Pronunciation Practice for Stress and Intonation

Pronunciation Practice for Stress and Intonation The first step in learning correct English pronunciation is to focus on individual sounds. These sounds are named phonemes. Every word is made up of a number of phonemes or sounds. A good way to isolate these individual sounds is to use minimal pair exercises. To take your pronunciation to the next level, focus on stress on intonation. The following resources will help you improve your pronunciation by learning the music of English. Practice with Pronunciation Using English is a stress-timed language and, as such, good pronunciation depends a lot on the ability to accent the correct words and successfully use intonation to make sure you are understood. Simply put, spoken English stress the principal elements in a sentence - content words - and quickly glides over the less important words - function words. Nouns, principal verbs, adjectives and adverbs are all content words. Pronouns, articles, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, conjunctions are function words and are pronounced quickly moving towards the more important words. This quality of quickly gliding over less important words is also known as connected speech. For more information on the basics of the stress-timed nature of English, please refer to: Intonation and Stress: Key to UnderstandingThis feature takes a look at how intonation and stress influence the way English is spoken. How to Improve Your PronunciationThis how to focuses on improving your pronunciation through the recognition of the time-stressed character of English. I am continually surprised to see how much my students pronunciation improves when they focus reading sentences focusing on only pronouncing the stressed words well! This feature includes practical exercises to improve your pronunciation skills by improving the stress-timed character of your pronunciation when speaking in full sentences. Take a look at the following sentences and then click on the audio symbol to listen to the examples showing the difference between the sentences spoken: In a plain manner, focusing on the correct pronunciation of each word - much as some students do when trying to pronounce well. In the natural, manner with content words being stressed and function words receiving little stress. Example Sentences Alice was writing a letter when her friend came through the door and told her she was going to leave on holiday. I had studying for about an hour when the telephone rang. Fast automobiles make dangerous friends. If you can wait for a moment, the doctor will be with you shortly. Id like a steak, please. Pronunciation Exercises 1 Pronunciation Exercises 2 For Teachers Lesson Plans based on these Pronunciation Exercises for Teachers English: Stress - Timed Language IPre-intermediate to upper intermediate level lesson focusing on improving pronunciation by awareness raising and practice of stress-timing in spoken English. English: Stress - Timed Language IIAwareness raising followed by practical application exercises including: function or content word recognition exercise, sentence stress analysis for spoken practice. Comparison of unnaturally and naturally spoken English by looking at the tendency of some students to pronounce every word correctly. Listening and Oral repetition exercise developing student ears sensitivity to the rhythmic quality of English.

The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2019 Based on Research

The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2019 Based on Research When exactly is the best time to post on social media? This is a common question, and if youve ever attempted to plan a social media posting schedule from scratch, you know why. Its difficult to know when and how often to post across networks without trial and error. Fortunately, theres research you can follow to find some smart starting points. In this post, youll learn: What 25 studies say about the best posting times on every major network, including original data from . When you should consider posting based on your specific industry. How to determine your own best times using custom Google Analytics reports to measure social media referral traffic. Plus, youll find information around s methodology for gathering internal data, tips for taking time zones into consideration, and more. The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2019 Based on Research via @Three Google Analytics Custom Reports + Social Media Calendar = Scheduling Success What could make all this information better? A handful of no-cost tools to help you implement it. This kit includes: Three Google Analytics custom reports used to track your best times based on social referral traffic. Theyre included in a .txt file with instructions on how to them. Social media calendar template to write and schedule all your posts in advance. Social media strategy eBook (including a foreword from Jay Baer) to help you devise a more effective overall plan. Download them now and start scheduling your way to success. Table of Contents: Best Times to Post on Instagram Best Times to Post on Facebook Best Times to Post on Twitter Best Times to Post on LinkedIn Best Times to Post on Pinterest Best Days to Post on Social Media Finding Your Own Best Times About the 25 Studies Used in This Post This post is packed with statistics and data from 25 different studies. That includes anonymized data from customers, plus 24 others from around the web. Some of these studies cross-reference one another, but each provides at least some degree of individual insight and opinions on the matter. Original Research: Later TrackMaven Buffer Hootsuite FreeCodeCamp Neil Patel (via Kissmetrics) Oberlo The Balance Raka Creative Unmetric Compiled Research: Buffer Hubspot Post Planner Falcon.io SurePayroll TruConversion The Huffington Post BizTraffic BootCamp Digital QuickSprout The Drum Search Engine Journal Maria Halthoff Impulse Creative Your "TL;DR" Best Times to Post in 2019 If you don't have time to read through the process behind how this data was gathered, that's okay. Here are some quick times for each network, laid out in a single detailed infographic, to help you get the answers you need quickly. Of course, it's also recommended to bookmark this post for future reference, and for when you do have time to sit down with it in greater depth. When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram? The popular visual social network isn’t much of a traffic driver (though it can be useful for directing targeted traffic toward specific pages using the one link you get in your bio), but it does have a highly engaged audience. Here’s when you can expect the most activity. B2C Businesses:  The best time for businesses selling consumer products here looks to be before work, over lunch, and when people are relaxing at home late at night. B2B Businesses:  The times for B2B are similar, with the most activity happening around lunch and after work. Software Businesses:  Not much change here either, though it seems like right before and right after lunch might be best. It's possible those of us working in software spend lunches looking away from screens. Healthcare Companies:  Healthcare businesses appear to do best at off-peak hours in mid-morning and early afternoon. Media Companies:  Driving traffic from Instagram is tough, but it's valuable for brand-building, even for media publishers. The best times are when people are just getting into work, taking their lunch break, or looking for an afternoon break. Higher Education:  When it comes to higher education, catching people after work appears to be most effective. It could be that people are responsive to the idea of advancing their education or making a career switch right when they're leaving work (hopefully you don't feel that way though). Instagram Network Summary Here are your best times broken down by industry (according to internal research by ): B2C: 8 am, 1 pm, and 9 pm. B2B: 12 pm-1 pm, 5 pm-6 pm, 8 pm-9pm. Software Services: 11 am, 1 pm, 5 pm. Healthcare: 10 am and 2 pm. Media: 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm. Higher Education: 5 pm - 6 pm Other Sources What about other sources, though? Later  says your best bet is to post between 11 am and 1 pm, and 7 pm and 9 pm. The idea is to catch people over lunch and when they’re winding down for the night. TrackMaven  narrows that down further to 7 pm on Fridays. HubSpot  suggests rolling with any time other than 3pm-4pm (when people may be deep in work), or considering 8 am on Mondays to catch people starting their work weeks. Post Planner, citing a study from Sprout, suggests avoiding 9 am to 4 pm when people are most likely at work. Falcon.io  suggests posting between 11 am and 1 pm (lunch hour for a lot of folks) or at 2 am (theoretically, this might mean catching people looking at their phones after bar close). Oberlo seconds the suggestion to post around lunchtime. TruConversion  reports that 2 am and 5 pm are the best times. That seconds the idea of posting in the early morning (late night?) hours, or right when people are leaving work. Hootsuite  says to post between noon and 1 pm, supporting the findings of several other studies. BizTraffic  deviates from other reports by saying you can post at literally any time on this network. QuickSprout opines that Fortune 500 companies post most heavily during business hours. The Drum suggests posting between 9 am and 6 pm Tuesday through Friday. When is the Best Time to Post on Facebook? Marketing on the world’s most popular social network isn’t as easy as it used to be. Organic reach has been in sharp decline for years, and it’s increasingly becoming a pay-to-play platform. But, that doesn’t mean it’s time to ignore organic efforts here. Optimizing your posting schedule is part of refining a broader strategy to get as much opportunity here as possible. B2C Businesses: Similar to Instagram, people jump on Facebook when they have breaks in their day. B2B Businesses:  And when it comes to B2B, it appears as though catching people when they need a brain break in the afternoon is effective. Software Businesses:  Again, for software companies, before work, after work, and mid-afternoon is best. It's notable that noon isn't the most effective (which could mean opportunity, or it could mean that time is just too competitive). Healthcare Companies:  Mornings work best for healthcare companies. Catching people when they're waking up is the best time here, which makes sense, since people may be looking for entertainment rather than improving their health later in the day. Media Companies:  The best times to catch people for news are when they're waking up, going to lunch, or just getting home from work. Those line up with times a lot of people catch up on news in general. Higher Education:  See a pattern emerging here? If you're sharing content for higher education, consider experimenting with the peak times shown below, and posting when there's less activity, too. Facebook Network Summary When the team crunched the data, the following times and ranges appeared to drive the most activity: B2C: 9 am to 10 am, 12 pm - 1 pm, 4 pm to 5 pm. B2B: 9 am to 4 pm, with 3 pm to 4 pm being the best. Software Services: 9 am to 5 pm, then it drops off. 9 am, 3 pm, and 5 pm are the best. Healthcare: 6 am-7 am, 9 am, 11 am-Noon. Media: 7 am, 11 am, 6 pm. Higher Education: 8 am, Noon, 3 pm. Other Sources Here’s what other sources say about general best times to post: Hootsuite  suggests posting between noon and 3 pm on weekdays. That’d catch people on lunch, or when they’re looking for an afternoon distraction. Bootcamp Digital  suggests following the times your Insights say are best, posting 1 to 4 times a week with high-quality content. TrackMaven  suggests that 8 pm on Thursdays is the best time. Hubspot  says 1 pm to 4 pm is generally best. Falcon.io’s findings are similar, saying that noon to 4 pm is where most of the action is at. When it comes to Facebook Live, a study from FreeCodeCamp  found 6 am to 7 am, Monday through Friday, provided the best results. One caveat: it’s extremely important to test this data for yourself. Fortunately, they provide an entire framework on how to do this (provided you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty with coding and APIs). The Balance adds that Facebook Live videos are getting significantly better performance than other types of posts. Search Engine Journal says Facebook Live videos get 6x the engagement of traditional video content, but they need to be timed to align with when your audience is most active. QuickSprout says times vary in different industries, but most see a boost later in the week. Unmetric says the sweet spot is between 9 am and 2 pm. Maria Halthoff recommends posting at 9 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and weekends. Impulse Creative suggests that the worst time to post is between 8 pm and 3 am. When is the Best Time to Post on Twitter? Twitter is a high-volume network and it works best when you have a steady stream of relevant content. But, can you expect more engagement and clicks at certain times of day? B2C Businesses: People use Twitter all day because it's so frequently updated, but catching people when they're waking up and winding down lines up with when most people do their heaviest web browsing. B2B Businesses:  That's (mostly) true whether you're in B2C or B2B. Software Businesses:  Promoting software services on Twitter deviates somewhat from other B2B and B2C verticals, in that it's best to catch people when they're in a work mindest and are taking a break from their tasks, or heading home. Healthcare Companies:  Mornings and evenings are your bread and butter for healthcare. Media Companies:  Media companies and bloggers are some of the heaviest publishers of Twitter content. While it's advisable to maintain a consistent stream of content throughout the day here, these are the times you can expect the most engagement. Higher Education:  Stick to mornings and evenings here. Twitter Network Summary B2C: 8 am-10 am, Noon, 7 pm-9 pm B2B: 7 am-8 am, 11 am, 6 pm, 9 pm Software Services: 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm Healthcare: 9 am, 6 pm Media: 6 am-7 am, 11 am, 7 pm-8 pm, 10 pm Higher Education: 8 am, 5 pm, 7 pm, 9 pm Other Sources And of course, here’s what other research says: According