Learning Filipino Basic; History and Customs

[MrJamesXOXO]

Hello. I am MrJamesXOXO This thread is for the History and Basic Tradtions in the Philippines. It encompass, Food talk, Greetings, Folk Song/OPM, Literary Pieces or Manuscripts etc., . As I think it would help more if you read about traditional and everyday usage of the native speakers to fully grasp the Language.

There would be another thread for Grammar and Sentence parts which I would do last.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS THREAD. USE THE Usapang Filipino Thread if ever you have questions/ suggestions. and also go there if you want to chat with me biggrin  

[MrJamesXOXO]

Background History of Filipino As a Language and As a Subject
(Kaligirang Kasaysayan ng Filipino bilang Wika at Asignatura)

The background of Filipino as a language and subject entails a narration of Social, Lingustic and Political Changes in the Philippine Society.

The Filipino Language was formed by Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina or Manuel L. Quezon for short. It said that Former President Manuel Quezon had visited Japan and had thought how come the Philippines doesn't have one language? How would be able to understand each other. As it was common at the time to hire interpreter whenever the President comes to another region/province since the Philippines has different languages per region, 171 living languages according to Ethnolugue. So that the President could improve relations and communications with fellow Pilipino he created the National Language Institute(Surian ng Wikang Pambansa) to decide which language would be chosen to be as the basis for the National Language ( Wikang Pambansa). They had chosen Tagalog as basis for the Filipino Language (see more at Filipino vs. Tagalog)

During August in the Philippines. The event called Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa or Month of the National Language is celebrated. The current theme for this year is Tatag ni Wikang Filipino, Lakas ng Pagka-Pilipino ( Strength of the Filipino Language, the Strength for being a Pilipino)

Filipino Vs.Tagalog
It maybe confusing for you to know the difference between this 2 since most classify Filipino the same as Tagalog. In other references they say Filipino is a form of Political Fiction and prestige register. Yes as a language it maybe true that because most of the vocabularies are from Tagalog thus considered to be Tagalog in nature. But then there is a major difference especially as subject( asignatura) used in Formal Education which I will teach you.

In Formal Education

Tagalog has a characteristic of being simple. It is "PURE" meaning it does not accept changes or loanwords from any language beside itself. It's a very old language. It is dying since most speaker are now "Filipino" therefore it doesn't have life anymore.

Why was Tagalog used as a basis for the National Language?
Even though the native speakers of Bisaya outnumbered the number of Tagalog speakers. Still, the National Commision for National Language had decided it was best to use Tagalog for the following reasons:

1.) It used commonly used by Businessmen most of which are from Manila therefore speak Tagalog as a mother tongue.
2.) Many literary pieces and manuscript were written and translated in Tagalog. Example of which is the 1st published book in the Philippines named Doctrina Christiana ( Christian Doctrine)
3.) It is not divided into smaller daughter languages, such as Visayan or Bikol are.
4.) Tagalog is widely spoken and is the most understood in all the Philippine Regions

Pilipino
It's an enriched Tagalog. It doesn't accept changes or loanwords much like Tagalog who just translate everything. The vocabularies are very old. It ancient-like and dying language.

Filipino bilang isang Asignatura (Filipino as a Subject)

Filipino is an enriched form of "Pilipino". It uses modern words meaning that it accept changes and loanwords thus you don't need to learn very hard/ deep meaning translation in Tagalog. This implies a national origin meaning it was created to unite a dissimilar group of people.

Trivia:
Purista/Purist- denotes a person who uses old and more purist term/ deep level Tagalog translations of foreign words. A person who believes in the concept of Purism of the Tagalog Language.According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the term dates from 1706 and is defined as "a person who adheres strictly and often excessively to a tradition", especially "one preoccupied with the purity of a language and its protection from the use of foreign or altered

A Diagram Showing Relationship Between Filipino, Pilipino and Tagalog

 

[MrJamesXOXO]

Read This Speech If you want to know more about The Filipino Language.

I. FILIPINO AND TAGALOG, NOT SO SIMPLE
Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, Ph.D.
Chair, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
August 24, 2007

To most Filipinos, only the national language is a language, and all the rest are dialects. Not quite so.

Linguists have a way of distinguishing a language from a dialect. This is the mutual intelligibility criterion. When speakers cannot understand one another, they speak different languages. When they can, they speak the same language, or dialects of the same language. It doesn’t matter if the speech variety has only five speakers or a million; or if it has a writing system or not; or if it is spoken in only one barangay or in an entire province. All these do not count in defining a language.

On this basis, Ilocano, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Hiligaynon, Bikol, Butuanon and Meranao to name a few, are not dialects but languages. Variations of a language, like Dumaguete-Cebuano, Davao-Cebuano and Iligan-Cebuano, are called dialects.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino or KWF has recorded around 170 languages in the country. The dialect count could reach 500. We are the 10th most linguistically diverse country in the world. Papua New Guinea is number one.

