What is Jejemon?

What is Jejemon really? It was derived from two words jeje (from hehe means laughter) and mon (a Japanese-influenced suffix in Pokemon) Jejemons are the people who laugh Jejejeje instead of heheheh in Pinoy SMS.

Jejemons has multiplied through chatrooms, online games, social networks and widely in mobile texting. They became a popular subculture because they make their own rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar. They type words in the virtual world by alternating capital and small letters, adding H, Z etc. So weird that only their group could understand.

dHeY tYpe wOrdz lYk diZs

Good Effects of Jejemon

Gives pleasure to a social group. Jejemons became a tribe, so if you are one of them, you tend to enjoy like them. I cant object and Im not against them but I know every gang or sorority brings pleasure to anyone in a way he feels he belongs Secret codes. If youre a Jejemon, you definitely know how to speak and how to communicate with them. Only you and your folks can understand each other pretty well. So maybe, in times of secrecy, you can converse using your special terms. The feeling of freedom. If youre a proud Jejemon, it also means you dont care about anti-Jejemon critics. Its a sign that you are liberated from what others would think.

Bad Effects of Jejemon

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You forget your main language. Whatever it is, English or Filipino, if youre a Jejemon, you always speak with it, so you get used to it. Your other dialects are set aside. Oftentimes, it will let you forget the right spelling or grammar in English or Filipino. Jologs status. (Ok Jejemons dont freak out) Jologs, just like Jejemon, is a term used to denote low class group who are majority from the province towns, often times termed as

tambay Jologs is a label of no-care to the world of etiquette or whatever is prim and proper for that matter.
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Outcast. Jejemons unfortunately are not widely accepted in the nation so if someone sort of suspects hes talking to one, he wont talk with him again or be a friend with him. A perfect example would be what Ive read from a site that says, OMG youre a Jejemon! Bye! Because of it, Jejemon has been a big social issue. Difficult to read. All would agree its freaking hard to read Jejemon words.

Do Jejemons annoy you?

DepEd (Department of Education) discourage everyone using such grammar because of the obvious effects. A lot of groups have grown also to combat Jejemons, they are Jejebusters, Anti-jeje, GOTTA KILL EM ALL JEJEMON and many more.

Surprisingly, the term Jejemon won the word of the year in Sawikaan 2010 over nine other entries, by the University of the Philippines academic group in Diliman, Quezon City organized by the Filipinas Institute of Translation.

"In the Philippines, the term gay has been used loosely to include homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, crossdressers, and effeminate men. Filipino gays are mostly stereotyped as effeminate, crossdressers, hairdressers, camp and ridiculed. Bakla or Bading, a derogatory Filipino word for gay, is commonly used. Tibo or tomboy has a similar function, and refers to lesbians, usually of the butch and masculine type. A more benign slang word for gay men is billy boy. For Filipino gays, the Tagalog phrase "paglaladlad ng kapa" (literally means "unfurling of the cape") refers to the coming-out process. Although gays and lesbians are generally tolerated within Philippine society, there are still widespread cases of discrimination. Swardspeak is a vernacular language derived from Englog (English-Tagalog) and is used by a number of gay Filipinos. It uses elements from Tagalog, English, and Spanish, and some are from Nippongo, as well as celebrities' names and signature brands, giving them new meanings in the context of this unique language. A unique trait of swardspeak is that it immediately identifies the speaker as homosexual, making it easy for people of that orientation to signal to each other in a place where such tendencies are not easy to display (ie in the Philippines). This creates an exclusive world among its speakers and helps them to resist cultural assimilation. By using swardspeak, Filipino gay men are able to resist the dominant culture of their area and create a space of their own. The language is constantly changing, with old phrases becoming obsolete and new phrases frequently entering everyday usage, reflecting changes in their culture and also maintaining

exclusivity. The dynamic nature of the language refuses to cement itself in single culture and allows for more freedom in expression among its speakers. Words and phrases can be created out of reaction to popular trends and create alternatives to a strictly defined lifestyle. By these characteristics, swardspeak creates a dissident group without any ties to geographical, linguistic, or cultural restrictions, allowing its speakers to shape the language as appropriate to the times. In this way, the language is "mobile", and is simultaneously part of a larger community but also open to more specific or local meanings." Source: Wikipedia and unitedsea.blogspot Deciphering the Filipino Gay Lingo by Empress Maruja Gay men in the Philippines, especially those who are out, speak to each other using a colorful language that they invented, mixing English, Tagalog, Visayan, and sometimes even Japanese. Those who would hear (or read) Filipino gay slang for the first time feel like they are deciphering a Da Vinci Code. Just like any slang, Filipino gay lingo started out with replacing certain words with another term. For example, we say "award" instead of "embarrassed." They say "bet" instead of "boy crush." Eventually, gays learn to speak with a colorful vocabulary, using certain key rules: The J Law - Replacing the first letter of a word with "J." Example: Jowa - Asawa (husband, boyfriend) Jonta - Punta (to go to a place) Jubis - Obese The KY/ NY Law - Replacing the first letter with "Ky" or "Ny." Example: Kyota - Bata (Children) Nyorts - A pair of shorts The Name Game - Replacing a word with a name (usually that of a celebrity) that sounds like it. Example: Julie Yap-Daza - Huli (to get caught) Gelli de Belen - Jealous Carmi Martin - Karma Tom Jones - Tomguts or gutom (hungry) Plus - Adding an extra syllable, extra letters, or extra words to create a different word. Example: Crayola - Cry Thunder Cats - Tanda (an old person; the slang is often called to an old gay man) Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion - Pagod (tired) The use of gay lingo was first used to avoid having other people hear what you are talking about, especially when it comes to sex. This is also a means of defying the cultural norms and creating an identity of their own. Gay speak evolves really fast, with obsolete words and phrases being rewritten and replaced especially when non-gays learn what it means. Saying "Ano'ng happening" (What are your plans for tonight) would make you associated with the 1980s. This language defines the Philippine gay culture, and it would probably stay that way for quite a while.