicate in a subject–verb–object structure in the past and future tenses respectively. Using nunca before the subject to negate the predicate in a subject–verb–object structure denotes strong negation or impossibility for the subject to perform the action in the future:
Past Tense
Future Tense
Nouns and articles
The Chavacano definite article el precedes a singular noun or a plural marker. The indefinite article un stays constant for gender as 'una' has almost completely disappeared in Chavacano, except for some phrases like "una vez". It also stays constant for number as for singular nouns. In Chavacano, it is quite common for el and un to appear together before a singular noun, the former to denote certainty and the latter to denote number:Nouns in Chavacano are not always preceded by articles. Without an article, a noun is a generic reference:
Proper names of persons are preceded by the definite article si or the phrase un tal functioning as an indefinite article would:
Singular nouns
Unlike in Spanish, Chavacano nouns derived from Spanish do not follow gender rules in general. In Zamboangueño, the article 'el' basically precedes every singular noun. However, this rule is not rigid because the formal vocabulary mode wherein Spanish words predominate almost always is the preferred mode especially in writing. The Spanish article 'la' for feminine singular nouns does exist in Chavacano, though it occurs rarely and mostly in the formal medium of writing, such as poems and lyrics. When accompanying a Spanish feminine noun, the 'la' as the article is more tolerated than acceptable. Among the few exceptions where the 'la' occurs is as a formal prefix when addressing the Blessed Virgin Mary, perhaps more as an emphasis of her importance in Christian devotion. But the real article is still the 'el', which makes this use of a "double article" quite unique. Thus it is common to hear the Blessed Virgin addressed in Chavacano as 'el La Virgen Maria'. In general, though, when in doubt, the article 'el' is always safe to use. Compare:| English singular noun | Chavacano singular noun | Chavacano singular noun |
| the virgin | el virgen | la virgen |
| the peace | el paz | la paz |
| the sea | el mar | la mar |
| the cat | el gato | el gato |
| the sun | el sol | el sol |
| the moon | el luna | el luna |
| the view | el vista | la vista |
| the tragedy | el tragedia | el tragedia |
| the doctor | el doctor | el doctora |
And just like Spanish, Chavacano nouns can have gender but only when referring to persons. However, they are always masculine in the sense that they are generally preceded by the article 'el'. Places and things are almost always masculine. The -o is dropped in masculine nouns and -a is added to make the noun feminine:
| English singular noun | Chavacano singular noun | Chavacano singular noun |
| the teacher | el maestro | el maestra |
| the witch | el burujo | el buruja |
| the engineer | el engeniero | el engeniera |
| the tailor/seamstress | el sastrero | el sastrera |
| the baby | el niño | el niña |
| the priest/nun | el padre / sacerdote | el madre / monja |
| the grandson/granddaughter | el nieto | el nieta |
| the professor | el profesor | el profesora |
| the councilor | el consejal | el consejala |
Not all nouns referring to persons can become feminine nouns. In Chavacano, some names of persons are masculine but do not end in -o.
All names of animals are always masculine—in Spanish context—preceded by the article 'el'.
Names of places and things can be either masculine or feminine, but they are considered masculine in the Spanish context because the article 'el' always precedes the noun:
Plural nouns
In Chavacano, plural nouns are preceded by the retained singular masculine Spanish article 'el'. The Spanish articles 'los' and 'las' have almost disappeared. They have been replaced by the modifier 'maga/mana' which precedes the singular form of the noun. Maga comes from the native Hiligaynon 'maga' or the Tagalog 'mga'. The formation of the Chavacano plural form of the noun applies whether in common, familiar or formal mode. It may be thought of as roughly equivalent to saying in English, "the many " instead of "the s", and in fact "the many s" is used more in Philippine English than elsewhere.There are some Chavacano speakers who would tend to say 'mana' for 'maga'. 'Mana' is accepted and quite common, especially among older speakers, but when in doubt, the modifier 'maga' to pluralize nouns is safer to use.
