Swardspeak: The LGBTQ+ language of the Philippines

In a country made up of over 7,500 thousand islands, it is hardly surprising that the Philippines is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world, with its inhabitants speaking more than 170 languages.

Swardspeak, also known as gay speak or “gay lingo” is a language developed in the 1970s that is spoken almost exclusively amongst the Filipino LGBT community.

Swardspeak derives from Taglish, a mix of Tagalog and English.

Swardspeak incorporates elements of many languages, in particular that of Tagalog, English, Spanish, and even some Japanese. Words from local languages are also used, such as Kapampangan, Waray, Cebuano. However, it's not just words from other languages that form part of Swardspeak, but also names of celebrities and famous brands which are given different meanings.

In Swardspeak, saying ‘Tom Jones’ means that you're hungry.

What makes Swardspeak different from many other languages is that it instantly identifies its speakers as being part of the LGBT community, which also helps to withstand cultural assimilation.

Its name was coined by film critic Nestor Torre in the 1970s.

Despite having a relatively recent history, the origins of the words and phrases used in Swardspeak have been around for many years before it was given its official name. It acted as a cultural safe space for gay men by allowing them to communicate with one another.

‘Sward' is an old-fashioned slang word for ‘gay male’ in the Philippines.

As the Philippines has become increasingly more accepting towards homosexuals over the last few decades, those outside of the LGBT community have begun learning it. It is common to find words and phrases from Swardspeak in Filipino pop culture and it is especially common to hear it spoken in industries that are popular amongst their LGBT community, such as fashion and entertainment.

Despite allegations of hate crimes against the LGBT community, studies have shown that the Philippines has the most positive attitude towards homosexuality out of all of the countries in Asia.

In a lot of ways, the history of Swardspeak mirrors that of Polari, a secret code language that gay men used at the time of the UK’s strict anti-homosexuality laws to avoid imprisonment. However, as the culture of the time evolved, the use of Polari declined following the legalisation of private homosexual acts in 1967.

Swardspeak constantly changes, with old words and phrases dying out and new phrases making their way into everyday speech. Just as with Polari and all other languages and dialects spoken around the world, these changes are reflected by the development in their society and culture. New words and phrases are often created to fit in with popular trends of the time, allowing its speakers to alter the language in whatever way they like.