Tagalog language: origin and features

Tagalog is the language of modern Philippines. Want to know where they speak tagalog, in which country is the Tagalog language most widely spoken and what are its features? This article will answer all your questions.

Where do they speak Tagalog?

Tagalog is one of the main languages ​​of the Republic of the Philippines. More than 50 million people living in the Philippines, mainly in the southern part of Luzon Island (the largest island of the Philippine archipelago), speak Tagalog. Other dialects are also found here, such as Sebuano, Ilokano, Varay-Varay, Hiligaynon, Pangasinansky, Bikolsky, Maranao, Magindanao, Tausugsky and Kapampangansky. However, the official language, Filipino, is based specifically on Tagalog. Since 1940, Filipino has been studied in schools across the country.

Tagalog is also spoken in other countries. So, in the UK it ranks sixth among all the languages ​​used in this country.

Origin

The name of the Tagalog language "tagalog" comes from the words "taga-ilog", which literally translates as "from the river." Tagalog is an Austronesian language, belongs to the Malay-Polynesian branch. Over the four centuries of colonial rule, the Tagalog language has been greatly influenced by several other languages, such as Malay and Chinese, and later also Spanish and American English. This influence is strongly manifested in Tagalog words and writing.

Writing

The first Tagalog book was Christian Doctrine, published in 1593. The first tagalog grammar rules and dictionaries were created by Spanish clergy during the 300-year occupation of the Philippines. Although it is sometimes believed that in ancient times each province in the Philippines had its own alphabet, Spanish writers of the 16th century wrote that during the Philippines' contact with Spain, the use of writing was found only in Manila, the current capital of the state. Writing spread to other islands later, already in the middle of the 16th century.

Tagalog has its own writing system, based on the ancient Baybayin script (from Tagalog "baybay", which means "write"), using the syllable alphabet. This alphabet was in use until the 17th century, when it was finally Latinized by the Spanish colonialists. Even the modern alphabet underwent changes several times, gradually more and more sounds from Spanish and English appeared in it. Nowadays, sometimes you can still find the use of Baybayin writing, but mainly for decorative purposes, although in history there have been attempts to revive its use.

Borrowing

The tagalog has thousands of loan words, in particular, from the Spanish language. Taglish is also very common in the Philippines, especially in modern areas. This is a kind of mixture of Tagalog and English. In the oral and written tagalog, along with words of Spanish origin, English words are often used (often written completely in accordance with the rules of Tagalog pronunciation). Some of these loan words have their equivalents in the Tagalog language, but they are used mainly only in formal and literary speech. However, many borrowed words still have no analogues in the tagalog. This is largely due to the fact that many things and concepts did not exist in the country before the arrival of the people of the West.

The following are some examples of borrowed words in the Tagalog:

However, despite all the borrowings, the richness of the Tagalog language remains unchanged. Foreign words are not included in the language just like that without changes. Borrowing words from other languages, the tagalog adapts them to its culture with the help of a complex word-formation system, which allows you to turn any borrowed noun into a verb or vice versa.

Vocabulary

Below are a few words and sentences that will help you maintain a simple dialogue in Tagalog and allow you to navigate in a foreign country.