(2011, 03). Jejemon and Bekimon. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 03, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Jejemon-And-Bekimon-613633.

html If you dont understand the phrase pasok sa banga" (rough English translation: fits inside the jar), maybe you are not gay or a fag hag (a woman who likes to act gay or hang out with screaming gays). If you are gay, maybe youre not gay enough.

Pasok sa Banga (Wika ng mga Bakla)" by Prof. Jesus Federico Fernandez, former chair of the Department of Linguistics of the University of the Philippines, was one of the lectures presented at the Sawikaan 2010 in UP Diliman last July 29-30.

Pasok sa banga" means swak," or something thats in or acceptable. For example, when someone says your idea is pasok sa banga," it mean your idea is correct or appropriate to the topic under consideration. Thanks to Prof. Fernandez, a new phrase was added to my vocabulary that day. Thats bekimon" for you.

Bekimon comes from two words: becky or beki," gay speak for bakla" or young gays, and jejemon," which refers to the strange text and Internet language that has gained widespread usage among netizens and mobile phone users in the Philippines. It is the new term for gay lingo or gay speak, the beautiful and confusing (to those who are uninitiated) and very gay (in the old sense of the word) languages of the bakla, the ag, and the bayot of this fabulous, fabulous Philippine archipelago.

In his lecture, Prof. Fernandez discussed the nine ways of forming bekimon words. Yes, nine. As in a gay cat has nine lives," like so:

1. Paglalapi" or using suffixes that do not have a grammatical function. One example is the word ano," which is transformed into anek" and anekwabum." In the title of this piece, ano ito" mutated into anitch ititch."

2. Pagpalit ng tunog" or changing the sound of words. Thus, the word asawa" becomes jowa," kyowa," and nyowa." Or nakakaloka" becomes nakakalerki."

3. Using acronyms. GL" stands for ganda lang," which means you got something for free because of your beauty or looks. Another example is OPM" for oh promise...

I. Introduction

Inquiries about the meaning of the gay language in the Philippines have been raised including the origin of the terms used. The Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia defines it as a vernacular language derived from Englog, and is used by a number of gay Filipinos. It uses elements from Tagalog, English, and Spanish, and some are from Niponggo, as well as celebrities names and trademark brands, giving them new meanings in the context of this unique language (Wikipedia). This is supported by studies which show that the terms have evolved due to the contribution coming from the different dialects and languages in the country introduced and used by the speakers themselves, the gays. As an observer, I was encouraged to conduct this similar study of which the output will give a back up explanation to some intelligent assumptions facing it as form of communication used by the people of the third sex, and come up with a clear concept about its meaning. The result will also help provide some reasons of its emergence in the country. Specifically, my study aimed to: (1) determine the meaning of the gay language in the Philippines; (2) trace the origin of some terms in use; (3) provide a brief explanation of its emergence in the country.

II. Discussion

The gay language in the Philippines is a 'pidgin'. Filipinos of the third sex decided to come up with a form of language that is only peculiar to them to facilitate communication among the members with a slight intention of concealing the real message behind the information being expressed. My point of considering the gay language as a pidgin is in reference to the Wikipedia, online free Encyclopedia that defines it as a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common, in situations such as trade , or where both groups speak languages different