Tagalog 101
This is what I've learnt so far -
Tagalog is the national language of the Phillipines. It is not the only language spoken, there are dozens of dialects across the thousands of islands that make up the P.I. However, I shall concentrate on the version of Tagalog that is spoken in and around Manila and is understood by the majority of the P.I. inhabitants. English is spoken widely, especially in the big cities. But, I would not rely on that. There are still are a large number of Pinoys who speak no English at all (my in-laws for example).
Tagalog has derivations from Malayan Languages and also bits and pieces of Spanish and English. To confuse matters Pinoys will often speak "Taglish", basically a mixture of English and Tagalog. I have found that my wife will talk to her friends in Tagalog, and then break into English for emphasis like "Oh my god!". This seems borne out by the many Pinoy movies that I've watched, where the characters appear to do the same thing.
Next post - the "how"
Tagalog is the national language of the Phillipines. It is not the only language spoken, there are dozens of dialects across the thousands of islands that make up the P.I. However, I shall concentrate on the version of Tagalog that is spoken in and around Manila and is understood by the majority of the P.I. inhabitants. English is spoken widely, especially in the big cities. But, I would not rely on that. There are still are a large number of Pinoys who speak no English at all (my in-laws for example).
Tagalog has derivations from Malayan Languages and also bits and pieces of Spanish and English. To confuse matters Pinoys will often speak "Taglish", basically a mixture of English and Tagalog. I have found that my wife will talk to her friends in Tagalog, and then break into English for emphasis like "Oh my god!". This seems borne out by the many Pinoy movies that I've watched, where the characters appear to do the same thing.
Next post - the "how"
posted by Mike at 8:43 pm
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