nouns

Pangngalan (nouns) - Tagalog nouns follow an Austronesian alignment (also known as "trigger system") which is a distinct feature of the Philippine language.

Three basic cases: direct, indirect, and oblique.

                           Direct (ang)                                    Indirect (ng)               Oblique (sa)

singular             ang, 'yung (iyong)                           ng, n'ung (niyong)           sa

plural                ang, mgá, 'yung mgá (iyong mgá)    ng, mgá, n'ung mgá        sa mgá

personal            si                                                        ni                                    kay

singular

personal            sina                                                     nina                                kina
plural

Panghalip (pronouns)

 

	Direct (ang)	Indirect (ng)	Oblique (sa)
1st person singular	ako	ko	akin
1st person dual	kita/kata	nita/nata	kanitá/kanata (ata)
1st person plural inclusive	tayo	natin	atin
1st person plural exclusive	kamí	namin	amin
2nd person singular	ikáw (ka)	mo	iyó
2nd person plural	kayó	ninyó	inyó
3rd person singular	siya	niya	kaniya
3rd person plural	silá	nilá	kanilá

                                                                                   

origination of the Tagalog language

 According to old texts, Tagalog is an Austronesian language with about 57 million speakers throughout the Philippines. Tagalog used to be written using the Baybayin alphabet, which was believed to originate from Bali and Sumatra. The name Tagalog derives from taga-ilog (someone living by the river). The earliest known book in Tagalog is the Doctrina Cristiana published in 1593. It was written in both Spanish and Tagalog using both Baybayin and Latin alphabet.

reclaiming your heritage...

More and more Filipino-Americans and Filipinos from other countries are making the effort to reclaim their heritage by learning the Filipino language. Many Filipino-Americans often do not have the ability to speak Filipino nor do they know about their culture. Because English is predominantly used in educational system, only 55% of Filipinos speak the language with many of them speaking indigenous languages and dialects.

There are many things that are unique to Filipinos. One in particular is the tradition of "mano" gesture is perform as a sign of respect to elders (e.g., parents, grandparents, and older relatives or friends) and as a way of accepting a blessing from the elder. The word "mano" is Spanish for "hand" while the word "po" is often used in Filipino culture and language at the end of a sentence as a sign of respect when addressing someone older. Usually performed with the right hand, a person showing respect may ask "mano po" to the older person upon entering the home.

Tagalog, Pilipino, Filipino...

In 1935, President Manuel Queson proclaimed Tagalog as the basis of the national language and was renamed "Pilipino" and was established as one of the two official languages of the Philippines under the 1973 Constitution--the other being English. Then, in 1987, "Pilipino" was again renamed "Filipino" characterized by an openness to borrowings from other languages in the Philippines including English and Spanish.

the Tagalog language

The Tagalog language has a very strong affinity with Malay language, but it has evolved into a creole-like language due to the Spanish and American influence. The aim of this blog is to share interactive language and resources for learning Tagalog.