Pagsaysay

narrative; narrationnoun

Alternative meanings

narrative
narration
way of telling a story
storytelling structure
set of stories or narrative discourse

Pronunciation

pag-SIGH-sigh

Root and affixes

Comes from saysay, meaning, explanation, or account. Pagsaysay names the act or way of narrating; it can also be used for narrative in literary or academic contexts.

Variants or conjugations

pagsaysay = narrative / narration
saysay = account / explanation / meaning
magsaysay = to narrate
pang-istorya = narrative as adjective
istorya = story / account

Related words and expressions

istorya = story
sugilanon = tale / story
laraw = plot
nobela = novel
literatura = literature
magsusugid = narrator

Meaning and usage notes

Pagsaysay works for narrative or narration in a formal sense. For a specific story, istorya or sugilanon may sound more natural. For the adjective narrative, pang-istorya already exists as a separate entry.