Happy Siblings Day! Did you know that in several Philippine languages, the word for “sibling” is related to the word for “cut off, break off, sever”? This implies these languages’ shared view of siblings as “being of the same cut”.
KAPATAD • (kuh-puh-TUHD)
sibling
Root Word: patad “(to be) cut off, severed”
Tagálog (Filipino): kapatíd (root: patíd “cut off”)
KAPÚTUL • (kuh-POO-tool)
sibling
Short Form: útul
Tagálog (Filipino): kapútol (root: pútol “cut off”, short form: útol)
Philippine Languages Comparison
In several Philippine languages, the word for “sibling” is related to a word that means “cut off, break off, sever”.
Ilocano
kabsat “sibling”
< bessat “of the same cut, length, source” (verb: kabessat)
Kapampángan
kapatad, kapútul “sibling”
< patad, pútul “cut off, break off, sever”
Tagálog (Filipino)
kapatíd, kapútol “sibling”
< patíd, pútol “cut off, break off, sever”
Waray
bugtô “sibling”
< bugtô “cut off, break off, sever”
Hiligaynon
útod “sibling”
< útod “cut off, break off, sever”
For Kapampángan and Tagalog, the words for sibling can be thought of as literally meaning “co-cut” or “shared cut”. This implies these languages’ shared view of siblings as “being of the same cut”.
Source:
Acido, J. T. (2014). Nakem pedagogy (soul consciousness) and constitutive elements of nakem praxis. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa]. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/101048/1/Acido_Jeffrey_r.pdf
Example Sentence:
Mikapatad la ri Anna ampóng Elsa. [Kap]
Magkapatíd siná Anna at Elsa. [Tag]
Anna and Elsa are siblings. [Eng]
Basic Kapampángan Sibling Terms
Achî / Atsî – older sister
Koya – older brother
Wáli – younger sibling
Pangáné – firstborn, eldest
Bungsû – lastborn, youngest
Derived Word:
MIKAPATAD • (mih-kuh-puh-TUHD)
siblings (two), having a sibling relationship
For 3 or more: mikákapatad
Tagálog (Filipino): magkapatíd (2), magkákapatid (3+)
You may want to read: