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Question: What does "Wersh-Wersh" mean?

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Author Photo by: AmboyBaritone
Jun 26 2020, 11:23pm CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
Question: What does "Wersh-Wersh" mean?
 
I know that I probably messed up on the spelling, so just go with how the word sounds.
 
I first heard, "Wersh-Wersh" in one episode of "The Voice Kids Philippines" a few years back when Sharon Cuneta replaced Sarah Geronimo as the 3rd coach for one season. One of the things Sharon said when trying to convince the contestant to join her team was "Ako yung talagang Tagalog, sila Wersh-Wersh." (I'm the one who really speaks Tagalog here, they speak "Wersh-Wersh". I can't quite translate what Sharon meant by that line.) Throughout the season, she kept on referring to the way Coach Lea and Coach Bamboo spoke Tagalog as "Wersh-Wersh."
 
My guess is that Wersh-Wersh has something to do with the speaker's accent. If yes, does "Wersh-Wersh" mean you sound like an American speaking Tagalog? If not, what does "Wersh-Wersh" actually mean?
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Author Photo jkos Badge: AdminBadge: SupporterBadge: Serious SupporterBadge: VIP Supporter
Jun 27 2020, 7:03am CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
Looks like it, from other mentions online, that it refers to having a foreign, English accent.
I’d be interested as to the origins, too...can’t help but think it has something to do with the different way Americans say “o”s...with “go” more like “gohw”, and of course the unique English R’s that are different than Tagalog.
 
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Author Photo hamilee Badge: Native Tagalog Speaker
Jun 27 2020, 10:16am CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
@AmboyBaritone
Yes. I think you guessed it right. It's her personal way of describing how coach Bamboo and coach Lea speak English with a western accent (fluent) in a funny way.
 
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Author Photo jkos Badge: AdminBadge: SupporterBadge: Serious SupporterBadge: VIP Supporter
Jun 27 2020, 10:50am CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
@hamilee Thanks for your input. Have you heard this term before elsewhere, hamilee? I wonder if it’s new slang.
 
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Author Photo AmboyBaritone
Jun 27 2020, 4:27pm CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
I probably have "wersh-wersh" accent, but it has most likely been toned down.
 
The English language doesn't really use the pure vowel [o], but instead uses the diphthong [oʊ] (a long "o" sound). Tagalog's "e" vowel is more similar to [e] than the English [ɛ] as in "bed" [bɛd].
One difference I've noticed is also in the consonants. English Consonants are plosive, while Tagalog is more dental, and less plosive. "l" is also [l] which is a dental "l" instead of the English [ɬ] as in "ball" [bɑɬ].
 
I guess what makes someone have a "western" accent is if s/he notices these differences between Tagalog and English, and tries to implement them while speaking Tagalog, but ends up stiffening the pronunciation.
 
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Author Photo hamilee Badge: Native Tagalog Speaker
Jul 03 2020, 10:55pm CST ~ 3 years, 9 mos ago. 
@jkos
This is the first time I've heard it. I really believe that it is Sharon's way of describing the other two coaches speak in a humorous way.
 
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