REDISCOVERING THE BEAUTY OF THE VISAYAN LANGUAGE

Since moving back, I have been asked to give sermons at our local church. It was on Valentine's Day when I gave my first sermon. I admit I had jittery feelings about it. Having lived in the States for 29 years, I have trouble speaking straight Visayan dialect. At home in the States I speak English mostly. Because there are lots of Filipinos wherever we lived (we have lived in California, Kansas and Nebraska), parties and get-togethers are common. During these parties, I've met other Filipinos who are from different parts of the Philippines who speak totally different dialects from mine.

With more than 7000 islands, the Philippines has diverse cultures and diverse dialects from different regions of the archipelago. It is a good thing, we are taught to read, write and speak Tagalog (our national language) and English from first grade. The Philippines has 186 known languages or dialects yet we are able to communicate with each other through Tagalog or English.

The Visayan dialect or Bisaya, mostly known as Cebuano is widely spoken in the Visayas and the Mindanao regions. Although I spoke Tagalog as a little girl I quickly learned Bisaya when my family moved back to Leyte. I never have trouble switching from Tagalog to Bisaya and vice versa. Same with English once I learned it in school. I remember working at a bank in Wichita, Kansas, and my office mates would ask me how I managed to speak my language and English just like that in a conversation. As it turned out they were eavesdropping whenever I get a personal phone call at the office. It was fun watching them look at each other whenever I get those calls. As soon as I hung up the phone (we're talking about those black corded phones, remember those?), they would crowd up to my desk and would ask me to speak in Tagalog and English in a conversation again. I never told them that there were actually three languages used in the conversation between me and my friend. I didn't want to complicate things for them, hahaha.

Now that I am back home, I realize how much I missed listening and hearing someone talk, and also singing praise songs in Cebuano language. I especially love hearing our pastor or anybody in the congregation praying in Cebuano. It feels like everyday I am rediscovering a lost gem, a very familiar “something” that I thought I've lost but was always there all along. One Sunday I was asked to be the liturgist and when it was time for the offering, I chose Malachi 3:10 for the reading. Borrowing a Visayan version of the Bible, I had to read it twice not because I want the congregation to hear it twice. I re-read it because I want to hear it again for my own sake – not so much for the message of the passage but for the beauty of the language:

“Dad-a ang tibuok nga ikapulo ngadto sa Templo aron adunay pagkaon didto.

Sulayi ako ug makita ninyo nga ablihan ko ang mga bintana sa langit ug ibubo

ko kaninyo sa madagayaon gayud ang mga panalangin.” Malaquias 3:10

Each opportunity to deliver a message opens up opportunities to rediscover the beauty of the Cebuano language. Each time I am asked to give a message or to speak to a group of women, youth or children, I learn again and again that there truly is no other language more beautiful than my own Bisaya language. Our pastor and his wife gave Mike and I each a Visayan Bible and I am enjoying mine. Let me leave you with a verse from Colossians 3:16. Here it is in Bisaya Biblia:

“Papuy-a sa inyong kasingkasing ang bahandianong mensahe ni Cristo.

Pagtinudluay or pagpahimangnoay kamo uban sa tanang kaalam. Pag-awit

kamo ug mga salmo ug balaang mga alawiton ug awiti ninyo ang Dios uban

sa pasalamat diha sa inyong kasingkasing.”

But of course I won't leave my English speaking readers in the dark.  So here is Colossians 3:16 in the New Living Translation:

"Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.  Use his words to teach and counsel each other.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts." 

Until next time, may the Lord bless and keep us all in His care.  We love y'all.  Thanks for following.