to a Buffer  analysis of over 4 million tweets, posing between 2am and 3am gets the most clicks on Twitter. TrackMaven  pins down the best time at 5 pm on Thursday. Hubspot  suggests noon to 3 pm or 5pm as the best times. Falcon.io  says noon is the definitive best time, with 5pm as the runner-up. Bootcamp Digital  simply suggests posting 2 to 10 (or more) times per day, spread throughout the day. QuickSprout suggests avoiding weekends, and also says that CTRs are highest between noon and 6 pm. Raka Creative suggests posting at 7-8 am, noon, or 5-6 pm between Tuesday and Thursday. PostPlanner keeps it simple and suggests the best time is at 5 pm on Thursdays. When is the Best Time to Post on LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional network, and so naturally, the best time to reach people there is when they’re taking a break from work. Or is it? Here’s what the data shows: B2C Businesses: It appears as though to best time to catch people on Twitter may be around their lunch breaks from work (for those working a 9 to 5 schedule). B2B Businesses:  When it comes to B2B audiences though, which may be more professionally-focused than broader B2C audiences, the mantra of catching people before work, at lunch, and after their evening commute holds true. Software Businesses:  Software services are the same. If you want to reach professional audiences, you've got to reach them when they're not deep in work (and oftentimes we use software services to get work done). Healthcare Companies:  Healthcare stands out somewhat from other verticals, with mid-morning to early afternoon being most effective. Media Companies:  People often read their LinkedIn feed in the morning like they'd read a morning newspaper. So, it makes sense that publishers see the greatest amount of effectiveness early in the morning. Higher Education:  Higher education may not be huge on LinkedIn, though mid-morning seems to work best (possibly catching people taking a break from work, when they're open to career and educational development opportunities). LinkedIn Network Summary The biggest takeaway here is that people use LinkedIn for professional development. So, the best times to reach people here are when workers in the industry you're targeting are taking breaks in their workday. B2C: Noon B2B: 8 am, 10 am-Noon, 6 pm Software Services: 9 am, 11 am-Noon, 5 pm-6 pm Healthcare: 10 am, Noon-2 pm Media: 8 am Higher Education: 10 am Other Sources Here’s what some other sources have to say: SurePayroll  suggests posting between Tuesday and Thursday at no specific time. The Huffington Post  suggests those same days, but narrows down 10am to 11am on Tuesday as the best day and time. BizTraffic  advises 7am, noon, and 5pm all work well. This makes sense for targeting professional audiences on an 8 to 5 schedule. Curated findings from Post Planner  support this advice. TruConversion  suggests morning through noon, Monday through Friday. When is the Best Time to Post on Pinterest? Pinterest is vastly overlooked as a marketing platform. If strong visuals are part of your content marketing strategy, then it makes total sense to get on Pinterest (especially if your audience is active there). But, when it comes to timing, the data from customers showed little correlation between times and performance. It isn’t a platform where timing necessarily matters as much as sharing the right kind of content consistently. From curated research though, these times may serve as solid guidelines: 8–11 pm with 9 pm peak 2–4 am and 2–4 pm 1–3 pm Fridays and Saturdays may be the best times. This makes sense since people often use Pinterest to plan projects (and weekends are a good time to plan for the coming weeks). What Are the General Best Days to Post on Social Media? In addition to refining your timing, taking days into consideration is important too. This is particularly true on networks where you might not post every day. So, make the most of every piece of content you share with these guidelines. Best Days to Post on Facebook Network Tips: Avoid overly-promotional content. Hashtags underperform here. Mix up posts with and without links. Best Days to Post on Instagram Network Tips: Stick to using one filter. Avoid posting more than once per day. Consider sharing late at night and on weekends. Best Days to Post on Twitter Network Tips: Twitter is a high-volume platform. Mix original and curated content. Maintain a steady stream of tweets. Best Days to Post on LinkedIn Network Tips: Post during weekdays. Keep your tone professional. Reach commuters around 7 am and 5 pm. How Do You Know When Your Followers Are On Social Media? One of the reasons you want to know when to share on social media is because you want to get more traffic to your blog. It makes sense, then, to post your content to social media when you typically get the most traffic from your unique audience. Grab these three Google Analytics custom reports (available in your kit that complements this post)  to help you know what times and days you typically get the most traffic  and measure your progress every day. Here's how: Find Your Best Day To Post On Social Media Kick off your research with the Best Days To Post On Social Media report. When you do, you'll see a list of all of your social networks listed from the ones that give you the most traffic to the least. Simply click on any network to view the days when you typically get the most traffic. Go one step further and click on the day to learn the specific times when your followers give you the most traffic from that network. Use that information to help you choose the best days to share to specific networks based on your own audience, along with the times that work best for getting traffic on those specific days. Find Your Best Time To Post On Social Media Let's say you don't care as much about the days, and instead want to know only the times when you get the most traffic from your social networks. No problem. Look at your second Google Analytics custom report, Best Time To Post On Social Network By Hour. Find the specific hour of the day when you get the most traffic by clicking through on a specific network. The times when you get the most traffic are listed in order from most to last, with 0 being midnight and 23 as 11 p.m. Now you can schedule several messages based the times when you receive the most traffic from your social followers. Measure Your Social Media Traffic By Date And Hour When you test a new posting schedule, it's a solid practice to understand how what you did impacted your success. Use the third Google Analytics custom report to view the traffic from your social networks by a specific date and hour. This report is especially handy if you're testing new publishing times and days because it will show you the traffic you received per network for a specific calendar date and time. Start by navigating to the network you'd like you know more about. You'll see the list of specific dates that show the year, month, and day like this: YYYYMMDD. Your highest-trafficked date is on top of the list. Click through on any date to see your best time. Now you can correlate this back to your social media posting schedule when you sent messages to each specific network. What’s New in This Post? You may have seen versions of this post before. It was first published back in 2014, and it has been regularly updated since then. But, things have changed enough that it warranted a total overhaul. Some changes include: All studies pre-2016 have been removed. Anything that far out-of-date has been taken out. Newer studies have been added. Because as was suggested above, recency matters. Including a wider variety of sources also helps to provide broader insights. Google+ data is now gone. Google is no longer supporting the consumer version of the network. Original data from (anonymized) customers has been included. helps marketing teams organize projects and team members all on one platform with an easy-to-use calendar interface. Since that includes scheduling social media posts (and the tool has robust analytics built in), it only made sense to contribute original research (in addition to curating findings from other sources). In other words, this post is now better researched and more useful than ever. Methodology Performance metrics from were based on anonymized data gathered from a broad cross-section of customers, including those who manage social media marketing for multiple clients. Other reports are from reputable third-party sources. Each has been vetted for its methodology, trustworthiness, and value of its insights. There are plenty more studies and blog posts on this topic out there too, and many of those are very good too (even if they’re not included here). As always, use these sorts of findings as guidelines, rather than strict rules on the right and wrong way to handle your social schedule. If your own results contradict this (or any) study, go with what works, versus what â€Å"experts† have said. Recommended Reading: How Often to Post on Social Media: Proven Research From 14 Studies Breaking Down Times By Industry This post analyzes best times based on seven different verticals. These include: B2C companies: These are companies that sell products to consumers and the public at large. B2B companies: These are companies that sell products and services to other businesses. Software service providers: These would be companies (like ) that offer software as a service (SaaS). Healthcare: Hospitals and health insurance companies fall under this vertical (for our purposes). Media: News organizations, blogs, and magazine websites are some of the heaviest users of social media. Higher education: Colleges, universities, technical schools, and other institutions of post-secondary education are categorized here. It’s possible for a company to fit into more than one category (for a couple of examples, a software company could also be either a B2B or B2C company, or a media company might be part of the marketing division of a B2B or B2C company). However, these industries were chosen in order to give this post more industry-specific granularity while being broad enough not to get overly complicated. Other Caveats When examining data, it would be easy to think that the times companies post the most would be the best, because more posts would naturally equal more total engagement at those times. So, members of ’s product development team were mindful to weight and score times by the amount of engagement relative to the total number of posts analyzed per hour in order to avoid this issue. This helps ensure that the data shows the most effective times, to the degree that it’s possible to quantify them. Recommended Reading: The Social Media Posting Schedule That Will Boost Your Results By 192% How Do You Factor In Time Zones? Did you know that Arizona doesn’t practice daylight savings time? It’s timing nuances like these that make finding the perfect times to post even harder. Before we delve into the best times to post on social media, let's take a look at the best time zones. 50% of the U.S. population is in the Eastern Time Zone, and the Eastern and Central combined represent almost 80% of the U.S. population. theory, the Eastern or Central time zone would be the best time to base off for a United States audience to reach the most people through your social media shares. For those of you who have audiences outside the United States, demographic research like this is simple enough with Google Analytics to understand where your own audience is, giving you the opportunity to target their time zones accordingly. There are also a few tools to help you find when your own audience is online and using the social networks you're concentrating on- which helps you understand the best times to share based in your local time zone. Read on to learn more. How To Use This Data To Reach More Followers With Every Social Post As you can see, not everyone agrees as to the best timing for social posts, and when they do, it's often because they're referring to the same source. Even using data doesn’t provide a perfect answer, because it doesn’t take into account: Different industries Different audiences Different goals (e.g. clicks vs. reshares) So, putting this data to work for you in an attempt to find optimal social media posting time involves four possible outcomes: 1. Pick One And Stick To It You might decide to use one of the sources listed in this post and stick to what they found. Consistency in approach has its benefits; certainly, your audience gets used to what to expect. However, you may not see the success you could. Maybe you picked the wrong one, or are limiting yourself too much. 2. Use A General Approach Of Several You could use a broad swath of ideal posting times, mixing together the days and times of several of the data sources in the hopes of finding a fit by covering a wider range. For those of you wanting to do this, check out the summary that combined the results of the data covered. This approach might work, but you’ll have more ground to cover and more work to do in order to create and publish posts to cover larger blocks of time. 3. Find The One That Works For You By this, you might start with one set of research, stick to it, measure it, and note the results. Then adjust that with different days and times, and do the same measurement and data recording. In other words, test it out. See which one works for you. Not every industry is the same. Neil Patel even noted, for example, that the fashion industry sees better success on Pinterest with a slightly different approach. The real takeaway? Start with this data as a guideline, then tweak your own schedule based on your own findings. That’s the only way you can honestly know if you’re posting at the best times. Automate Your Posting Schedule With Best Time Scheduling Refining your social media schedule takes time and experimentation. But, if you need some automated assistance to help you set it and forget it, there’s Best Time Scheduling in .It’ll help you get more engagement, shares, and click-throughs by scheduling posts at the best times for you. Plus, it features intelligent collision-detection to ensure your posts are evenly spread out without over-posting at one time and under-posting at another. You read that right- you can reap the benefits from everything you just learned without actually having to remember it all.

