Bisdak - [Visayan dialect] noun; short for Bisayang dako [English direct trans: Big Bisaya]
- true-blood Bisaya
- commonly referring to a native speaker of the Visayan dialect
It has been 3 years since I have moved into Filipino-speaking zone. Since then, I have been bombarded with so many questions about being a Bisaya. Some are true, while some are stereotypical misconceptions that I have been answering over and over again to defend the Bisdak pride.
As a self-proclaimed Bisdak ambassador to the Tagalogs, here are some facts you need to know about the typical Bisaya:
WE DO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND FILIPINO
Some Tagalogs seem to be always in awe as to why we Bisdaks can speak and understand the Filipino dialect. Although almost all of us are having a hard time masking the strong Bisaya accent that we have, we have been exposed to the Filipino language ever since we were kids. Television shows are spoken in Filipino [You think TV Patrol news have Bisaya subtitles when broadcasted in our area?]. The Filipino subject is being taught in all schools, from Kindergarten to College level. Even Bisaya cigarette vendors and street children without formal educational background speak and understand Filipino.
It pains me that some Tagalogs think lowly of us, and become mesmerized when we speak fluent Filipino in front of their face.
THE STRONG, HARD ACCENT IS A MUST
When we speak Bisaya, the accent is compulsory. Without it, we sound laughable [well maybe in our own standards]. When we try to speak Filipino, it takes a great deal of practice for us to eliminate that accent we have been so used to. Sometimes it just comes out naturally without us knowing we just did.
We have been the butt of every accent joke, and yet it's okay with us. We even laugh at them ourselves. Just don't try to speak Bisaya with your Tagalog accent. You will sound horrible to us, just as well.
WE DON'T LIKE TO SPEAK TAGALOG, ESPECIALLY ON OUR OWN TURF
It's not that we don't know how, it's just that most of us are shy, since we don't use Filipino often [well almost all of us don't use it at all -- only in the confines of a Filipino class in school will you be able to hear us speak Filipino]. And some of us feel like it gets a little tricky, especially when we have to speak Filipino with a native Tagalog. We consider it a foreign language.
So don't get insulted if we push around as to who will entertain your Filipino questions. You are under Visayan territory and yet you speak Filipino. Sure we understand that you don't speak Bisaya, but just give us a little time to get used to speaking Tagalog with you.
NOT ALL OF US SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH
It has been a misconception that Bisayas are good English speakers. The truth is, it actually depends. School is one big factor. Yes, there are a lot of good schools in the Visayas region that give educational emphasis to the English language. You might have just been exposed to most of their students and alumni, especially the good ones.
There are a lot of Bisayas who speak crooked English. On the other hand, there are a lot of Tagalogs who speak good English, too. It really depends. Don't expect every Bisaya to talk good English with you. You might just get disappointed.
NOT ALL OF US ARE GOOD SINGERS
Same applies, just like speaking English. You we just exposed to talented Bisayas. If you count all singers, there are actually more Tagalog singers than Bisayas on primetime television. You were just misled by the fact that most Bisayas you see on air, or gets popular, are good singers.
Summing it up, it still depends.
VISAYAN DIALECT IS SPOKEN OUTSIDE VISAYAS, TOO.
Bisaya is not just spoken in the Visayas region. Most of the population in Mindanao also speak Bisaya as their native dialect. It is a bit disappointing that not all Tagalogs know this fact.
Overall, there are actually more people in the Philippines who are native Bisaya speakers than Tagalogs. As to why the Filipino dialect was chosen as the national language, your guess is as good as mine. Politics doesn't have a space allotment in my brain, thank you.
WE DON'T USE PO AND OPO
These words are commonly added in Filipino conversations as a sign of courteousness, especially when talking to older people.
With this fact, Bisayas should not be branded as an impolite bunch. We may actually sound impolite, but we don't mean to be that way. That is the nature of how we construct a sentence.
Living for 3 years under Tagalog territory has developed my ability to hide my Bisaya accent (well minus the subconscious instances, which I can't really help myself). The only time that I am able to speak my native Bisaya dialect is when I am on the phone with my family, when I encounter strangers that are Bisaya, or when I am in Facebook chatting Bisaya friends. Being unable to practice speaking my own dialect, sometimes I think that I am slowly losing my ability to use it as easily as before I lived a Tagalog life. So with every chance I get, I try to speak Bisaya.
If you encounter a bunch of people speaking Bisaya like there would be no tomorrow in Tagalog land, let them be. It might be the only chance they have to speak Bisaya again with someone who will be able to respond in the same language of communication.
We do miss speaking our own tongue. Bisdak will always be Bisdak.
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