| English plural noun | Chavacano plural noun | Chavacano plural noun |
| the teachers | el maga/mana maestro | el maga/mana maestra |
| the witches | el maga/mana burujo | el maga/mana buruja |
| the engineers | el maga/mana engeniero | el maga/mana engeniera |
| the tailors/seamstresses | el maga/mana sastrero | el maga/mana sastrera |
| the babies | el maga/mana niño | el maga/mana niña |
| the priests/nuns | el maga/mana padre | el maga/mana madre |
| the grandsons/granddaughters | el maga/mana nieto | el maga/mana nieta |
| the professors | el maga/mana professor | el maga/mana profesora |
| the councilors | el maga/mana consejal | el maga/mana consejala |
Again, this rule is not rigid. The articles 'los' or 'las' do exist sometimes before nouns that are pluralized in the Spanish manner, and their use is quite accepted:
When in doubt, it is always safe to use 'el' and 'maga or mana' to pluralize singular nouns:
In Chavacano, it is common for some nouns to become doubled when pluralized :
But note that in some cases, this "reduplication" signifies a difference in meaning. For example, 'el maga bata' means 'the children' but 'el maga bata-bata' means one's followers or subordinates, as is a gang or mob.
In general, the suffixes -s, -as, -os to pluralize nouns in Spanish have also almost disappeared in Chavacano. However, the formation of plural nouns with suffixes ending in -s, -as, and -os are accepted. Basically, the singular form of the noun is retained, and it becomes plural because of the preceding modifier/plural marker 'maga' or 'mana':
Adding the suffix -es to some nouns is quite common and accepted. Nouns ending in -cion can also be pluralized by adding the suffix -es:
However, it is safer to use the general rule of retaining the singular form of the noun preceded by the modifier/plural marker 'maga' or 'mana':
Pronouns
Chavacano pronouns are based on Spanish and native sources; many of the pronouns are not used in either but may be derived in part.In contrast to the other varieties of Chavacano, the variety spoken in Zamboanga uses more pronouns derived from a native Philippine language in addition to Spanish. In Zamboangueño, there are three different levels of usage for certain pronouns depending on the level of familiarity between the speaker and the addressee, the status of both in family and society, or the mood of the speaker and addressee at the particular moment: common, familiar, and formal. The common forms are, particularly in the second and third person plural, derived from Cebuano while most familiar and formal forms are from Spanish. The common forms are used to address a person below or of equal social or family status or to someone is who is acquainted. The common forms are used to regard no formality or courtesy in conversation. Its use can also mean rudeness, impoliteness or offensiveness. The familiar forms are used to address someone of equal social or family status. It indicates courteousness, and is commonly used in public conversations, the broadcast media, and in education. The formal forms are used to address someone older and/or higher in social or family status. It is the form used in writing.
Additionally, Zamboangueño is the only variety of Chavacano which distinguishes between the inclusive we – including the person spoken to – and the exclusive we – excluding the person spoken to – in the first person plural except in the formal form where nosotros is used for both.
Personal (nominative/subjective case) pronouns
Below is a table comparing the personal pronouns in three varieties of Chavacano.Possessive pronouns (Chavacano de Zamboanga, Castellano Abakay)
The usage modes also exist in the possessive pronouns especially in Zamboangueño. Amon, Aton, ila and inyo are obviously of Hiligaynon but not Cebuano origins, and when used as pronouns, they are of either the common or familiar mode. The inclusive and exclusive characteristics peculiar to Zamboangueño appear again in the 1st person plural. Below is a table of the possessive pronouns in the Chavacano de Zamboanga:| Zamboangueño | Castellano Abakay | |
| 1st person singular | mi mío de mi de mío di mio/di mío | mi mío |
| 2nd person singular | de vos de tu tuyo de tuyo/di tuyo de usted | de tu |
| 3rd person singular | su suyo de su de suyo/di suyo | ese de iya |
| 1st person plural | de amón/diamon de atón/diaton nuestro de/di nuestro | nuestro |
| 2nd person plural | de iño/di inyo de vosotros de ustedes | vos |
| 3rd person plural | de ila de ellos/di ellos | de ellos |
Verbs
In Zamboangueño, Chavacano verbs are mostly Spanish in origin. In contrast with the other varieties, there is rarely a Zamboangueño verb that is based on or has its origin from other Philippine languages. Hence, verbs contribute much of the Spanish vocabulary in Chavacano de Zamboanga.Generally, the simple form of the Zamboangueño verb is based upon the infinitive of the Spanish verb, minus the final /r/. For example, continuar, hablar, poner, recibir, and llevar become continuá, hablá, poné, recibí, and llevá with the accent called "acento agudo" on the final syllable.
There are some rare exceptions. Some verbs are not derived from infinitives but from words that are technically Spanish phrases or from other Spanish verbs. For example, dar does not become 'da' but dale . In this case, dale has nothing to do with the Spanish infinitive dar. The Chavacano brinca is from Spanish brincar which means the same thing.
