Pagsurat Sa Waray–Norte Samarnon Nga Pinulongan (On Writing Using The Waray–Norte Samarnon Language)

Kon Waray ka, maaram ka nga an Waray sayo nga dayalekto sa Bisaya (Waray is a regional variety of the Visayan language). Waray an ako first language mao nga bisan pa yadi na ak sa lugar nga Cebuano o Sebuhano (another Visayan dialect) an inistoryahan, naghuhuna-huna ak gihapon sa Waray-Norte Samarnon style.

Maupay magsurat sa Waray (It feels great to write in the Waray language). An iba kinukurian pagsurat sa kanira first language — nga kaurugan diri English — kay an kanira nahigagaraan, para la sa paglata (speaking) an kanira first language, diri para sa pagsurat (writing). An maupay sa Waray kay duro-diretso na an pagsurat. Kon nano an nasulod sa ako huna-huna, diretso na sa keyboard. Diri na ak naghihinuna-huna sa English, balik naman sa Waray, dikan balik na liwat sa English.

Iba an ato Waray. Iba sa Eastern Samar ngan sa Western Samar. Sa diri pa kit ma-ursa sini nga istorya, ako klaruhon nga an Western Samar, Samar an official nga tawag sa kanya. Pananglitan, (1) Basey, Samar, (2) Hinabangan, Samar, (3) Catbalogan, Samar. Pero, para mas masayon sabton, ako gagamiton an "Westehanon" (Western Samar) as a reference to that part of Samar. Balik kit sa ato istorya. Ini nga kalainan sa ato Waray, danay kit nahihimo nga kataw-anan o pataraw-an in naglalata na kit ngan nahibabatian san iba nga Waray. (Ako ngay-an igdudugang nga an "kataw-anan" ug "pataraw-an" diri ini taga Norte nga pulong. Nahuram ko na la ini sa iba nga lugar. Diri na ngani ak maaram kon sa Baybay, Leyte o sa Tacloban. Ambagaw pa, saksak-sinagol na ini nga ako Waray. Pasayloa.)

Kit-i ini nga mga Waray-Norte Samarnon nga mga pulong ngan ato ikumpara sa Estehanon ngan Westehanon.

English word	Nortehanon	Estehanon o Westehanon
to shout	gagasud/ paggagasud	guliat/ pagguliat o kuruo/ pagkuruo
one	sayo	usa
sun	sudang	adlaw
to cook rice	tug-on/ pagtug-on	tuon/ pagtuon
foot	siki	tiil
to speak	lata/ paglata	yakan/ pagyakan
black	pili	itum
red	baga	pula
old	arug	lagas
salted fish	budo	ginamos
to play	uyag/ pag-uyag	uyas/ pag-uyas o mulay/ pagmulay
seed	uyas	liso
unorganized (referring to the person)	lamo	amog
insane	imos	kulang
chili	katsumba	kalungkagong/ sili
to sweep	rabhit/ pagrabhit	silhig/ pagsilhig

Pipira la ini sa mga kalainan sa ato Waray ngan sa Waray sa iba nga Waray-speaking areas. An pinakamaupay nga parte sa ato Waray kay puyde kit mag-istorya nga diri nasasabtan bisan pa mga Waray liwat an nanmamati sa at.

Pananglitan, pira ba an nasabot sa lalataon nga LAGIKWAY (Who understands the word LAGIKWAY)? Tingali diri daramo (Probably, not too many). Mga haglarum an ato mga termino. Diri mahisasabtan san iba nga Waray. Kon ato tutuyuon, kaya nato mag-iristorya nga pareho sin mayaon kit codes nga ginsusunod.

Relaxed mood ak samtang nagsusurat sini. Ambot la kon kamo, relaxed mood liwat samtang nagbabasa. Pero masayon la magsurat sa Waray. Marasa. Diri pinanhuhulasan. Diri na kinahanglan bulig sa dictionary o sa thesaurus.

By the way, LAGIKWAY is cassava.

