Tagalog is the most commonly spoken language of the Philippines. Historians trace the word “Tagalog’ from “taga-ilog” or the language of “those near the river.” This was the dialect used by the low-land dwellers in the southern part of the island of Luzon, the most prominent region in the political and economic history of the Philippines in the past centuries.
Tagalog is officially know as and referred to by academic-minded people as “Filipino.” There are a number of people who will claim that Tagalog and Filipino are separate languages. They are partly correct. However, it would require a debate in history and linguistics to properly define one from the other. But to understand the confusion behind this, we have look at brief look in to their history.
In the 1930’s, the Philippine Constitution declared that there should be a national language which would unify the country. It was decided that Tagalog, the dialect in use in Manila and the nearby provinces, would form the base of a national language that would incorporate words from other provincial dialects. While the issue of crafting a national language by combining other dialects in the Philippines was in the minds of politicians and academics, everyday people never really took notice. People continued to use the Tagalog language however it was really spoken in their homes and streets. For most intents and purposes, Tagalog and Filipino are one and the same. If you ask any person on the streets of Manila what language they are speak, the most likely answer would simply be “Tagalog.”
In this book, notwithstanding any academic discourse on the issue, we refer to the most commonly spoken language of the Philippines as Tagalog. Most significantly, even speaking amongst themselves, Filipinos refer to the language they use as “Tagalog.”
Tagalog is an Austronesian language, which makes it related to languages like Indonesian (Bahasa-Indones), Malaysian (Bahasa-Malay), Polynesian languages (such as Hawaiian) and even aboriginal Taiwanese. Tagalog has a plethora of loan words, particularly from Spanish and English, due to the long history of Spanish and American colonization of the Philippines. Because Spanish loanwords make a large portion of Tagalog’s vocabulary, one can be mislead that it is somehow related to Spanish, but it is in fact in a totally different branch of the linguistic tree.
Don’t be surprised though if you find out some of the words in Tagalog are closely linked to Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese and other languages that influenced Tagalog throughout the centuries. Like any modern language, Tagalog is a living tapestry of history and culture, shaped by the lives of tens of millions of people who speak it.
Take note though that Tagalog is not the only language of the Philippines. It is not even the only official language of the Philippines. (The official languages of the Philippines according its constitution are English and Filipino.) While Tagalog is the predominant language spoken in a large part of Philippines there are many other regional dialects. You may have heard of other Philippine dialects such as Cebuano, Bisaya, Ilongo and Ilocano. For a study of these languages, you many consider picking up one of the many reputable books on them. That goes without saying that Tagalog has the most number of native speakers and practically all people of the Philippines can converse and understand it to some degree, even in the most far flung areas of the archipelago.
That being said, Tagalog opens doors to the hearts and minds of the Filipino people. It will be useful whether you are just planning to use it to get locals better on your holiday, impress your business partner, or even find love.
This article first was published in the book: Flirting in Tagalog: Your Guide & Phrasebook to Attraction Using the Most Commonly Spoken Language of the Philippines by Datu Villanueva.