Verb tenses - simple tenses
Chavacano of Zamboangueño uses the words ya, ta, and ay plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past, present, and future respectively:| English infinitive | Spanish infinitive | Zamboangueño infinitive | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
| to sing | cantar | cantá | ya cantá | ta cantá | ay cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | ya bebé | ta bebé | ay bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | ya dormí | ta dormí | ay dormí |
| to ask | pedir | pedí | ya pedí | ta pedí | ay pedí |
Caviteño uses the words ya, ta, and di plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past, present, and future respectively:
| English infinitive | Spanish infinitive | Caviteño infinitive | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
| to sing | cantar | cantá | ya cantá | ta cantá | di cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | ya bebé | ta bebé | di bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | ya dormí | ta dormí | di dormí |
| to ask | pedir | pedí | ya pedí | ta pedí | di pedí |
While Bahra uses the words a, ta, and di plus the simple form of the verb to convey the basic tenses of past, present, and future respectively:
| English infinitive | Spanish infinitive | Bahra ininitive | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
| to sing | cantar | cantá | a cantá | ta cantá | di cantá |
| to drink | beber | bebé | a bebé | ta bebé | di bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormí | a dormí | ta dormí | di dormí |
| to ask | pedir | pedí | a pedí | ta pedí | di pedí |
Unlike in the Zamboangueño, Caviteño, and Bahra, Castellano Abakay doesn't have the ya and ta prefix. The infinitives and their conjugations are somehow retained, and there are some that have simplified conjugations:
| English infinitive | Spanish infinitive | Castellano Abakay infinitive | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
| to sing | cantar | cantar | cantó | canta | cantá |
| to drink | beber | beber | bibío | bebe | bebé |
| to sleep | dormir | dormir | durmió | duerme | dormí |
| to ask | pedir | pedir | pidió | pide | pedí |
Perfect constructions
In Zamboangueño, there are three ways to express that the verb is in the present perfect. First, ya can appear both before and after the main verb to express that in the present perspective, the action has already been completed somewhere in the past with the accent falling on the final ya. Second, ta and ya can appear before and after the verb respectively to express that the action was expected to happen in the past, is still expected to happen in the present, and actually the expectation has been met. And third, a verb between ta and pa means an action started in the past and still continues in the present:| Zamboangueño past perfect | Zamboangueño present perfect | Zamboangueño future perfect |
| ya cantá ya. | ta cantá pa. / ta canta ya. | ay cantá ya. |
| ya bebé ya. | ta bebé pa. / ta Bebe ya. | ay bebé ya. |
| ya dormí ya. | ta dormí pa. / ta dormi ya. | ay dormí ya. |
| ya pedí ya. | ya pedí pa. / ya pedí ya. | ay pedí ya. |
The past perfect exists in Zamboangueño. The words antes and despues can be used between two sentences in the simple past form to show which verb came first. The words antes and despues can also be used between a sentence in the present perfect using ya + verb + ya and another sentence in the simple past tense:
| Past perfect | Past perfect |
| Ya mirá kame el película antes de ya comprá con el maga chichirías. | We had watched the movie before we bought the snacks. |
| Past perfect | Past perfect |
| Ya mirá ya kame el película después ya comprá kame con el maga chichirías. | We had watched the movie and then we bought the snacks. |
Zamboangueño Chavacano uses a verb between "hay" and "ya" to denote the future perfect and past perfect respectively:
| Future perfect | Future perfect |
| Hay mirá ya kame el película si hay llegá vosotros. | We will have watched the movie when you arrive. |
Zamboangueño Chavacano also uses a verb between "ta" and "ya" to denote the present perfect:
| Present perfect | Present perfect |
| Ta mirá ya kame con el película mientras ta esperá con vosotros. | We are already watching the movie while waiting for you. |
Passive and active voice
To form the Zamboangueño Chavacano active voice, Zamboangueños follow the pattern:El maga soldao ya mata con el criminal
The soldiers killed the criminal.
As illustrated above, active voice is formed by placing the doer el maga soldao before the verb phrase ya mata and then the object el criminal as indicated by the particle con
Traditionally, Zamboangueño does not have a passive construction of its own.
Archaic Spanish words and false friends
Chabacano has preserved plenty of archaic Spanish phrases and words in its vocabulary that modern Spanish no longer uses; for example:On the other hand, some words from the language spoken in Spain have evolved or have acquired totally different meanings in Chavacano. Hence, for Castillian speakers who would encounter Chavacano speakers, some words familiar to them have become false friends. Some examples of false friends are: