“We learned the English of the rich and then taught ourselves English.”

A Filipino creator discusses the “two different varieties of English” spoken by Filipinos, which he believes reflect their socio-economic status.

On August 11, 18-year-old TikTok creator Angel Sugar (@angel_sugrr) posted a video discussing what she noticed about the two different types of English spoken by Filipinos in the Philippines.

“It's a strange way of looking at it, but I think Filipinos have two kinds of English,” Angel says. “So there was English for the wealthy, and then there was self-taught English.”

According to Angell, self-taught English refers to Filipinos who learn English using American or British media, for example.

“Self-taught English comes from people who are actually consuming the media,” they explain. Angell said self-taught English speakers either still have a Filipino accent or can't trace it at all.

“It's like he's from another country and his accent is gone.” [because of] Social media,” they added.

Losing your accent when learning English through media such as English movies and TV shows may be due, in part, to the fact that you are imitating exactly what you hear. In doing so, traces of their first language may be hidden.

On the other hand, Angell says, “Rich people's English sounds like people are turning into cognos.''

“I don't know how to explain it. It's like when they speak English, you can tell if they're rich or not.”

In the Philippines, Konyo It is used to represent a combination of English and Filipino words and is also known as: taglish (Tagalog and English) This is generally associated with Filipinos who are fair-skinned and of high socio-economic status.

“Conyos are considered a modern version of the Taglish-speaking Filipino mestizo elite, who enjoy the benefits of regular wealth but are also youthful, consumerist, and wayward.” said Angela Reyes, a professor at City University's Hunter College. in the New York State Department of English, she writes in her paper, “The Invention of the Postcolonial Elite: Race, Language, Mixture, and Excess.” “In the modern Philippines, the word “conyo'' is ambiguous. Conyo (also spelled conyo, cono, cono, conio) is recognized as derived from the Spanish word conyo for female genitalia, which is also a common curse word. ”

This “elite” language, a mix of English and Tagalog, is commonly spoken among Filipinos who attended private schools.

“Especially in urban areas like Manila and among young people educated in private schools, conyo refers to both a type of person and a type of speech: wealthy, status-conscious, and intelligent. Young people who are empty-nesters, attend or have recently attended private schools, and probably speak a different form of Taglish. In addition to these linguistic and class indicators, conyos are people who are “mestizo” or “fair-skinned.” They are also often identified by species terms,” Reyes added.

For Angel, how Filipinos speak English is an important indicator of their wealth.

“They speak with an accent. When they speak straight English, it sounds like they're trying to be a conyo,” they say, before giving their impressions. “I don't know how to explain it. It's like when they speak English, you can tell if they're rich or not. Rich English is Konyo-accented English.”

“For me, imitating the rich Filipino Konyo accent is more difficult than speaking with an American accent.”

With over 1.2 million views and 239,500 likes, Angel's video seems to have reached and resonated with a significant number of creators on TikTok, many of whom are also Filipino. Some creators “use” the Konyo accent and reap its benefits, while others find it more difficult to “copy”.

“As a filmmaker, I use a Konyo accent when I enter clubs and bars in the US because they are not so strict about foreigners,” wrote @sirraulo.

“Private school taglish fr” @ashkelatt replied.

“I noticed it too!! I don't know, but for me it's harder to copy a rich Filipino Coño accent than it is to speak with an American accent,” @dj_saturn commented.

Yahoo's In The Know is now available on Apple News — Follow us here!

Post creators share that they believe there are “two different Englishes for Filipinos”: “We have a rich English, and then we have a self-taught English” First Published in In The Know.

More from In The Know:

British woman searches her mother-in-law's closet and unearths a 'treasure trove' of works from the '90s and early 2000s: 'MIL is the bad guy'

Women want to normalize their 30s: “30s are frivolous and thriving!”

Anthropologie is having a huge Labor Day sale on candles, furniture, rugs, and other home goods

These are the only skin care products you need in your carry-on when traveling