Statistical Quantitive Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statistical Quantitive Methods - Essay Example marketing manager has indicated that she wants to know how long it takes Internet users to access your company’s internet screen, since there is concern it is taking too long and deterring interest. You have asked colleagues and friends at a variety of other organisations to access your own company’s web site and keep a careful record of how long it took them to get into the company’s home page. i. Explain which measure(s) of average and dispersion you would suggest using for this data and the reasons for your preference. You are required to justify the choice of the Statistical Quantities made and calculate these quantities. Other statistical tools that would best describe this data are standard deviation, Measure of skewness and kurtosis. The standard deviation will tell a manger how tight various samples are clustered around the mean giving him the cohesiveness of the data he has. Measures of skewness and kurtosis give a visual analysis of the data that the manager can use to draw quick conclusions. III a) The Quality Control department of TV tube manufacturer has observed that on an average out of every 10000 tubes produced, 5 are found to be defective. If a sample of 20 bulbs is selected, what is the probability that non are defective. What is the probability that for the same sample size that at least two are defective? We know that probability is a long term relative frequency so that every probability of an occurrence of an event corresponds a function in distribution. Using this concept we can find the average (mean) number of defective bulbs then we can get the number of defective bulbs in 20 bulbs then reconvert to probability. b) A consultancy firm submits three proposals for consideration by three different clients. It considers that the chances of the proposals being accepted are 0.5, 0.3 and 0.25 respectively .what is the probability

The best counsellor is a friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The best counsellor is a friend - Essay Example Counseling is considered as teamwork between the client and the counselor which helps the client develop and make positive changes in his approach to life. However, counseling is only considered effective if it brought out an expansion of worldview to both client and counselor. Nowadays, counseling is considered an important profession. Counseling is undertaken by professionals like social workers, psychologists, and even teachers. The knowledge and expertise of these professionals help so much in attaining the ultimate goal of counseling. Their educational background and experiences become important cornerstones which help them develop the proper approach in counseling as well as fully analyse the client's needs. However, this paper argues that still, the best counselor is a friend because a friend has all the important characteristics and attributes that a counselor must have in order to be efficient. A counselor and a client must have a good relationship as rapport has a huge role to play in attaining positive results (Lambert 1992). Friendship binds individuals, cultivate trust and confidence, and welcome the outbursts of strong emotions which usually come with counseling. Thus, the presence of friendly relation between clients and counselor can result to more favorable results in counseling. C. Raymond Beran (n.d.) painted a portrait of a true friend in this famous composition: What is a friend I will tell you. It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with him. He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. He does not want you to be better or worse. When you are with him, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you. He understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With him you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meanness and absurdities and, in opening them up to him, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of his loyalty. He understands. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse him, neglect him, tolerate him. Best of all, you can keep still with him. It makes no matter. He likes you. He is like fire that purges to the bone. He understands. You can weep with him, sin with him, laugh with him, pray with him. Through it all - and underneath - he sees, knows and loves you. A friend What is a friend Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself. Beran's composition highlights and emphasizes the role of a friend in an individual's life. A friend, as described above is an individual to whom someone can freely open up without any pretense. A friend is someone whom a person can trust and have confidence in. A friend is someone who is always there and will willingly understand what his friend is going through. Another important aspect highlighted by Beran is the friend's knowledge about his friend. A friend, according to Beran "sees, knows, and loves you" and "understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you." Thus, a friend is someone who has an adequate knowledge and genuinely understands his friend. It is also significant to mention how a friend feels when he is with his

Contrast Studying Alone to Studying in a Group Essay Example for Free

Contrast Studying Alone to Studying in a Group Essay Do you like to study alone or study in a group? Maybe some people will like to study alone, and other people will like to study in a group. Like studying alone, studying in a group will make you learn a lot of new things. Then studying alone and studying in a group can help you to gain knowledge and renew you information. Although they have some similarities, they still have some differences. Studying in a group makes your study easier, spends you time less, and makes you more actively. First, studying in a group will make your study easier. Studying alone and studying in a group have different styles. If you study in a group, you may have some co-workers. If you can’t understand or answer the questions, those co-workers will help you to resolve the problems. This kind of study style will make your study easier. In contrast, If you study alone and have some questions, you can not easy to find someone to help you. You may feel alone and helpless. Therefore, although you can study in any of these two ways, you will feel more helpful when you study in a group. Second, studying in a group will spend your time less. When you study, you may want to spend less time learning more things. These two ways will bring different outcome. Studying in a group means you and others people work together, and all of you need to think about the same problems. You can devide one work from different parts, of the work. You will finish the job more quickly. In contrast, when you study alone, you have to finish your work by yourself. You will take more time to finish it. Therefore, studying in a group can save you time on study. Finally, studying in a group will make you more actively. Whatever studying alone or studying in a group, you want to learn. When you work with others, you will get some information from others. At this time, you will think about their idea and absorb the good things from them. In contrast, when you study alone, you just know what you think and can not improve from others. When you study, you just study what you have known. Therefore, studying in a group will improve and increase your thinking. To sum up, studying in a group can make your study easier, spend your time less, and make you more actively. These two ways both can help you to study. Sometimes, studying in a group will help you a lot; sometimes, studying alone also can help you a lot. If you want to be a good student, you can choose these tow ways to use in different time. You will get help from these two ways.

Eleanor Roosevelt :: Essays Papers

Eleanor Roosevelt Growing up in India, as I did, one never hears about female elected officials of United States. We had our own female leaders to study that not much was taught about female leaders of other countries. But among the exception was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of one the greatest American President. Though, she was the wife of Franklin Roosevelt, she was not known for being his wife. She, as I remember, more than any other woman, "typified... the realizaton of the dreams of the female Crusaders of the 19th century who threw off the restrictions of the Victorian age." So when I had the opportuinity to study the life of any female American leader, I choose Eleanor Roosevelt for her achivements, her strugel and her vision of a United world. For someone who never held elective office, Eleanor Roosevelt wielded a great deal of political power. She wrote now laws and appointed no high officials, yet the self-knowledge and profound humility that invested her regard for every human being has made the story of her life a morality play that brightens the American memory. "There is no human being," wrote Eleanor Roosevelt in one of her several columns that she frequently wrote for newspaper, from whom we cannot learn something if we are interested enough to dig deep." This basic sense fo kinship with which she approaced the world dictated her vocation of helpfulness. The honesty with which she told us of hte long path she travelded to free herself of fear and prejudice and become an independent person has pl aced her in that specaila pantheon reserved for shapers of the human spirit. Eleanor Roosevelt appeared on the American secent, and began being herself, out in the open wehre folks could see the process of women's long struggle to free themselves from their husbands's dutiful shadows. "It is said that famous mane are usually the product of an unhappy childhood," wrote Winston Churchill. "The stern compression of circumstance, the spur of slights and taunts in early years are needed to evoke that ruthless fixity of purpose and tenacious mother-wit without wich great actions are seldom accomplished." His words, about an unhappy childhood shaping the reateness of later years, were applicable to Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1 make friends easily. She would have to regain her trust in the world befor she could act upon the lession her Grandfather Theodore had impressed upon his children-receive people's love and peopld will love you. Eleanor Roosevelt :: Essays Papers Eleanor Roosevelt Growing up in India, as I did, one never hears about female elected officials of United States. We had our own female leaders to study that not much was taught about female leaders of other countries. But among the exception was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of one the greatest American President. Though, she was the wife of Franklin Roosevelt, she was not known for being his wife. She, as I remember, more than any other woman, "typified... the realizaton of the dreams of the female Crusaders of the 19th century who threw off the restrictions of the Victorian age." So when I had the opportuinity to study the life of any female American leader, I choose Eleanor Roosevelt for her achivements, her strugel and her vision of a United world. For someone who never held elective office, Eleanor Roosevelt wielded a great deal of political power. She wrote now laws and appointed no high officials, yet the self-knowledge and profound humility that invested her regard for every human being has made the story of her life a morality play that brightens the American memory. "There is no human being," wrote Eleanor Roosevelt in one of her several columns that she frequently wrote for newspaper, from whom we cannot learn something if we are interested enough to dig deep." This basic sense fo kinship with which she approaced the world dictated her vocation of helpfulness. The honesty with which she told us of hte long path she travelded to free herself of fear and prejudice and become an independent person has pl aced her in that specaila pantheon reserved for shapers of the human spirit. Eleanor Roosevelt appeared on the American secent, and began being herself, out in the open wehre folks could see the process of women's long struggle to free themselves from their husbands's dutiful shadows. "It is said that famous mane are usually the product of an unhappy childhood," wrote Winston Churchill. "The stern compression of circumstance, the spur of slights and taunts in early years are needed to evoke that ruthless fixity of purpose and tenacious mother-wit without wich great actions are seldom accomplished." His words, about an unhappy childhood shaping the reateness of later years, were applicable to Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1 make friends easily. She would have to regain her trust in the world befor she could act upon the lession her Grandfather Theodore had impressed upon his children-receive people's love and peopld will love you.