Are “Tagalog,” “Pilipino” and “Filipino” different languages? No, they are mutually intelligible varieties, and therefore belong to one language. According to the KWF, Filipino is that speech variety spoken in Metro Manila and other urban centers where different ethnic groups meet. It is the most prestigious variety of Tagalog and the language used by the national mass media.

The other yardstick for distinguishing a language from a dialect is: different grammar, different language. “Filipino”, “Pilipino” and “Tagalog” share identical grammar. They have the same determiners (ang, ng and sa); the same personal pronouns (siya, ako, niya, kanila, etc); the same demonstrative pronouns (ito, iyan, doon, etc); the same linkers (na, at and ay); the same particles (na and pa); and the same verbal affixes -in, -an, i- and -um-. In short, same grammar, same language.

Certain academicians equate Tagalog with “purist” usage and Filipino with “non-purist” usage. To them, “pulong” and “gurô” are Tagalog words, while “miting” and “titser” are Filipino words. Word borrowing however is not a reliable basis for language differentiation. Zamboangueño (Chavacano) borrowed heavily from Spanish but evolved a different grammar from Spanish. It cannot be understood by Spanish speakers.

“Purism” has its uses too. I am not talking here of the salumpuwit and the salipawpaw type of purism. Salumpuwit is short for pangsalo ng puwit (“a** catcher”) and salipawpaw came from sasakyang lumilipad sa himpapawid (“a vehicle that flies”). These terms were invented in the 1960’s to purify the national language. Because silya and eroplano were already being used, this kind of purism didn’t make any sense and was repudiated by our people.

I subscribe to “purism” of the gasang type. Gasang is Cebuano and Tagalog for “coral” and kagasangan is for “coral reef.” If we persist in using the English term for the concept, or be content with the phonetic respelling (koral rif), the local term will die. One must not be afraid of teaching our audience new words when they are exact and appropriate for the occasion.

But whether it is simple Tagalog or deep Tagalog, pure Tagalog or halu-halo Tagalog, it is still Tagalog. They all belong to one language.

Why then did we have to change the name from Tagalog, to Pilipino then to Filipino?

The reasons are largely socio-linguistic. From being a language confined to native Tagalogs and their provinces, Tagalog has grown into being the common language of an entire people. It has become nationwide. Non-native speakers of Tagalog outnumber native speakers. Based on the 2000 census, 9 out of 10 Filipinos now speak and understand it with varying degrees of mastery. Even as far south as Tawi-Tawi, there are speakers of the national language. Inter-ethnic communication through the national language has become a reality. Thanks to TV, radio, movies, comics, out-migration and the educational system.

However, most of our people speak a first language other than Tagalog. Cebuano as a first language has 18.5 million speakers, next is Ilocano with 7.7 million, followed by Hiligaynon with 6.9 million and Bicol with 4.5 million. Tagalog as a mother tongue has 22 million speakers.

Non-native speakers of Tagalog tend to be influenced by the pronunciation and grammatical habits of their first language. For instance, the word manî (with the glottal stop at the end) would invariably be pronounced as mani (without the glottal stop) by a Tagalog-speaking Ilocano. As a result, regional variants of Tagalog have sprouted all over the country and are gaining acceptance and legitimacy.

English is also a second language to most Filipinos. It is however more prestigious than Filipino. According to the 2006 Social Weather Station survey, 7 out of 10 Filipinos understand and read in English. Almost one half (48%) said that they could write in English and a third (32%) replied that they could speak in English.

This explains why Filipinos often code-switch and code-mix in English. The product is widely known as “Taglish.” To some, it is when you begin a sentence in either English or Tagalog, tapos nag-switch ka sa kabilang wika in the same sentence. “Taglish” is also when you use Tagalog grammar but English vocabulary. English borrowings in Filipino have become so extensive that more than 1,500 English words appeared at least three times in a Filipino corpus of one million words. This is according to a 1998 study which also suggested that the most frequent English words, like okey, mommy, pulis, daddy and mister, were already part of Filipino.

In 1987, our country’s leaders finally gave recognition to this idiom used by Filipinos as lingua franca. They named it “Filipino” with an “F” to signal that it will be a language based not only on Tagalog but also on other Philippine and foreign languages. They also wanted to dissociate this language from “Pilipino” which they believed to be “puristic”.

However, users of the national tongue, oblivious of and unimpressed by the debates, are not confused. Twenty years after their common language was christened Filipino, they still refer to it as Tagalog.

In many fora, I have also been asked what to call our language, our nationality, and our country. I always start by saying that it depends on the language you’re using. In English, our language is “Filipino”, our nationality is “Filipino” and our country is the “Philippines”. In the national language called Filipino, our language is called “Filipino”, our nationality “Pilipino” and our country “Pilipinas.” I won’t advise using “Filipinas” for our country and “Filipino” for our nationality because they are contrary to official usage.

