In earlier posts, we commented on poetry editing and punctuation, and grammar, spelling and poetry. In this post, I like to comment on the use of apostrophes.
When writing in the English language, we use apostrophes to:
- indicate possession (man’s car)
- indicate plural of lowercase letter and help avoid ambiguity (cross the t’s)
- indicate omitted letters in contracted words (don’t)
With the number of punctuation rules that we need to observe including apostrophes, even professional writers are sometimes confused and commit the same mistakes like many of us.
But that is for those who write in English. For those who write in Tagalog, we do not have the same problem in observing rules for apostrophes to indicate possession and plurality.
We don’t use apostrophes to indicate possession. We use the long form like: Ang oto ng mama (for man’s car or the car belonging to the man). We use words like akin, amin, kanila, kaniya, and other possessive pronouns to indicate possession.
We also don’t use apostrophes to indicate plurality of lowercase letters. We use mga to show the plural form of a word. Example: Ekesin ang mga letrang t (Cross all t’s).
The third use of apostrophes – to indicate omitted letters in contracted words – is very much applied when writing in Tagalog. Hardly would you find a sentence in Tagalog without contracted words. For example, we write kami’y for kami ay and ako’y for ako ay. And contraction of words is very much in use in poetry and lyrical compositions where syllables are metricated.
That is the theory anyway. But based on what we have seen in the recent times, it looks like this use of apostrophes is also being abandoned. I have seen the following contractions in a number of articles:
akoy, meaning ako’y (ako ay) ?
kamiy, meaning kami’y (kami ay) ?
silay, meaning sila’y (sila ay) ?
sayo, meaning sa’yo (sa iyo) ?
sanyo, meaning sa’nyo (sa inyo) ?
sakin, meaning sa’kin (sa akin) ?
Is this a result of text-ing? Have we been so used to dropping apostrophes in a 160-character restricted SMS setting that in the process we no longer know how to use apostrophes in non-SMS writings?
While others may argue that the purpose of writing is communication and that if contracted words, with or without apostrophes, are understood, then that’s okay.
Is it really okay? Let’s examine this sentence: “Nais kong mamatay.” A not-too-good example, I know.
Is kong a contraction of ko and ng or ko and ang? With the first usage, the sentence means: “I want to die already.” With the second usage, it means: “I want to die.”
Same contraction. Two different meanings.
Side note: If the intended meaning is the first one, then the two words should not be contracted in the first place. By contracting the two words into kong, the word could also mean “mine” — making the sentence more confusing, and even meaningless!
What do you think? Should we abandon the use of apostrophes when writing in Tagalog?
Sir Romy,
Para po sa akin, hindi natin ito dapat na i abandon. Para pong (po na)
mas mahirap isagawa ang hindi paggamit nito kaysa (kesa) ang hindi
pagunawa sa kung mali man ang pagkasulat gayong tama naman ang
ibig sabihin kung bibigkasin ayon sa pagkakasulat (sa wala man o
meron/mayro’ng kudlit).
Para po sa akin, ito ang napakaganda sa ating wika kaysa ibang lenggwahe. Sa pagkasulat, sa pagkabasa at sa maging pagkadinig
at pagkakabigkas ay napakadaling intindihin. Kahit pa may mali ang ispeling ng ibang salita sa isang pangugusap, ang buod, laman o ibig
sabihin nito ay madaling maiintindihan o mauunawaan.
Salamat po,
dodie58
Salamat sa iyong pagpuna dodie58.
I agree that a word even misspelled will still be understood by its speakers. This applies to Tagalog, English, and other languages. To me, spelling does not have to do with understanding.
I have seen a quiz in the internet some years ago where English words were intentionally misspelled to test the understanding of the readers. The result of the test was that the content of the article was still understood despite the spelling errors.
Anecdote aside, the question that we would like to address is: Just because a contracted word may be understood with or without an apostrophe, are we now going to abandon the use of apostrophes in poetry, especially Tagalog poetry?
Again, thanks for your comment.