Introduction to ambahan Essay

Ambahans inscribed on a bamboo slat The ambahan is a literary product and poetic expression of the Southern Mangyans of Mindoro, Philippines. Although there are about seven different ethnic groups living in Mindoro, collectively called the Mangyans, these groups are quite distinct from each other as to language, customs, and way of living. Only the ethnic group living in the south of Mindoro, roughly comprising the areas within the municipalities of Bulalacao (San Pedro), Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro and San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, claims the name Mangyan as the descriptive title of their tribe. To stress their point, they might add the epiteth: â€Å"Hanunuo† Mangyan, that is, a â€Å"truly, real, genuine† Manygan. Together with their northern neighbors, the Buhids, they possess a pre-Spanish writing system, considered to be of Indic origin, with characters expressing the open syllables of the language. Two distinct syllabaries are still in practical use among the ethnic groups in Mindoro, viz. the north ern Buhid on one hand and the southern Buhid with the Hanunuo-Mangyans on the other. The existence of a writing system among these tribes certainly accounts largely for the wealth of literature prevalent among them. One of the literary products, the one written down most frequently on bamboo-tubes or slats, is the ambahan. For better understanding and appreciation of the ambahans presented here, a short outline on the character and use of the ambahan will be given here. As a definition, it can be stated that the ambahan is: A. A rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllable lines and having rhythmic end-syllables. B. It is most often presented as a chant without a determined musical pitch or accompaniment by musical instruments. C. Its purpose is to express in an allegorical way, liberally using poetic language, certain situations or certain characteristics referred to by the one reciting the poem. The meter of seven syllables in one line is the characteristic of the ambahan which most obviously distinguishes it from other kinds of Hanunuo-Mangyan poetry. However, there are exceptions to the rule. For instance, more than seven syllables may be found at the beginning of the ambahan, especially when it starts with the standard expression magkunkuno (speaks, says) because the one who â€Å"speaks† here may have a long name containing more than the usual seven syllables. Actually, these first lines should not be considered as part of the poem proper, but rather as an introduction to or an explanation of the circumstances which gave rise to the ambahan itself. Sometimes, there may be more than seven syllables because the employed word or words cannot be shortened and no other combination of words is available. On the other hand, a line may contain less than seven syllables in order to preserve the meaning of the line itself which might be disturbed if more syllables were added. However, the last exception rarely occurs. In an effort to conform to the rule of having only seven syllables in each line, the composer tries to fit his words within the pre-determined quantity of syllables. This accounts for the many elisions and contactions of words that make the reading of the ambahan in the Hanunuo-Mangyan script so difficult and exasperating to the translator. Thus nirwasan comes from niruwasan; nilkasan from nilukasan; the mono-syllables gin from ginan; u from una. Conversely, the words may be extended, i.e. syllables may be added in order to have the required seven syllables. In most cases, the normal procedure involves the use of affixes and suffixes, both of which are extensively used in the Philippine languages. The most common one in the Hanunuo-Mangyan language is the suffix -an. Manok becomes manukan, balunos becomes balunusan, without a change in meaning. Within the word, â€Å"extensions† may also be found which might be old infixes, no longer common. So dayap becomes dalayap, layaw becomes lugayaw. Another way of lengthening a word is by repeating the word itself, not so much to make it superlative in meaning (e.g. in Tagalog: laking-laki), but rat her to complete the seven syllable requirement. While it is not my intention to be technical on this point, as a linguist’s analysis of morphological phenomena would be, the foregoing illustrations demonstrate that the prescribed scheme of seven syllables in ambahan verse gives ample opportunity for lexical calisthenics, an exercise which may fascinate many students. The rhyming end-syllables are an essential feature of the ambahan. The most common rhyming syllable is -an, being a regular suffix for verbs and substantives in the Hanunuo-Mangyan language. But other combinations with the vowel a are rather common too, such as in lines having the end-syllables: a, ak, ag, ang, as, aw, ay. Here the vowel a is combined with nearly all the consonants in the Philippine alphabet. In the same way, the vowels I (or e) and o (or u) can be found as the rhyming syllables, either alone or in combination, e.g.: I, id, ing, ip, it, and o, od, ok, on, ong, os, ot, oy. The rhyming in the ambahan is consequent, i.e. once started with -an, all lines will end in -an. This appears to be in contrast to the rhyming scheme of a Tagalog poem, where at the end of a line a vowel rhyme may include any consonant in combination with this vowel. The ambahan is stricter in this respect, though it is interesting to note that here and there consonants, if belonging to the same pho netic class, may be included as the rhyming consonant in combination with the rhyming vowel. Hence, the word inwag rhymes with ma-ayad because both g and d belong to the phonetic class of voiced stops. The word humbak rhymes with dagat because both k and t belong to the phonetic class of voiceless stops. The word sundong, lumon and tayutom are the end-syllables of one ambahan because ng, n, and m belong to the phonetic class of voiced sonorants. Of course, it is not because the Hanunuo-Mangyan knows anything about phonetics that these instances occur, but it is a fact that the interchanges of these consonants are not considered violations of the unwritten rules of the ambahan, provided that the vowel remains the same. The ambahan is a chanted verse, but it is changed plainly or almost recited. The rendering of the ambahan with musical pitch might differ from person to person. Some might intone the words like in common conversation; others might use it a monotone recitation; or still others might sing it with a distinct melody. But generally, it can be said that when an ambahan is â€Å"sung,† there is only a slight musical pitch discernable, except maybe towards the end, when the last syllables are drawn out a bit to indicate that the chant is about to end. Furthermore, it is well worth noting that the ambahan, is â€Å"sung† without the accompaniment of musical instruments, as differentiated from another kind of Mangyan verse, the urukay, which is preferably chanted to the accompaniment of the homemade guitar. One who has a knowledge of the language of the Hanunuo-Mangyans as it is used in their daily conversation, will be able to understand very little of the language that is used in the ambahan. The language used in the ambahan differs from the spoken language, though many a word used widely in the daily Hanunuo-Mangyan language is also used in the ambahan-vocabulary. It is quite possible to compile a long list of words (eventually a complete dictionary) that are used only in the ambahan verse, but, for the purpose of this book, only a few words need to be mentioned. Conversational language| Ambahan language| English| amang| bansay| father| inang| suyong| mother| danom| kagnan| water| balay| labag| house| niyog| bu-anay| coconut| bagaw| duyan| talk| mata| pamidkan| eye| That the words of the ambahan vocabulary are found not only in the ambahan of the Hanunuo-Mangyans but also in the literary products of the neighboring Mangyan tribes, seems to be a significant coincidence worth investigating, especially if it is remembered that these other tribes use a conversational language different from the Hanunuo-Mangyan language. Some questions that would confront the investigator are the following: Where do these ambahan words come from? Are there other dialects in the Philippines from which they may have been derived? Or do we have to turn our attention to other countries like Indonesia or India to get an explanation? Here is a potential field of research that should give a linguist enough material to work on. In some of the ambahans here presented, it will be noticed that the theme is about a bird, a flower, a tree, or an insect. Other ambahans, though not nature poems in the strict sense of the term, deal with the sun, the moon, the stars, the rain and th e wind. When a Mangyan poet writes of a flower, he writes of itnot for the purpose of celebrating its beauty or fragrance but to make it an allegory or a symbol of human life, it’s problems, and its challenges. Sometimes the symbolism of a bird or flower may be clear enough, as when a boy talks to his girl about â€Å"a beautiful flower that he would like to bring home.† Very often, however, one symbol may refer to different conditions or circumstances and, thus, becomes a multiple symbol. An examination of ambahan no. 114 will help clarify this point. What does the poem mean? First, it means simply what it says: â€Å"Be careful, or you will be stung by a bee. Take precautions in getting honey.† This would be the literal interpretation of the poem. The added meaning of allegorical interpretation would depend, of course, on the occasion and circumstances, such as climbing a mountain, going to sea, going to town, engaging in a contest with another person, or going to the parents to ask for the hand of their daughter. The complex set of meanings thus woven into an ambahan are gradually unravelled only after the poem had been analyzed with much care and patience. A related study which is worth mentioning at this point would be an investigation into the psychological motivation for the Mangyan’s frequent use of plants, animals, and nature symbols and their predilection for allegorical poetry. [Postma, Antoon SVD. Treasure of a Minority. Manila: Arnoldus Press, Inc., 1981.] The origin of the ambahan A Hanunuo-Mangyan woman chanting an ambahan at a community ambahan session [Source: Antoon Postma] If you ask a Hanunuo-Mangyan, â€Å"Where did you get this ambahan?,† he will most likely answer, â€Å"I copied it from somebody else.† That is quite probable, for the ambahan has been popularized by being copied on any piece of bamboo, such as the container for tobacco or apog (lime), the scabbard or sheath of a bolo, a violin or guitar, and even on the bamboo beams of a house. When a Mangyan discovers a nice ambahan, he uses his knife to engrave it on bamboo, in the age-old Indic-derived script. Thus, he has â€Å"copied† it. In answer to the same question, another Mangyan may reply, â€Å"We obtained this from our forefathers.