When pronouncing Tagalog words, there are no hard and fast rules to help you know how to break the syllables (in other words, to know where each syllable starts and ends). An understanding though of the types of syllables that exist and the possible combinations of vowels and consonants that are formed through exposure to the Tagalog language will help the learner pronounce words correctly after some time. In the beginning, however, it is best to simply memorize the stress accents along with the words as you learn them.
Look out as well for prefixes and suffixes which “grab” vowels and consonants from the root word (see Lesson 14 on the -um- and mag- verbs, and similar discussions on other affixes). An example is bu-lak-lák (flower) which becomes bu-lak-lá-kin (flowery) where the suffix -in grabs the final consonant of the root.
A useful rule to remember is not to apply the pronunciation of English words to Tagalog words— for example saying ku-must-á rather than ku-mus-tá (how are you)—since the maximum number of letters in a Tagalog syllable does not exceed three (keeping in mind that ng is treated as a single letter). Thus, there is no must in kumustá although there is pang in pang-ápat (fourth) and ngin in hángin (wind). The syllables pang and ngin are only made up of three sounds as ng is considered a single consonant or letter in the Tagalog alphabet.
Another useful rule for foreigners is not to separate an initial consonant from a vowel, leaving a VC syllable in the middle of a word, as in bu-má-nat or to strike (which should not be pronounced bu-má-nat). VC syllables are mostly found at the beginning of words such as an-táy (wait) and akyát (climb). VC syllables may also be found at the end of words if the previous syllables end in a vowel as in pa-ít (bitter) and la-ot (sea).
As a general rule for the proper pronunciation of Tagalog words, remember to deliver these words in a faster, sharper and less breathy manner than in English (more in the manner of Spanish pronunciation). Do not make any audible breaths (aspirations) in pronouncing the p ’s, k ’s, t ’s and other consonants. Otherwise, you will be branded a “slang,” the local term for anyone who speaks Tagalog with an American accent or with too many long a ’s, long e ’s and long o ’s.
Exercises
Break the following words correctly into their individual syllables. The first syllable of each word has been given.
| 1. magandá | ma - ______ - ______ | beautiful |
| 2. páaralán | pa - ______ - ______ - ______ | school |
| 3. pagkáin | pag- ______ - ______ | food |
| 4. inilutò | i- ______ - ______ - ______ | was cooked |
| 5. ialís | i- ______ - ______ | to be removed |
| 6. inalís | i- ______ - ______ | was removed |
| 7. hángin | ha- ______ | wind |
| 8. linísin | li- ______ - ______ | to be cleaned |
| 9. tatló | tat- ______ | three |
| 10. álaála | a- ______ - ______ - ______ | gift, remembrance |
| 11. kailángan | ka- ______ - ______ - ______ | needed |
| 12. násaán | na- ______ - ______ | where |
| 13. ngayón | nga- ______ | now, today |
| 14. awítin | a- ______ - ______ | to sing |
| 15. mabaít | ma- ______ - ______ | good |
| 16. pangálan | pa- ______ - ______ | name |
| 17. maliit | ma- ______ - ______ | small |
| 18. paalám | pa- ______ - ______ | goodbye |
| 19. maaárì | ma- ______ - ______ - ______ | can be |
| 20. nag-áaral | nag- ______ - ______ - ______ | studying |
Pronounce the words listed in the Exercises on page 19 slowly, syllable by syllable, then repeat them pronouncing each word a bit faster.
II. STRESS
In Tagalog, the use of stress on a particular syllable in a word can make a difference in meaning. Stress is the vocal emphasis of a particular syllable. In this book, an accent mark is placed over the vowel of a syllable to indicate which syllable is to be stressed and how the stress is to be sounded.
1. Principal types of stresses
There are four principal types of stresses and in this book, they are marked in the following ways:
a. End Stress
An acute accent mark (´) is placed over the vowel of the last syllable of the word if this syllable receives a stronger emphasis than the others.
| anák | a-NAK | child |
| amá | a-MA | father |
| iná | i-NA | mother |
| bulaklák | bu-lak-LAK | flower |
| malakás | ma-la-KAS | strong |
b. Penultimate Stress
An acute accent mark (´) is also used to indicate a stress on the next to last syllable of a word, by placing the accent above the vowel of that syllable.
| babáe | ba-BA-e | woman |
| laláki | la-LA-ki | man |
| maínit | ma-I-nit | hot |
| malínis | ma-LI-nis | clean |
| táo | TA-o | person |
c. Penultimate Stress with a Glottal Catch
A grave accent mark (`) is used above the vowel of the last syllable to indicate a strong emphasis on the next to last syllable. The vowel at the end is pronounced with a glottal catch, which is produced by an abrupt closing of the throat to block the air stream in both the mouth and voice box. The glottal catch is hard to hear and beginners often mistake the sound as that of k.
For this