Pinoy 101: Po and Opo

Filipinos are known for being very polite. This is very evident in the way most of us communicate. Our upbringing taught us to recognize age, hierarchy, order in the family, title, and job position, when communicating. Our voice tone varies and depends on who we are talking to. The tone of voice and loudness may be low when talking to someone we should be respectful of.

A Pinoy may talk to his Nanay (mother) using an entirely different tone from when talking to a friend. A confident and loud voice may be seen as disrespect.

Aside from the tone of voice, we also consciously add the term Po at the end of our sentences. Examples are, “Excuse me, po.” or “Thank you, po.”

Po is a polite expression. We have been taught by our parents to use it when we talk to someone older, stronger, or more powerful than us. We also use Opo, which is equivalent to ‘Yes”, when answering. A person, especially a kid or someone young, who answers a plain Oo (another term for Yes) may be seen as disrespectful and has not been properly trained by the parents.

Even when we get older, we still feel the need to talk with Po and Opo, so don’t be surprised if you hear a Filipino end a sentence with Po or answer you with Opo. We just want to show our respect.

You may also find this entry from this link.

PINOY 101: Pinoy

Pinoy is a colloquial term for a Filipino. For the gender sensitive and those who want to be politically correct, we use Pinoy for the male and Pinay for the female.

It is derived from the last two syllables of Filipino added with a -y, which is very common in Filipino nicknames, thus, explains President Benigno Aquino’s campaign title, P-Noy, which was derived from his nickname, Noynoy, and the word Pinoy.

It was said that Pinoy initially used to distinguish the Filipino-Americans who migrated to the US. It was later widely accepted by many Filipinos and eventually used to refer to all with Filipino descent.

It was made even more popular by media through slogans and campaigns, shows, music, and the likes. Examples are folk song, Tayo’y Mga Pinoy (We are Pinoys), late Pinoy rapper Francism shirts, songs and stickers, terms like Pinoy Rock and OPM (Original Pinoy/Pilipino Music) and a lot more.

Other terms are Noypi (reversed version of Pinoy), Kabayan (refers to a fellow Filipino seen outside the Philippines), Kababayan (more formal term of Kabayan), or Juan Dela Cruz (the counterpart of Uncle Sam).

We, Pinoys, are proud of our culture and heritage. It’s called Pinoy Pride.

This post can also be found from this link.