† Most of the ambahans they possess now have been handed down from parents to children through continuos copying. Yet there is no doubt that new ambahans are still being written today by the poets or composers, although it is hard to find out who these poets are. A Mangyan would never admit that he is composing ambahans. To determine the approximate time in which an ambahan was written, two criteria may be suggested: the subject and the kind of words used. The first criterion cannot be applied without reservation, for the subject of the ambahan is sometimes very general and true of any period. But if we find reference in the ambahan to Moro attacks or to Mangyans still living along the sea-shore, we are on surer ground, for the attacks of the Moros are known to have occurred at a certain time, and the Mangyans lived along the shores before the non-Mangyans settled on the island. On the other hand, when an ambahan poet writes of going to America, the poem is certain to have been written in modern times. The second criterion, the kind of words used, is more reliable and, if used by experts, would be a more certain indication of the age of the ambahan. By using this criterion, ambahans may be categorized into three classes. The first type is the ambahan that only uses the poetic language with a minimum of contemporary words. Sometimes common Hanunuo-Mangyan words are used, but this type of ambahan restricts itself mainly to the use of literary words, i.e. words not used in daily conversation. According to the Mangyans themselves, this is the oldest kind of ambahan. The next type of ambahan is that in which words borrowed from neighboring tribes, especially the Buhid tribe, are used. Frequent contact with this tribe has made the Hanunuo-Mangyans accept these borrowed words and expressions which found their way into their ambahans. Lastly, there is the ambahan of later times, in wh ich loan-words from Spanish, Tagalog or Bisaya are evident. The painstaking study by linguists of the words used in the ambahan may supply the final answer to the question of the time in which an ambahan was written. [Postma, Antoon. Mangyan Treasures. Manila: Arnoldus Press, Inc., 1995.] The ambahan and its uses Hanunuo-Mangyan poems in the Mangyan syllabic script inscribed on betel nut containers made of bamboo The ambahans are very common among the Hanunuo-Mangyans. About thirty percent of the Hanunuo-Mangyans do not read or write the pre-Spanish Hanunuo-Mangyan script, but it would be rare indeed for a Mangyan not to know the art of the ambahan. Of course, a Mangyan will quickly deny any knowledge of the ambahan, but this is only a polite way of refusing to demostrate such knowledge. People who have tried to collect ambahans will be the first to admit the difficulty of making the Mangyans recite the ambahans outside of the proper occasion for doing it. Aside from the Hanunuo-Mangyans, the neighboring Mangyan tribes also know about the ambahan. Though the actual extent to which the ambahan is known by these other tribes has not been fully investigated, it is certain that this type of poetry is also common among the Buhid-Mangyans. The language of the Buhid is completely different from that of the Hanunuo-Mangyans, but one may still partly understand the literary products of the other. The ambahan can also be found among the tribes living deep in the mountains of Mindoro. These natives go down to the lowlands very rarely, and on one of these occassions I was lucky enough to acquire some copies of their ambahans. The Hanunuo-Mangyans do not understand much of it, except when exclusive ambahan words are used. However, before anything more authoritative can be said on this matter, one must explore the field further. The verse of the Iraya-Mangyans (in the north of Mindoro) is also very similar to the ambahan-type, i.e. they also have the characteristic heptasyllabic meter and rhyming end-syllables. Ambahans are known and recited by Hanunuo-Mangyans, both old and young. Of course, different ambahans will be appropriate for different age groups. The children definitely have their own kind of ambahans, something which might be considered as the equivalent of our nursery rhymes. However, even in these rhymes all the el ements of the ambahan are present; the main distinction lies in the simplicity of the language used. The ambahans for children, however, are short, most of them containing not more than six lines. A boy (kan-akan) and a girl (daraga) would be familiar with the ambahans fit for them, but once they are married, they would acquaint themselves with the ones that are appropriate for their new state of life. Like all poetry, the ambahan is an expression of an idea or feeling in a beautiful and harmonious language. Unlike other forms of poetry , however, the ambahan is not poetry for its own sake or for the poet’s satisfaction. The ambahan is primarily a poem of social character; it finds its true existence in society. It is created by the Mangyans to serve practical purposes within the community. It is used by the parents in educating their children, by young people in courting each other, by a visitor in asking for food and by a relative bidding goodbye or farewell. Of course, it would be a mistake to think that the Mangyans converse with each other only by the ambahan. If a man comes from his field, he would not use an ambahan to tell his wife that he is hungry; he will express the feeling of his stomach in plain and clear language. But generally speaking, the ambahan is used on those occasions when something embarrassing, unpleasant, delicate or even precious (as love) has to be said. For instance, a boy may tell a girl in plain language that he will never forget her, but it would sound so much nicer if he were to do so in an ambahan. The social nature of the ambahan has given rise to a kind of verbal contest. Whenever Mangyans are together, a few of them (often the older generation) will eagerly compete with each other in the ability to recite the ambahan called for by the place and the occasion. Among these occasions are festivities held in connection with reburial. One Mangyan might challenge another with an ambahan, for example. This starts the contest. The people gather around the two contestants (without agreement, without rules, without bets), listening intently to the ambahans recited alternately by the two opponents. Each ambahan recited is an answer to the problem or theme propounded in the ambahan preceeding it. Both contestants are lustily cheered and encouraged by their supporters. In most cases, the one who recites last is declared the winner. The contest may go deep into the night. Whether one or the other wins is unimportant; what matters most is the entertainment derived from the contest. A few final remarks about the translation of the ambahan may still be of interest. A researcher who happens to be in the mountains of Mansalay and becomes acquainted with the ambahan will become enthusiastic about it and may even want to translate some of them into his own language. But before he can translate the ambahan, he must study the ancient Indic script. After having mastered it well, he will find out to his dismay, that he still cannot read everything written on the bamboo. This is due to the fact that the script itself does not show the final consonant of each syllable. When he has overcome the disappointment, he will probably try to get an ambahan written down in clear, readable letters. Tape-recording the ambahan would take away the initial difficulties of copying from script. However, even then he will not understand all the implications of the ambahan unless the Mangyan can explain it. In translating an ambahan, we find a special difficulty arising from the symbolic meaning of the words used. The Mangyan may supply the applied allegorical meaning but he might not understand the literal meanings of certain words. The meanings of these words can often be discovered because of the frequent use of repetition of ideas. Sometimes complete lines may be repetitions of the same idea in synonymous words. Before the ambahan can be completely understood, it is imperative to collect as many samples of the ambahan as possible. This is the main work being done at present in this field. A detailed comparison of specimens, sifting and classifying words, and careful experiments in translating the words into another context have to be done by experts in this field of research. Only then will the ambahan emerge in the fullness of its beauty and signification. The present anthology of ambahans is selected from a collection that started in 1958. In preparing this selection, it was not an easy task to decide on the best way of grouping or arranging these ambahans. It was finally decided to observe a dual system in classifying these Mangyan poems. The first system is to take the obvious and literal meaning as expressed by the poem. The second is the allegorical or applied meaning that can be gleaned from the ambahan. With this dual system in mind, the ambahans in this collection have been arranged according tot he life-cycle of the Hanunuo-Mangyans. Hence, this collection of ambahans starts with the cradle and ends with the grave. It is believed that this arrangement is the most satisfactory. [Postma, Antoon SVD. Treasure of a Minority. Manila: Arnoldus Press, Inc., 1981.] Ambahan: Birth and infancy Since the aim of this collection of ambahans is to present a cross-section of the Mangyan poetic verse with respect to the life-cycle of the Mangyans, the first ambahans, to be chronological, should pertain to the first chapters of human life. The following series of common cradle songs in ambahan style might be a fine illustration of how the songs can be different in rhyme and metaphor whereas the underlying theme is the same. Ambahan 3| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | My dear baby, do not cry ’cause the wild cat might hear us! The big one from over there, with his awful long-stretched howl! Helpless are we if he comes. Our spear is broken still and our bolo bent and blunt!| Huwag ka ngang umiyak Hala ka at mapukaw Pusang-ligaw sa gubat Ngumiyaw, maghihiyaw Wala kitang pambugaw Sibat nati’y nawasak Gulok nati’y nabingaw!| Ambahan 4| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Don’t be noisy, baby dear! The wild iro might come here. The one out of the deep woods. How to fight him when he comes? Broken is our spear in two and our bolo disappeared!| H’wag ka ngang magulo May laog nanunubok Mula gubat susugod Wala kitang panghamok Sibat nati’y napulpol Itak ay anong purol!| Ambahan 5| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | You, my baby, don’t make noise! Some strange animal might come, coming from across the streams. Knocking on the house, he will, with his glittering sharp claws, No weapons for us to kill; our bolo we cannot use, rusty is our spear and blunt.| Anak, ‘wag kang ngumalngal Hala ka, may bakulaw! Sa dahilig do’n buhat Tutuktok sa suliras Kay tulis ng galamay Wala kitang pamatay Tong itak walang saysay Kinalawang ‘yang sibat!| Ambahan: Childhood Sweet are the memories of our childhood. For the Mangyan child, it is a time of unconcern and carefreeness, even if the child has to take his share of the family duties to the measure of his capacities. It is with feelings of sentimentality and homesickness that a young man recalls the happy years of his youth that passed away too fast. It is also with pride that he remembers the love and kindness shown to him by his parents. Ambahan 6 (4)| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | That time, when I was still young, (I was just a baby still) when I sat on mother’s lap, when she rocked me in a crib, in a cradle newly made. Mommy lulling me asleep, did not leave me in a crib, in her arms she cradled me. Oh, how sweet these memories! wish I could climb once again in the cradle lovely made! So I could be showing off how I grew so beautifully! You, the people from the shore, people from the mountains too, could you just come here this way! Visit me just once again, the unfolding, blooming tree! I’ll recall this all my life.| Noong ako’y muraan Sanggol na sanggol pa lang Karga pa sa kandungan Inuugoy sa duyan Sa kagagawang duyan Hinehele ni Nanay Hindi n’ya iniiwan Sapo n’ya sa kandungan O kay gandang nagdaan! Muli sanang mahimlay Sa banayad na duyan Nang tunay kong mamasdan Paglaki kong kariktan Kayong taga-baybayan Maging taga-burulan Kung maaring puntahan Pasyalan at pagmasdan Punong namumukadkad Alaala kailanman!| But there is also the obedient child who has his important task in the whole of the family work: watching that the products in the field will not be destroyed by the wild animals. Ambahan 13| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | The reason why I am here, walking along hills and vales, because Mother has told me and my Father he just said: â€Å"Better go and have a look, at the field we have prepared. Monkeys might be eating there and the pigs destroying plants.