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Online Writing Tip: Install the Alexa Traffic Rank Widget in 5 Easy Steps

In an earlier post, I recommended the adding of the Alexa widget in your blog in order to boost your Alexa ratings. While this may not be the only parameter for improving a site's importance in the online community, it will surely have an impact on your blog's Alexa Traffic Rank.

You can install the Alexa widget in 5 easy steps:

1. Go to www.alexa.com's webpage

2. Click Site Tools or type www.alexa.com/siteowners

3. Click the Alexa Site Widgets

4. Choose between Alexa Site Stats Button or Alexa Traffic Rank
Button

5. Copy the html and put it on your site

You will have to wait for about 2 weeks or 1 month before you can see any significant improvement in your ratings. By the way, the Alexa Traffic Rank is regularly updated; hence, you should not be surprised upon seeing the fluctuating figures in those widgets.

Puto and Bibingka from Mahaplag, Leyte

Bibingka and puto are two of Mahaplag's native delicacies. If you happen to reach this part of Leyte, you should give them a try. You will easily spot these rice cakes as vendors sell them on the streets of this little town in Leyte.

Bibingka

Puto

Neatly packed in plastic wrappers, these food products are ideal as pasalubong (homecoming gift) or as baon (snack while on travel).

Enjoy your breakfast with Mahaplag's version of bibingka and puto.

Online Writing Tip: How to Improve Your Blog's Alexa Traffic Rank

Probably, you already know this little secret among bloggers and online writers -- that there's one best way to improve a blog's Alexa traffic rank (TR). If you still don't, then this post is for you.

No, I'll not be talking about back links nor about quality content. Instead, I'm telling you now to put the Alexa widget in your blog. Wait after 2 weeks or 1 month and you will see favorable results for your site. Some bloggers say that this tool makes it easier for Alexa to monitor the traffic coming to your site. Without it, Alexa will not recognize the activities in your blog.

To get a smaller number for your blog is what you should aim for, i.e., if you care about your site's performance. If you don't, it's not really a problem.

It will take a little while before you'll achieve a 6-digit or a 5-digit TR (new blogs usually have 7-digit or 8-digit figures). Google's Alexa rank is 1; Yahoo's rank, 4.

You will notice that after receiving a dramatic change in your blog's TR, it will reach a plateau. I actually had this feeling that my blog would stay forever at 2,443,794, but I was wrong. Now it has a 2,394,919-Alexa TR.

The most important thing for you to do is to take the first step in improving your site's ranking by getting the Alexa Traffic Widget.

Waray Tutorial: The Other Meaning of Pinya

To Filipinos, pinya is generally known as pineapple; however, there is another meaning of pinya that's familiar to Waray speakers. Let's take a look at this folk song I learned from San Roque, Northern Samar.

www.healthprivatecare.com

I

Ako magtatanom sin lemon

Sa iyo libong bayai

An im asawa kay kita

An magpipinya.
II

Ako magtatanom sin lemon

Nga waray dahon

Natudok in maagahon

Naghahanap sin kamatayon.

Loose translation:

I

I will plant a lemon tree

In your backyard.

You leave your husband

So we can be lovers.
II

I will plant a lemon tree

That has no leaves

A lemon tree that grows at dawn

Searching for death.

I recorded the song and uploaded it to youtube. Yes, that's the link to the song. Actually, it has a chorus, but I didn't include it in this post as well as on youtube. Perhaps I will, in the future. Anyway, if you're from Samar or Leyte, you must have heard this song before; hence, you know the part which I omitted. [(Update: You may listen to this song from this link PINYA: A Waray Folk Song (With English Translation)]

To the Warays, pinya may refer to the fruit or to a lover. In Samar, it is common to hear such statements as "Si Maria, pinya ni Mario" (Maria is Mario's lover) or "Magpinya si Maria ngan si Mario" (Maria and Mario are lovers). A couple is magpinya when engaged in an adulterous relationship. They are NOT magpinya if both parties are single and unattached.

Image source

Back to the song: it reflects the playful nature of the Warays and their fondness for symbolism in their language. The last four lines allude to a man's erection and to the sex act. The leafless lemon tree is, apparently, a phallic symbol.