Enriching the National Language
More positive moves are being undertaken to strengthen and enrich Filipino as a national language. National language advocates and institutions like the Commission on the Filipino Language, Sentro ng Wikang Filipino of the University of the Philippines, along with many teachers, administrators, researchers, writers, authors and linguists are working hard to improve the quality of the Filipino language. They host and sponsor seminars, workshops, forums and conferences to discuss ways of translating works, produce adequate and well-researched Filipino books for schools, enrich and infuse Filipino with more words and terms from other major Philippine languages like Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan and others, that are fast becoming part of the Filipino vocabulary. With their concerted efforts, these formidable groups will certainly help enliven the use of Filipino in the daily lives of the people and keep alive a national language that fosters genuine nationalism and unity among Filipinos.
Understanding the Filipino Character
Learning Tagalog becomes more enjoyable and meaningful if one understands the culture of the Philippines as well as the temperament and character of its people. The Philippines is populated by more than 80 million people living on 7,101 islands, which are abundantly blessed by nature. Pristine beaches, verdant mountains and rainforests, a treasure-trove of exotic fauna and flora attract tourists and locals alike. Colorful customs and traditions in the country are brought to the forefont when people celebrate their lively and spectacular fiestas and showcase their innate creativity, spirituality, culinary skills and well-renowned hospitality.
In the book Living in the Philippines (1980) published by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines and intended for the use of foreign business representatives, expatriates and their families, it is stated that “one of the best things about the Philippines is the Filipino people themselves; reams have been written about their warmth and hospitality—all of it is true.” The book also presented the Filipinos as a versatile and talented people, stating that “nowhere is this evident than in the music and the arts. Museums and galleries abound, and even the smallest pub features a talented musician.”
Filipinos are very friendly, loving and caring people. They go out of their way to help others in time of disaster and in crisis they manage to keep their sense of humor and survive despite the economic and political challenges that face them. Filipinos, however, have their own idiosyncracies. Their strengths may also often be their weaknesses. An indepth study made by a Philippine senator in 1998 detailed the strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character as follows:
1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao (a basic sense of justice and concern for others)
2. Family orientation
3. Joy and humor
4. Flexibility, adaptability and creativity
5. Hard work and industry
6. Faith and religiosity
7. Resiliency (or the ability to survive)
Filipino weaknesses which surfaced were: extreme personalism; extreme family centeredness; lack of discipline; passivity; colonial mentality; kanya-kanya syndrome (selfishness or to each his own— the literal translation is his-his or hers-hers); and lack of analysis and self-reflection.
A trait which puzzles a lot of foreigners in the country and which affects relationships, negatively, is the relaxed attitude toward time. Coming late for appointments, not meeting deadlines, and not starting parties or programs on time all result in irritation and even embarrassment not only among foreigners but also among fellow Filipinos who observe punctuality.
As to dealing with Filipinos, language learners should learn to read the body language and movements of the locals. What do they really mean when they say yes or no or perhaps ? What are the meanings of some peculiar signs and sounds they make? All these certainly represent a big challenge to the learner or student of Tagalog. For the appreciation of the language student and for the better understanding of the Filipino character, more Filipino traits and characteristics will be discussed in the subsequent lessons and exercises.
LESSON ONE
The Tagalog Alphabet
In the 1930s, when Tagalog was chosen as the basis for the national language, there were 20 letters in the alphabet consisting of five vowels and 15 consonants. These were:
The consonants were originally referred to with the vowel a appended to each letter so that these were pronounced ba, ka, da, and so on. The ng consonant was pronounced as nang.
In the 1980s, eight more consonants were added to the alphabet. These are c, f, j, ñ, q, v, x and z. This was done to facilitate the writing of new words and terms borrowed from other languages. The letters of the Tagalog alphabet are now referred to in the same way as the letters in the English alphabet except for ng and ñ (pronounced en-ye) which is of Spanish origin.
Generally, the eight additional consonants are used for proper nouns (names of persons, places, buildings, brand names, the like) such as Fe, Carlos, Santo Niño, Leyte Gulf, Jones Bridge, Jollibee and Louis Vuitton. They are also used for borrowed terms like zakat (almsgiving, the third pillar of Islam), indigenous or native terms like carayab (an Igorot costume made of tree bark), and medical and scientific terms like zinc and amoxicillin.
There are conventions in the pronunciation of the consonants ñ and ng. Tagalog words with ñ are pronounced as if there is a combination of n and y consonants instead of one consonant. The first half is the n part which takes the sound of the vowel before it while the second half is the y part which takes the sound of the vowel after it. For example, the word Niño in Santo Niño is pronounced ninyo. Note that ñ is between i and o, thus n takes the initial sound of the vowel i while y takes the sound of the vowel o.
The pronunciation of the consonant ng is very difficult for foreigners particularly when it appears at the beginning of a word. To produce the sound ng, push the tongue back and up—making sure that the back part of the tongue is curled and almost touches the molars and the roof of your mouth to produce a nasal sound, and then add the sound of the vowel after it. The syllable before ng usually rides on the nasal ng sound.
Another Tagalog consonant that may pose some difficulty for foreigners is the consonant r. Unlike the English r where the tongue does not touch the sides of the mouth, the Tagalog r is produced by quickly tapping the tip of the tongue on the gum ridge behind the upper teeth (like a Spanish r but not rolled or trilled).
A Tagalog word is pronounced just as it is spelled, and each syllable is pronounced separately and distinctly. Except for certain vowel and semi-vowel combinations (diphthongs) such as ay, aw, ey, iw, oy, and uy, foreigners will have minimal difficulty in pronouncing most Tagalog words. However, foreigners may find the iw and uy combinations a bit hard to pronounce and may likely break up the combinations especially when they appear at the end of words. Some Tagalog examples of these diphthongs are:
| agiw | a-giw | cobweb | áway | a-way | fight |
| bítiw | bi-tiw | let go | láway | la-way | saliva |
| kasúy | ka-suy | cashew |
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