† So I went and had a look at the field we have prepared. But no monkeys eating there, and no pigs destroying plants. However, what I did see, was a bird, still rather small, sitting on the field we have, at the borders of the field. Maybe one day it’ll be there, when the rice is ripe and fair.| Sanhi po ng paglakad sa kabundukan Ang bilin po ni Inang Kay Ama’y kawikaan: â€Å"Pumar’on iho’t tingnan Kaingin nating hawan Baka matsi’y lamunan Baboy ay mag-arumbang† Akin nang pinuntahan Kaingin nating hawan Matsin ay wala naman Ni baboy na ligaw man Anu’t aking namasdan Merong ibong ‘liitan Sa kainging hinawan Sa gilid na taniman Baka bukas nandiyan Pagdatal ng anihan!| Children, however, are the same everywhere. Romping around with their playmates, they produce a deafening noise, often to the despair of their parents. Ambahan 15| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Sure, the kids they are not bad, but, say, who would not get mad! When from morning until night all this noise, right at your side, and those fights on top of that!| Kahit bata’y mabait Sinong di maiinis Buong araw at gabi Iritan d’ya’t kagalit Awayan d’yan sa inggit!| Ambahan: Adolescence The transition from the dependent child into the self-sufficient young man or woman is not marked by initiation ceremonies or induction rites. In some things, children are given independence at an early age. In other things, they continue to act dependently. Ambahan 27| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Mother carried me around. Father always at my side. I, the baby, was still small: just a little child I was. Going to the field to work, Father led me by the hand. Even speaking simple words as a babe I did not know. But now everything has changed. The small baby has grown up. Now the baby understands all the words that Father speaks, Everything that mother says. Even when I’m walking far, when I travel far away and it becomes dangerous I’ll return immediately.| Kinakalong ni Nanay Kinakandong ni Tatay Sadya pang kamusmusan Tunay akong paslit lang Hangang sa kaingin man ‘Sinasama ni Tatay Kahit pa utal-utal Sanggol na walang muwang Ngunit nang magka-minsan Lumaki’t magkagulang Akin namang nalaman Kay Tatay, kawikaan Kay Nanay, kasabihan Malayo mang lakaran Saan man ang abutan Kung kasam-an ang datnan Sila lang ang uwian!| Then the day comes when adolescence ends. The parents know now that there is not much hope that the young people will do things the way the parents want them to do. The young man goes his way, and nobody can direct him anymore. Ambahan 30| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says the lobster in the creek: Even if you place a dam, I will jump it high and neat!| Sabi ng hipong sapa: Kahit mo man bakuran May lusot, paraan pa!| The character of the youngster is fixed now. Even if there are traits the parents do not like, these traits can no longer be changed. Wherever he is, the young adult will behave in his accustomed manner and will not change his attitudes because of others. Ambahan 31| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Pigeon, with a shortened tail, even there across the hills, you won’t be a nightingale!| Hoy, ibong Balud-balod Libanin mo ma’y bundok Pungos pa rin ‘yang buntot!| Ambahan: Courtship Many pages of sweet-flowing romances have been written about courtship, but the Mangyans create their own by using the examples of the budding and flowering plants and trees around them. Ambahan 38| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | The bamboo in Marigit That I saw at first approach Was just sprouting and still small. When I saw it yesterday, It was standing firm and thick Ready now to build a floor.| Kawayan sa Marigit Pag tanaw ko, palapit Labong pa siyang kay liit Nang daanan ko pabalik Siksikan mga tinik Mainam nang pang-sahig!| Ambahan 39| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | The palm bordering my field Back when it was very small My attention did not call. But now that it’s fully-grown and has shed its dried-up leaves, I will harvest it so fresh and weave me a basket fair. That I can bring everywhere.| Buli sa may kaingin Noong s’ya pa’y musmusin Hindi ko pinapansin Nang gumulang, pagsapit Tanggi ko ang lumain Sariwa kong kukunin Bayong kong lalalain Lagi kong sasakbitin!| A boy has his way of convincing a girl of his good intentions and intimate love. He is willing to sacrifice anything for his beloved. Ambahan 68| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | My sweetheart, my love so dear, when I left, in coming here, coming from my house and yard; all the rice that I have stored, I have left it there behind, because I hope here to find one more valued than my rice! One to be my partner nice to the water, to the field, a companion on my trips, and one who will share my sleep!| O liyag, aking hirang Kanina nang lumisan Galing sa ‘king dingdingan Palay na inanihan Akin lang iniwanan Hinangad kong katuwang Di basta palay lamang Sa lakad sa ilog man Maging sa kaparangan Kaakbay ko saan man Kaabay sa higaan!| Ambahan: Home To give a sample of all the various aspects of the home life within a Mangyan settlement would be next to impossible. However, an attempt to draw a general outline will be undertaken here. Two great themes can be considered of importance in the life-cycle of a Mangyan: 1) His struggle for life in and around his house, to keep hunger and sickness away; and, 2) His unbelievable ability to relax, be happy and unconcerned, often by escaping from his immediate surroundings. What does a Mangyan home look like? His house is not as important as a house is to his countrymen of modern culture. A Mangyan will be the first to admit that his house is of poor construction and just a temporary dwelling. Ambahan 102| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | This the forest Mangyan said: â€Å"What I have to tell you, sir, I’ve been thinking of for long: Your existence is not bad In the lowlands where you live. There the houses that you have Are built with beams of the best Like your floors all made of wood. But we to the mountains born Who have lived here for so long, Our houses are not like that. Our floor is of bamboo built, Our roof made of cogon grass, All of it is tied with vines. But to that I have to add. Don’t forget that we can live Very near the water source Where the birds all come to drink. A cool, shady place to be.†| Sabi ng isang Mangyan: Ang wika ko’y pakinggan Ito ngang kaisipan— Mabuti ang ‘yong lagay Ikaw, taga-kapatagan Kaya taga-baybayan Tabla ay ilang-ilang Nagsahig nang mainam Kaming taga-burulan Kaya nasa burulan aming kabihasnan Sahig ay patpatan Kugon lang ang bubungan May taling baling-uway Datapwa’t ‘to’y pakinggan H’wag naman kalimutan Ibon sa may igiban Bukal itong inuman Na kay lilim kung tingnan!| After all, life is hard and a Mangyan has to spend most of his time eking out a subsistence for himself, so the house itself is of little importance. Ambahan 103| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Your condition is quite good and your house is beautiful. The walls made of banban leaves, still enforced with bamboo poles. But we, living out-of-doors, we, the mountains dwellers up, if we did not have to search for some food to stay alive, we could also be so wise, we could also find these ways! But the only thing we find, is a sago palm for food!| Dampa mo’y kainaman Bahay n’yo pong gandahan May dingding na banban Patukurang kawayan Kaming nasa bakuran Kaming taga-burulan Di dapat paghanapan Di dapat panghinaan Wala pong karupukan Di dapat manghinayang Dahil masisilayan Yaong buling gandahan!| Even if the construction is nice and strong, the day will come that the house will be torn apart by the ripping blasts of wind. Ambahan 105| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Climbing vine with the long leaves, leaves symmetrical and fine, how very nice looks your stem! But, they say, you’ll be blown down by the tempest from the shore!| Hoy, uway na lambaan Malamba ang dahon man Ang puno’y kainaman— Kung nasa daraanan Bagyo’y galing ‘patagan!| Ambahan: Problems But at home, life is not always as pleasant as the Manygans would like it to be. There are dark days when the future doesn’t look very bright. These dark days have to be overcome. Ambahan 113| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Balkawi, my climbing vine, You’re not happy in that spot Your fine leaves are ripping there And your poor stem creaks and cries. I have to replant you now In a place where you will thrive Free from rain and gusty winds.| Hoy, punong Balkawihan Pangit ang tinubuan Dahon mo’y nangalagas Puno mo’y langitngitan Muling itanim na lang Sa payapang hanginan Sa walang daluyungan!| There are the domestic misunderstandings that might arise; the simple accidents that might happen. Ambahan 115| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Sticks from the balanti tree If you cut them properly From the depth they will resound. But if cut improperly All you get is awful noise.| Kalutang kong Balanti Kung timbang iyang yari Taginting ay mabini Kung tabtab mali-mali Sintunadong matindi!| There is no reason, however, to be as upset about a domestic misunderstanding or a simple accident as about a great disaster. Ambahan 117| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | What is the matter with you that you are so much upset? Like the heavens coming down, as if the whole sky collapsed! Even rain will stop some day, but rain doesn’t own a house! A storm will not last all time, but storm has no place like you! Are you not a human? Man? Doesn’t man always go back to his dwelling place, his home?| Bakit ka nagkaganyan? Ang ulo mo’y kay init Bagsak ang kalangitan Parang bayang guhuan Pagtila nitong ulan Ula’y walang tahanan Hihinto ang ampiyasan Hangi’y walang uwian Di ba’t tao ka naman Di ba’t may babalikan Sa kawayang daluyan!| Ambahan: Sickness Sickness is unavoidable in human life. A person who is ill can easily be recognized. Sometimes, whatever is done, all treatment seems to be in vain. But there is always a treatment that’s been forgotten. Ambahan 131| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | This my problem, my headache, I had called the doctors all, had it treated frequently but my headache didn’t go. Like the storm not calming down, like the rain that doesn’t stop it was even getting worse: my head almost cracking up. But the final medicine, why did I not think of it? We must love each other more. Then the problem will be gone, carried along by the wind, covered by the forest trees, and we will be sad no more.| Itong ulong makirot Dinalit na’t ginamot Niritwal na sa bulong Ayaw pong huminahon Parang bagyong inikot Laging unang lagunot Lalo itong tumibok Sa bunbunan paloob Datapwa’t iyang gamot Ikaw, sa ‘king pagsukot Ay karamay kong irog! Huhupa na ang kirot Sa hangin ipasaklot Sa gubat ipataklob Lalaho na ang lungkot!| A serious condition might develop. The usual treatments are of little help. Ambahan 132| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says Yumay, when feeling ill: Daog, I am calling you. I am coming all the way to visit your house, Daog. I would like to ask from you, if you could apply your wit, have me treated with your charms. The main reason for all this: my problem, my headache was treated seven times in vain, still the sickness doesn’t go! I am worried and I think that this sickness will result finally into my death.| Panawagan ni Yumay Si Daog tawag tawag Pakay niya sa lakad Si Daog sa may dampa Ako nawa’y tulungan Sa bulong mong malakas Sa mabisa mong dasal Kaya nga nagkaganyan Masakit ang uluhan Pito mang patas-unan Kirot pa’y palagian Huwag sana, h’wag naman Sakit waring hantungan Tiyak na kamatayan!| Why don’t the treatments work? Maybe all the requirements of offerings to the spirits were not properly fulfilled. Ambahan 133| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says the spirit of the spring: What has been your offering? Softly cooked rice, there was none, Not a chicken, even one! Only some fruits from a tree! What else could the answer be but rains and a hurricane hitting house and yard again. What are you going to do? Incantation might help you or a seer and his wit! Maybe he can solve your case and prevent further disgrace. Says the one responsible: You, dear spirit of the well, Please, do hide your angriness! It’s my fault, I do confess. I’ll bring the best from my floor that you will complain no more.