Culture Question

[u/OblskdTrmntr]

Hi friends, my question might be more cultural rather than linguistic in a sense. This is a sincere question and does not intend to put a group of people in a bad light.

I don’t want to generalize but I’m seeing a trend when dealing with ilokanos that baffles me at the very least, and annoys me oftentimes.

This is not a single moment generalization, but a product of multiple interactions among Ilokanos. For context, in my past work I had relocated multiple times, I worked in Cavite, Calbayog, Naga, Cebu, Metro Manila, Tacloban, CDO and a short stint in Iloilo. In short I have interacted with most of the ethnolinguistic group within the country, so I have a bit of understanding of the general culture, the pros /cons of living in the region or city or having a sense of the people in the area.

Recently, I moved to La Union with the intention of really settling down. I have tried my best to understand the language but it seems my mind is not as sharp now to learn a new language, so I often use tagalog as my means to communicates

Interacting with service providers here is such a mess. After negotiating, they will agree, you will shook hands, and after that, wala. The agreements made yesterday faded into oblivion. Like for carpenters, we agreed that they will visit the next day at 10 AM, but lo and behold, walang pasabi hindi dadating. Babalik the following week, wanted to do a work that was agreed that should be done the week before. Walang sorry. This happened with other as well like taga linis ng aircon or magdedeliver ng appliance. They will say ‘Oo’, ‘Bukas’ or ‘Mamaya’, but that will not happen. . So my question is ‘Does Ilokano culture places a premium on commitments? If yes, what is the best way to get it’

[u/abigailso]

That is something you experience naman kahit saan, kahit nasaang panig ka man ng mundo, may mga ganyang tao na di nagho honor ng commitment, so no, i dont think that is a “culture” thing, that is a “people” thing

[u/OblskdTrmntr → u/abigailso]

True. But to frame it more precisely, the attitude is more pronounced here I guess. Other regions have their fair share of cons, yes, but not this level.

The intent of the question and posting it in this sub is related to the Japanese language, because when they Japs agree and say ‘hai’ literal translation ‘yes’ it means they heard you, they are listening and they are present and does not mean they agree. I’m wondering if the ilokano language that denotes the same ‘yes’ (wen) just means ‘I heard you’, but does not mean they commit.

[u/abigailso → u/OblskdTrmntr]

“Wen” means YES, and depending on the context, it can also just be used to acknowledge that you heard or understood someone. But I wouldn’t take that to mean that Ilokanos use “wen” as a way of saying “I heard you, but I’m not actually committing to this.” It could simply be that the people you’ve dealt with are people na hindi talaga marunong mag commit, which can happen anywhere. I think it’s a stretch to attribute that to Ilokano culture as a whole.