Paris
From: Jose Rizal
To: Dr. A.B. Meyer
* * *
45 Rue de Maubeugue, Paris
Paris, 29 August 1889
DR. A. B. MEYER
MY ESTEEMED FRIEND,
Having received your letter and desiring to answer satisfactorily your question, I have taken all possible steps to discover the etymology of the Tagalog word anuang. I have asked all my friends and no one of them could tell me its meaning, not even a conjecture.
My opinion is that if in Celebes the anoa depressicornis is called anoa or another similar word, it must be supposed that the Tagalog anuang comes from there. The word anuang meaning buffalo, is used solely in the province of Tayabas; in Tagalog it is Kalabaw, in Pampango, damulag etc.
Now then, if this word anuang is of Tagalog origin, it must have then an onomatopoeic origin, like onga by which is called in some places the ox, cow, and bull for their bellow. The name uak (crow) for its croaking; tiktik, a bird, for its song; tuko, a large lizard, for the same reason, etc. All these names indicate the cries of these animals. Therefore, the word anuang could be derived from ang uang, uang or unga being the croaking that Indian boys try to reproduce when they want to imitate the genus Bos and the buffalos. The etymology ano ang is a bit inadmissible.
Now it is my turn to consult you. Morga, speaking about the Chinese mandarins who visited Manila at the beginning of the XVII century, mentions “vpos” among the porters, flags, and other things of the Chinese retinue. “Vpos” is a word that is not found in any dictionary. May it be a Chinese word?
Wishing to be ever useful to you and regretting not to be able to serve you further on this occasion, I am your sincere servant and friend.
RIZAL
02-433 [Blumentritt V.1]