| Wika ng lamang-lupa Apo Ilog nagbanta: Handog na kani’y wala Ni manok na ‘hinanda Bungang-kahoy lamang ba Ambo’y umampiyas nga Hangin ay hagunot na Sa kabila ng dampa Anong ibibigay pa Bibigkas ng dasal ba? Uusal ng dalit ha Ganyang magmatigas ka Hanggang katapusan pa! Sumagot ang sinama: Kayo, Poon ng sapa H’wag kapootan nawa Alay namin, dulog na Sa sahig nagmumula Sa sumpa po’y iadya!| Ambahan: Food and work Obtaining food keeps the Mangyans busy for most of the year: selecting and preparing the field; sowing the carefully kept seed; weeding and cleaning the plants; harvesting the most precious food, cotton-white mountain rice. Unfortunately, an ideal harvest depends on an exact amount of sun, wind and rain. Often though, an extensive drought, a nasty typhoon or prolonged monsoon rains effect the opposite result, hardship and scarcity of food. It is therefore, no wonder that the Mangyans worry about their crops a great deal. Rice is a food the Mangyans enjoy. After they have harvested their rice, it seems that there will never come an end to their supplies. But, before they realize it, gone is all their hope and happiness. Ambahan 136| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | This kind of rice, Kabasag, When I saw for the first time, The stalks were heavy with grain. When I returned and looked again, Empty and flat were the heads!| Ang palay kong Kabasag Nang minsan kong namatyag Uhay ay sangkatutak Nang balikan ko’t tingnan Uhay ay mangahungkag!| Ambahan 137| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | The little black bird Sawi, So hereabouts its was told, Had a tail long and pretty. But the bird when it grew big, Tail, alas, shorter it grew, Struck by lightning as storm blew.| Ibong si Sawi-sawi Noon pa man ang huni Buntot, mahabang dili Subalit nang lumaki Buntot ko ay umiksi Kinidlat, binuhawi!| Whether one likes it or not, it is necessary to work hard in order to keep his stomach filled. He has to work hard even if he has the help of the spirits. Ambahan 139| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Our good and precious soil: Would it be as beautiful if we did not work and toil? Very soon it would be waste.| Ating lupang payapa Paano pa gaganda Kung di tayo gumawa Dagli ‘yang mawawala!| Ambahan: Traveling As a relief from his struggle for life, the Mangyan sometimes goes traveling. The moment will come when the Mangyan cannot be kept tied any longer to his house and the daily chores. He has to go, whether it is opportune or not. The woman, however, is not as fortunate as the man; she is tied to her home, especially when her children are still small. In spite of that, she would also like to go out once in a while. The parents should be, therefore, understanding and reasonable. Ambahan 164| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | This journey that I must do, Tell me please what’s wrong with it, And please explain how, indeed, Father and mother dearest! But then if there’s nothing wrong, Then why scold me for so long?| Iring aking pagpasyal Kung mali po ang asal Ako ay kagalitan O Tatay ko, O Inay Ngunit kung kawastuhan H’wag sanang magtungayaw?| The following ambahan is a special bit of advice to those with the unpleasant ringworm skin disease. Ambahan 166| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Little bird, Balinayaw, When the sun is fading fast, Better not to walk outside, For your colors will stand out On the leafless Limpayaw!| Ay naku ibong Balaw Kung pusyaw na ang araw Huwag ka ngang galawgaw Kulay mo ay lilitaw Sa panot na Limpayaw!| Just as the speed of those who travel differs, so the character also differs. Ambahan 178| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Take my bird, the bidlawan, whistling loud and flying far, still he will always come back to the house wherein we dwell. But the bird alipasang whistling loud and flying far, he will not come back again to the house wherein we dwell.| Ibong kong si Bidlawan Sakaling ngang liparan Babalik pa rin iyan Sa ‘ming dampang pugaran Ang ibong layang-layang Kung puma-ilanglang Wala na pong balikan Sa pugad na tahanan!| Ambahan: Hospitality and friendship When a traveler arrives at a house he wont be afraid that he may not be welcome. Hospitality is considered the highest of virtues among the Mangyans. Ambahan 181| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | My dear friend, be welcome here! Where, perchance, did you come from? From the seashore ebbing low, from the bubbling water spring? If from the water source up, let us talk a moment here, in a happy, friendly way. Even whoever you are, we like to be at your side.| Katoto kong matalik Saan ka ba nanggaling Sa baybayin bang gilid Nasunson ba ng batis Kung sa bukal ng tubig Halina at magniig Sa kwentuhan mong ibig Di-kilala ma’t batid Makapiling ka’y lirip!| Sitting together on the balcony in the soft moonlight, the Mangyan feel inspired. Friendship is great! Ambahan 198| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Look! The moon so full and bright, shining in front of the house! How can you explain to me, that the rays are soft and cool? If a man like us he were, I would hold him by the hand! Seize the hair to keep him back! Grasp the clothes to make him stay! But how could I manage that! It is the moon in the sky! The full moon shining so bright, going down beyond the hills, disappearing from the plain, out of sight behind the rocks.| Kay liwanag ng buwan Sa balkunahe’y sinag Paano naging ganyak Luningning ay busilak Kung tao s’yang katulad Pipigilan kong tiyak Sa buhok, siya’y hawak Siguro sa damit man Pa’no mapipigilan May buwang nakasinag Bituing kumikislap May bundok kinublihan May hinamugang patag May tuktok na pinugad.| The visitor will be home again, but the memory of his good friends will remain forever. Ambahan 205| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | You, my friends, dearest of all, thinking of you makes me sad. Rivers deep are in between, forests vast keep us apart. But thinking of you with love, as if you are here nearby standing, sitting at my side.| Lugod kong kaibigan Kung kita’y pag-isipan May ilog sa pagitan May gubat sa harapan Ngunit kung pagbulayan Parang nasa tabihan Kapiling sa kandungan.| Ambahan: Marriage Although the courtship period has a varied set of rules and ceremonials, the marriage itself is as simple as possible. After the consent of the parents has been obtained, the unceremonial first sleep of both the spouses together is considered as wedlock itself. In the ambahan literature, a major part revolves around the perennial theme of married life and all its ramifications. After many years of living together, does the husband still remember his promise that he gave as an ardent lover? When difficulties arise, the Mangyans try to smooth them out themselves. Ambahan 210| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | If the ties you use at home Become weak and tend to break, You should be the one to mend, The one to restore their strength.| Panali ma’y marupok Uway iyan na gapok Ikaw itong susubok Magtitibay nang lubos!| The following advice is worthwhile to remember! Ambahan 231| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Even with disharmony and a quarrel now and then. No reason to separate. Try to understand it first!| Kahit may kaguluhan May tampuha’t alitan Di dapat talikuran Unawain mo naman!| Parting for a longer period of time is sad for the couple. Ambahan 234| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | My dear fragrant herb, my wife, it is true, we have to part, on this day and on this hour. If united we remain and our bond is strong and pure, you and I, far as we are, it’s like holding hands again, it’s like sitting side by side.| Kab’yak kong halimuyak Kita ma’y magkawalay Ngayon at lumaon man Kung buklod ay matibay Maayos ang samahan Ikaw nga at ako man Magkahawak ng kamay Wari’y nasa kandungan!| Ambahan: Old age Sharing their love, the happy couple grows old together. Old age in Mangyan society is not given special status and special privileges. As long as anyone is able to keep up, he is expected to take part in daily work. It is, therefore, not surprising to see the old and feeble people working side by side with the younger generations in the rice fields. However, the irrevocable advance of time is felt by the elder generation. It is something that can’t be changed. Ambahan 235| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | It’s a fact we all know, a truth wherever we go: the sun in the afternoon will be setting very soon.| Di ba’t totoo naman Katunayan saan man Araw sa kataasan Ay lulubog rin naman.| Among themselves, the older generation talk about the time when they will no longer be together. Will there still come another day after this night? Ambahan 237| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | At this hour of the dark night we are still together now on the woven sleeping-mat. But when the sun rises soon, and the stars become detached, our bond might break up too. When we’ll ever meet again, it is not with mortal eyes, but the eye-sight of the soul.| Sa sandaling karimlan Kahit kita magtipan Sa banig na higaan Pagsikat nitong araw Talang maghihiwalay; Buklod nati’y bibigay; Pagkikita’y daratal Paningi’y mapawi man May bagong kaanyuan.| The thought of death is quietly accepted by a Mangyan. It is not the frightful and horrible event that is feared so much by the lowland Christians. For a Mangyan, death is part of the life cycle of every human being; it is looked upon as something that will bring a definite change in life, mostly for the better, not for the worst. Especially when the Mangyan gets old, he likes to think of death as the moment that will bring him back again to his beloved who went ahead of him. Ambahan 242| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says the man, already old, thinking of life after death: When I leave, it will be nice. I will whistle, I will yell on the highest mountain peaks. Yes, one day I will be glad; I will see my wife again! Many things we’ll have to say! Then I won’t want to come back.| Wika ng isang Mangyan Isip ang kamatayan Kung yayao’t papanaw Sipol akong hihiyaw Sa landas sa ‘bundukan Kung dumatal ang asam Pagtagpo natin hirang Sa usal ay puspusan Papanaw nang tuluyan| Ambahan: Death When physical life comes to an end, the soul departs for another place. The moment of dying, this singular experience, is vividly remembered afterwards by the soul, especially if death came during an agonizing circumstance. Ambahan 246| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says the soul remembering: Just a while ago at home, in the house I used to stay, My body was really bad, lying sickly on the mat, though not ready yet to go. Scared to death I really was! I was going to the right and to left, back and forth! So confused I was that time! Now, my body laid at rest, finally I took a bath in the waters for the soul. I am starting on my way to the place my father went, and where Mother joined him, too.| Taghoy ng kaluluwa: Kanina nang lumisan Sa dampa kong tahanan Katawan ko’y naghihirap Sa banig na higaan Di pa lumilisan Balisang nagpaalam Pa-biling-biling naman Pakaliwa’t pakanan Sige na nga kung ganyan Ako na ay lilisan Liligo sa hugasan Sa tubig dalisayan Sa bago kong hantungan Sa tabihan ni Amang Kapiling na si Inang!| Tragic, also is the Mangyan who died out of misery and chagrin because of the hardship he had to deal with! We do not know what his problems were or who caused them, but that he had some is clear from his explanation! Ambahan 251| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | These are the words of the soul: Who would finally not complain! My house on the mountain slope in the darkness of the night, hurricanes were howling loud. When the sun was in the sky, the shower came lashing down! All the southern typhoon winds, all the north-western storms, my house they were hitting hard! That was exactly the case. No wonder I left the place!