Well, if you look at the old writing style in English, they made a lot of “changes” to their grammar and their font style(s). I do believe it’s inevitable for language to change generations after generations, however, it would be better if we stick to one that is most acceptable. Modern English Grammar, for example, should remain as is while being open to foreign words that does not exist in the English Dictionary. Similarly, the Tagalog Grammar starting from the early 1900′s should remain the same, with exception to slight changes, it being the most acceptable format and people should be loyal to it regardless of the new technology that threatens to thwart its growth.
Speaking of slight changes, I disagree with the carefree attitude people have towards apostrophes. While in speech they may have as much freedom to shorten the words, I do believe it is essential to keep the apostrophes in the written form. It’s called “Having respect for your own intelligence.”
Do I make sense?
Yo, Romy-O!
I was going to pass on this one but did not have the indecency to ignore a kindred soul. My take, however, will be short. I’ve always been content in my comfort zone and, therefore, was ignorant of the changes going on in the literary world, particularly how language has evolved. Until I attended an intimate circle of similarly-inclined artists including the likes of Tata Raul (Funilas) in a workshop of sorts at Conspiracy Grill. We were each tasked to render a sample of our poetry. Then all the musings will go through a critique of the members of the group, except the renderer. Ka Kiko’s (Montesena) comment on my piece was that present-day poets or fictionists do not employ the use of punctuation (bantas) marks like the apostrophe in question. I discerned that the reason was to make the poem more pleasing and readable and less of an eyesore, to which opinion I couldn’t have agreed more. I have since taken advantage of the learning derived from that exercise.
We look forward to breaking bread (and lilting libation) with you. We meaning Tata, Kiko, Rose, Dodie, Kyo, Engel and other similarly-situated artists.
Ham
Sir Romy, Ham,
I have told Rose na kahit sa gitna nang campaign ko, priority ang meeting natin with sir Romy.
Sir Romy, dapat po talaga na huwag i abandon ang paggamit ng kudlit.
We have to encouraged it’s use. Maaring may pagkakamali sa paggamit
pero eventually naman ay matutunan or ma rerealize it’s proper use.
Baka nga lang mas mabuti na huwag maging strikto sa pagpuna kung
mali man ang pagkagamit nito, o nakalimutan o sinadyang hindi lagyan
dahil hindi matiyak kung ano ang wasto. Pero ang ibig sabihin o ipakahulugan ay malinaw naman at mauunawaan.
Ako po iniisip ko na mas mabuti sa aking mga tula na usually ay may
temang “bugtong” na gumamit ng mga salita na mas makapagbibigay
interes sa mambabasa na unawain o hanapin ang tunay na kahulugan
ng tula para mas makita kung gaano kaganda ang wika natin.
Example po – “kapag buhay” – kung ito man po ay walang kaukulang
kudlit o pananda, to understand the meaning kung “if alive” or “if life” ang tinutukoy, ang tula na o ang babasa ang magbibigay kahulugan ng tinutukoy.
Salamat po,
dodie
Franco in his comment on “Grammar, spelling, and poetry” mentioned about three things he learned from a booklet on creative writing: revise! revise! revise! This could well be the answer to errors of omission and commission. But I must admit that, at the end of the day, it’s a matter of choice in one’s writing style. It’s also a matter of editorial policy not necessarily of emanila publications but of other publications as well.
Naisip ko lang po…depende sa gamit(ko/natin), tulad gamit ng pinagsamang na at ang saka pinagsamang na at ng.
HAL #1(na walang kudlit). Labis nang kahirapan sa ating bayan.
Mas gusto ko ito sa ganitong anyo: Labis na’ng kahirapan sa ating bayan.
Sa ganitong paraan, alam ko na ang ginamit ko ay pinagsamang na at ang at hindi salitang nang na may kahulugan din na upang.
hal. > Magsikap tayo nang maibsan ang kahirapan.
Yung pinagsamang na at ng, para sakin ok lang na walang kudlit.
Halimbawa: Naghirap nang husto ang bayan dahil sa kurapsyon.
Ang dahilan ko naman dito ay para malaman na ang ginamit ko ay hindi ang pinagsamang na at ang.
Para lang po hindi ako malito sa mga gamit nito.