Suck up and Sipsip – Idiomatic Expressions in Different Languages Which Have the Same Meaning

by ABQ Allenace Muchi

My student asked me what suck up means and I realized that its informal usage  in English and its idiomatic meaning are the same with how we use the word in Filipino.

Example:  

1. Suck up the juice through the straw. In  Filipino,  it means sipsipin ang straw. It’s just the same.

2. She always sucks up to the teacher to get a high grade. In Filipino, we use just the same word, sipsip. E.g. sipsip sa teacher.

So the question is why do we have the same idiom in different languages? I am asking this because idioms are usually hard to understand since their meaning are not always literal but figurative. Through research though, I found out that even if the meaning of idioms is not based on the literal meaning of each word in the expression, still, they have connections with the figurative meaning.

It is also possible that the idiom is just transparent which means its meaning is based on the literal meaning of each word. But come to think of it, isn’t it a great coincidence that suck up to the teacher in English means sipsip sa teacher in Filipino? They are exactly the same.

Another idiomatic expression in English which has the same meaning in Filipino is can’t stomach. In Filipino translation, it’s the same, kaya mong sikmurain?

Example 2

I’m rusty – In Filipino it’s “kinakalawang”. I haven’t practiced French for a long time. I’m getting a little bit rusty.

What is your stand? Share your point about this.

According to my co-worker who is a Filipino language expert, it may be due to the colonization of the Americans. It is possible that the idiomatic expressions mentioned have American influence. Therefore, in understanding  why a certain form of word exists, history and cultural background are important.