| Hinagpis ng kalul’wa: Sinong di masasaktan Bahay ko sa tarikan Kung gabi at karimlan Ang hangin ay bugsuan Kung araw ay sikatan Ambon ay ampiyasan Saklot ng habagat man Pispis nga ng amihan Tutok doo’t bugsuan Kang ganyan rin nga lamang Sa dampa na’y lilisan| All this information comes from the realm of the dead, furnished by the deceased themselves! Communicating with the souls or spirits of the dead is nothing extraordinary for the Mangyans. These are those persons who possess the power to strike up a conversation with the spirits by means of a medium or daniw. The conversation resembles a sà ©ance among spiritualists. The Mangyan who grieves about the death of a dear one likes to avail himself of the services of a daniw in order to see if the soul of the deceased cannot be convinced to come back and join his earthly body again. Positive results are said to be known, but they are not recorded in the ambahan verse. The ambahan samples available only relate the failure of the daniw and the decisiveness of the soul to continue his course in the other life. Ambahan 252| Hanunuo-Mangyan| English| Filipino| | Says the seer’s medium: You, soul, can you tell me please, why is it you were so scared, that time when you left the house? Wasn’t a spirit from the woods? If so, I took care of that through my prayers very strong and the incantations too! Your fears should have disappeared, since the Evil one is gone. All the more, it’s long ago that I caged him through my strength.| Ang wika nitong Daniw: Kalul’wa, hoy sabihin Takot ka ba at bakit? Sa tahana’y umalis Kung malignong gubatin Ligtas nating talunin Sa lakas ng dalangin Sa tindi ng humigmig Tuloy kang manahimik Maligno’y gagapusin Ngayon at noon mandin Sa dunong bibihagin!| Mangyan groups Ethnographic map of Mindoro There are around 300 million indigenous peoples in the world. In the Philippines, of the projected population of 94 million in 2010, about 15% belong to indigenous groups. [AusAID] Mindoro is the seventh largest island in the Philippines, with an area of 10,224 square kilometers and two provinces – Oriental and Occidental. Of the total population of one million, the indigenous population is estimated at 100,000. Mangyan is the collective name for the eight indigenous groups living in Mindoro, each with its own name, language, and set of customs: * Iraya * Alangan * Tadyawan * Tau-buid * Bangon * Buhid * Hanunuo * Ratagnon Iraya An Iraya-Mangyan family [Source: Mangyan Mission] The Iraya Mangyans live in the municipalities of Puerto Galera, San Teodoro and Baco in Oriental Mindoro but most are in Occidental Mindoro, particularly in the municipalities of Abra de Ilog, Paluan, Mamburao and Santa Cruz. Estel (1952) described the Iraya as having curly or deep wavy hair and dark skin but not as dark as that of the Negrito. During ancient times, the Iraya traditional attire was made of dry tree bark, pounded to make it flat and soft. The women usually wore a blouse and a skirt and the men wore g-strings made of cloth. Today, however, the Iraya are dressed just like the lowland people. Ready-to-wear clothes are easier to find than their traditional costume [Uyan, 2002]. The Irayas are also skilled in nito-weaving. Handicrafts such as jars, trays, plates and cups of different sizes and design are being marketed to the lowlanders. They subsist on rice, banana, sweet potato, and other root crops. Alangan An Alangan-Mangyan woman in traditional attire The Alangan Mangyans live in the municipalities of Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro, and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro, and in the municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro. The name Alangan was derived from the name of a river and mountain slopes in the upper Alangan Valley [Leykamm, 1979]. The women traditionally wear a skirt called lingeb. This is made of long strips of woven nito (forest vines), and is wound around the abdomen. This is worn together with the g-string called abayen. The upper covering is called ulango, made from the leaf of the wild buri palm. Sometimes a red kerchief called limbutong is worn over the ulango. The men wear g-strings with fringes in front. The Alangan Mangyans practise swidden farming, which consists of eleven stages. Two of them are the firebreak-making (agait) and the fallowing (agpagamas). A firebreak is made so the fire will not go beyond the swidden site where the vegetation is thoroughly dry and ready for burning. Two years after clearing, cultivation of the swidden is normally ceased and the site is allowed to revert back to forest [Quiaoit, 1997]. Betel nut chewing is also noted among the Alangans, like all other Mangyan tribes. This they chew with great fervor from morning to night, saying that they don’t feel hunger as long as they chew betel nut [Leykamm, 1979]. Nonetheless, betel chewing has a social dimension. Exchange of betel chew ingredients signifies social acceptance. Tadyawan Tadyawan Mangyans in Oriental Mindoro [Source: Mangyan Mission] The Tadyawan Mangyans live in the municipalities of Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Bansud. In the past, the women wore for their upper covering a red cloth called paypay, which is wound around the breast. For their lower covering, they wrapped around the waist a white cloth called talapi. The men wore g-strings called abay. For their accessories, women wore colorful bracelets and necklaces made of beads. Today the women are rarely seen wearing their traditional attire, though some men still wear the abay. Like all other Mangyan tribes, the Tadyawan depend on their â€Å"kaingin† farm for subsistence. Their staple foods are upland rice, banana, sweet potato, and taro. Some have also planted fruit-bearing trees like rambutan, citrus, and coffee in their kaingin. Tau-buid A Tau-buid Mangyan in Occidental Mindoro [Source: Overseas Missionary Fellowship] The Tau-buids are known as pipe smokers and even children begin smoking at a young age. Standard dress for men and women is the loin cloth. In some areas close to the lowlands, women wrap a knee-length cloth around their bark bra-string and men wear cloth instead of bark. Bark cloth is worn by both men and women in the interior and is also used for head bands, women’s breast covers, and blankets. Cloth is made by extracting, pounding and drying the inner bark of several trees [Pennoyer, 1979]. The Tau-buid Mangyans live in the municipalities of Socorro, Pinamalayan and Gloria, but mostly in Occidental Mindoro. Bangon A Bangon-Mangyan elder [Source: Mangyan Mission] The Bangon Mangyans live along the Bongabon river called Binagaw and the surrounding mountains in the municipalities of Bongabong, Bansud, and Gloria in Oriental Mindoro. The Bangon Mangyans have their own culture, language and writing system, different to the other tribes in Oriental Mindoro, and asserted they be considered the seventh major tribe – not a sub-tribe of the Tau-buid. In a March 28, 1996 meeting with Buhid Mangyans in Ogom Liguma, they decided to accept the word Bangon for their tribe. Buhid A Buhid-Mangyan woman [Source: Mangyan Mission] The Buhids are known as pot makers. Other Mangyan tribes, like the Alangan and Hanunuo, used to buy their cooking pots from the Buhids. The word Buhid literally means â€Å"mountain dwellers† [Postma, 1967]. Buhid women wear woven black and white brassiers called linagmon and a black and white skirt called abol. Unmarried women wear body ornaments such as a braided nito belt (lufas), blue thread earrings, beaded headband (sangbaw), beaded bracelet (uksong), and beaded long necklace (siwayang or ugot). The men wear g-strings. To enhance body beauty, the men wear ornaments like a long beaded necklace, tight choker (ugot) and beaded bracelet (uksong). Both sexes use an accessory bag called bay-ong for personal things like comb and knife [Litis, 1989]. Together with the Hanunuo, the Buhids in some areas possess a pre-Spanish syllabic writing system. The Buhid Mangyans live in the municipalities of Roxas, Bansud, Bongabong and some parts of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro, and in the municipalities of San Jose and Rizal in Occidental Mindoro. Hanunuo A Hanunuo-Mangyan family [Source: Mangyan Mission] To the Hanunuo, clothing (rutay) is one of the most important criteria in distinguishing the Mangyan from the non-Manyan (damuong). A Hanunuo-Mangyan male wears a loin cloth (ba-ag) and a shirt (balukas). A female wears an indigo-dyed short skirt (ramit) and a blouse (lambung). Many of the traditional style shirts and blouses are embroidered on the back with a design called pakudos, based on the cross shape. This design is also found on their bags made of buri (palm leaf) and nito (black fern), called bay-ong. Both sexes used to wear a twilled rattan belt with pocket (hagkos) at their waist. Long hair is the traditional style for a man. It is tied in one spot at the back of the head with a cloth hair-band called panyo. Women also have long hair often dressed with a headbands of beads. The Hanunuo Mangyans of all ages and both sexes are very fond of wearing necklaces and bracelets of beads [Miyamoto, 1985]. In the past they cultivated cotton trees and from these obtained raw materials which they wove in a crude hand loom called harablon. The process of weaving was called habilan, which starts with the gathering of cotton balls and pilling them to dry in a flat basket (bilao). Afterwards, the seeds are removed and the cotton placed on a mat and beaten by two flat sticks to make it fine. Next the cotton is placed inside a container made out of banana stalks (binuyo) and woven. Noted anthropologist Harold Conklin made an extensive study on the Hanunuo-Mangyan agricultural system in 1953. The Hanunuo Mangyans practise swidden farming. This type of farming is different from the â€Å"kaingin† system practised by non-Mangyans which is often very destructive when it is done with no proper safeguards to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding vegetation. A fallow period is also observed so that the swidden farm will revert back to forest. According to Conklin, the Mangyans managed their swidden farms skillfully. In 1995, almost half a century after Con klin’s research, a study on the Hanunuo Mangyans’ swidden farming system was conducted by Hayama Atsuko. She concluded that the Hanunuo Mangyans’ farming practices have prevented land deterioration in spite of the fact that forest land degradation is now evident in their territory due to various factors. Together with their northern neighbor the Buhids, the Hanunuo possess a pre-Spanish writing system, considered to be of Indic origin, with characters expressing the open syllables of the language [Postma, 1981]. This syllabic writing system, called Surat Mangyan, is being taught in several Mangyan schools in Mansalay and Bulalacao. The Hanunuo Mangyans live in the municipalities of Mansalay, Bulalacao, and some parts of Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro, and in the municipality of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro. Ratagnon The Ratagnon live in the southernmost part of the municipality of Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro. Their language is similar to the Visayan Cuyunon language, spoken by the inhabitants of Cuyo Island in Northern Palawan. The Ratagnon women wear a wrap-around cotton cloth from the waistline to the knees and some of the males still wear the traditional g-string. The women’s breast covering is made of woven nito (vine). They also wear accessories made of beads and copper wire. The males wear a jacket with simple embroidery during gala festivities and carry flint, tinder, and other paraphernalia for making fire. Both sexes wear coils of red-dyed rattan at the waistline. Like other Mangyan tribes, they also carry betel chew and its ingredients in bamboo containers.