Tisk, Tisk, Aye, Yie

When my father gets angry, frustrated or disappointed he makes a noise that is the Filipino equivalent of tisking:

“Aye, yie, yie,” he says and shakes his head.

Growing up it was the only way you knew if you’d done something wrong.

I eventually came to notice that in addition to aye, yie, yie, other Filipinos also said, “Ay na ko.” One day I asked him why he didn’t say it. His reply took me completely by surprise.

“Dat is a woman’s saying!” he said more vehemently than I’d ever heard him say anything.

I burst out laughing.

“What?”

“I’m sorry dad…I didn’t mean to offend you!”

My dad’s pretty progressive in terms of gender roles, as he grew up in a house where all his brothers and sisters were equally expected to earn degrees and get jobs. Apparently though, gender sayings are quite a different story.