Factors Considered in the Use of Angry Registers in Northern Catanduanes Bicol Conversations

Abstract

Angry register (AR), in which certain nouns, adjectives, and verbs are replaced when the speaker is angry – is typologically rare and apparently limited in distribution to just the Greater Central Philippine subgroup. In general, lexical items from the normal register are simply replaced by synonymous words (excluding curse words and other vulgar words) from the angry register, and the sentences remain syntactically and morphologically identical to normal register sentences. As such, to explore this unique linguistic feature limited to a few Philippine languages, the study was conducted using the analytical framework called Hymes’ SPEAKING model. Through the use of observation sheet and interview, the factors considered by Catanduanganon speakers when using angry registers (ARs) were examined. Data were collected from 90 participants divided into three groups (high school, college, and graduate/ professional levels) from the Northern municipalities of Catanduanes such as Viga, Pandan, Caramoran and Panganiban. Results specified that the use of ARs is influenced by the setting, gender, relationship, and age difference of the speaker and recipient of ARs.