{"id":1672,"date":"2017-08-31T10:53:19","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T15:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.henrydelrosario.com\/?p=1672"},"modified":"2017-09-03T11:56:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-03T16:56:15","slug":"logographing-rice-bamboo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.henrydelrosario.com\/?p=1672","title":{"rendered":"Logographing Rice and Bamboo"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am continuing a series of calligraphy pieces in Baybayin script<\/a> (ancient, Filipino writing system) to examine the meaning and aesthetic of one word or phrase in Tagalog. The combining of Baybayin alphasyllabic letters into an aesthetic whole, I am coining Logographing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Tagalog, there are at least seven different words for rice, showing how important rice is to the culture!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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English<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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Tagalog<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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Tagalog in Baybayin script<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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unmilled rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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palay<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u1709\u170e\u170c\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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milled rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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bigas<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u170a\u1712\u1704\u1710\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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cooked rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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kanin<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u1703\u1708\u1712\u1708\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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rice porridge<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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lugaw<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u170e\u1713\u1704\u170f\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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burned rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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tutong<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u1706\u1713\u1706\u1713\u1705\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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left-over rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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bahaw<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u170a\u1711\u170f\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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fried rice<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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sinangag<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\u1710\u1712\u1708\u1705\u1734\u1700\u1704\u1734<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

One of my favorite words is “tutong” (\u1706\u1713\u1706\u1713\u1705\u1734) which refers to the burned, crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. Many cook this unintentionally but there are recipes (tutong na kanin, “burned cooked rice”) that exist in the Philippines as well as in other cultures that use burned rice. Korean people call it “nurungji<\/a>” (\ub204\ub8fd\uc9c0), in Chinese it is “mi guoba” (\u7c73\u934b\u8019), in Japanese it is “okoge” (\u304a\u7126\u3052), in Vietnamese it is “c\u01a1m ch\u00e1y.”<\/i><\/p>\n

Rice<\/h2>\n

It’s an amazing word, so I logographed it in Baybayin script. I also did “kanin” (\u1703\u1708\u1712\u1708\u1734) and “sinangag” (\u1710\u1712\u1708\u1705\u1734\u1700\u1704\u1734) because who doesn’t love cooked or fried rice!?<\/p>\n

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Baybayin script calligraphy: logographing \u201ckanin\u201d (cooked rice; \u1703\u1708\u1712\u1708\u1734) The script on the side are the six other words Filipinos have for rice. (\u00a9 2017 Henry Del Rosario)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Baybayin script calligraphy: logographing \u201csinangag\u201d (fried rice; \u1710\u1712\u1708\u1705\u1734\u1700\u1704\u1734) “sa” (\u1710) is particularly deconstructed. (\u00a9 2017 Henry Del Rosario)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Baybayin script calligraphy: logographing \u201ctutong\u201d (burned rice; \u1706\u1713\u1713\u1706\u1713\u1705\u1734) (\u00a9 2017 Henry Del Rosario)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bamboo<\/h2>\n

I am finishing reading the Filipino poems (ambahans<\/a>) from Antoon Postma’s Treasure of a Minority<\/em><\/a>. Filipinos use nature in creative and allegorical ways in their poetry. Monkeys, hurricanes, rivers, and bamboo are abundant. Below is a logograph of “kawayan” (\u1703\u170f\u170c\u1708\u1734).<\/p>\n

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Baybayin script calligraphy: logographing \u201ckawayan\u201d (bamboo; \u1703\u170f\u170c\u1708\u1734). Baybayin was traditionally carved on bamboo and then wiped with ash. “Kawayan” is the same word in Tagalog as in Hanunoo-Mangyan language. (\u00a9 2017 Henry Del Rosario)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you are learning Baybayin, it may be confusing because I do switch between strict traditional Baybayin (no end consonants, no cross kudlits nor pamudp\u00f3) to modern Baybayin, which uses modernized notation for easier reading. Ancient Filipinos would say and understand “kawayan” but would only write it as “\u1703\u170f\u170c” not “\u1703\u170f\u170c\u1708\u1734” nor “\u1703\u170f\u170c\u1708\u1714”. Baybayin is an alphasyllabary which does not traditionally denote end constants such as the “n” in “kawayan” or the “ng” and last “g” in “sinangag.” I go back an forth due to aesthetic reasons! :D<\/p>\n

Links<\/h2>\n