II. HOW TO VALUE OUR LANGUAGES

The national language called Filipino is a convenient tool for inter-ethnic communication. One can go to any place in the country and communicate with fellow Filipinos through this language. Of the 76 million Filipinos, 65 million speak and understand Filipino, according to the 2000 census.

People however ignore the fact that most Filipinos speak Filipino or Tagalog as a second tongue. Only 22 million speak it as their first language. Twice this figure or around 43 million speak it as their second language.

Non-native speakers of Tagalog may not be as proficient in it compared to their first language. This explains the reluctance of some groups in embracing Filipino. They only accept it in sufferance. They would rather use English, because it is everyone’s second language. Besides, it is more prestigious than Filipino.

Historically, Tagalog has occupied a privileged position in this country compared to the other languages, except English. In 1937, Tagalog was declared the “basis” of the national language. In effect, it became THE national language. In 1959, the name was changed to Pilipino. In 1987 it was renamed Filipino with an “F”. It was also designated as one of the official languages and medium of instruction. The regional languages were named auxiliary languages in government and in education.

Having a national language does not mean giving up one’s first or second languages. It also doesn’t mean devaluing the other Philippine languages.

How is a language devalued?

One way is by calling it a “dialect”. By referring to the non-Tagalog varieties as mere “dialects,” their status as legitimate modes of expression is downgraded. The necessity for learning them is reduced. Because Tagalog is the national language, literary works written in it are passed off as national literature. The best Tagalog writers enjoy the status as national writers. On the other hand, non-Tagalog literature is invariably referred to as “regional” or “vernacular” literature, and their best writers, as “regional” or “vernacular” writers.

Look at it from the side of the non-Tagalogs. The Ilocano or Cebuano staying in Manila takes great pains in learning the metropolitan language. In contrast, the Tagalog visitor makes no effort to learn the local idiom.

Another way of devaluing a language is by telling everybody that by speaking the national tongue, you automatically become a patriot. This means that those who can’t speak it, or who choose to speak in English, aren’t.

Our people seem to think so too. In a 1996 Social Weather Station survey, 62% of Filipinos agreed that it was very important for a true Filipino to be able to speak Pilipino. Half of the Visayans (55%) agreed with this statement. And so did 67% of urban Mindanaons.

If that is the case, then our greatest patriots must be the Japanese who invaded our country in the 1940s. During that time, they made Tagalog the primary medium of instruction, together with Nihonggo. The use of English was completely banned. The absurdity of the argument is so obvious that it need not detain us here.

We also devalue our languages by adhering to the slogan of “one nation, one language.” This means one centralized nation-state with one standard language for official functions and education. Many people in this country are pushing for English to be that standard language, invoking globalization and modernization as reasons. Others demand that it should be Filipino because it is the national language and we are Filipinos.

None of these views is supported by reality in the Philippines and in the world. In the Philippines, everyone speaks three or four languages, except the Tagalogs who know their first language and English. In the world, knowing two languages or more is the norm, while knowing one language is the exception. There are only 200 nation-states but more than 6,000 languages. This means that many nations have citizens speaking several languages. The European Union has twenty three (23) official languages. Canada has French and English as official languages. Even the United States has not found it necessary to proclaim a national language.

The enabling law on language is Republic Act No. 7104. This law established the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and mandated it to “undertake, coordinate and promote researches for the development, propagation and preservation of Filipino and other Philippine languages.” The policy is to develop and enrich the national language on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. In other words, the local languages and other languages are equally important and not subservient to the national language. The idea is to strengthen them in order to expand the knowledge and linguistic base of our national language.

The best way to put down any language is by preventing it from being used in the educational system. Children bring their home and community’s language to school only to have the bilingual system extinguish them. The favorite formula is to impose fines or punish students for speaking their home language. The message to our children is that their language and their culture are not important and therefore cannot be reproduced. Only the nationally prescribed languages and the knowledge encoded in them matter.

The usual reasons against using the home languages in school are that it allegedly promotes disunity and that it is impractical because we have so many “dialects”. Disunity results when there is no respect for each other’s cultures and languages. We can learn a thing or two from Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country in the world with more than 800 languages. But this did not deter that nation from developing literacy materials in a third of its languages. If they can do it, why can’t we?

Let’s move closer to home. Lubuagan is a district of Kalinga where the local language is the medium of instruction for primary grade subjects even for science and mathematics. Tagalog and English are taught as subjects. The Department of Education, the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the Lubuagan community are partners in this project. The 2006 reading test in the division of Kalinga showed remarkable results. Lubuagan pupils registered the highest scores in English (76.5%) and Filipino (76.4%), compared to pupils of the bilingual districts.

How do we value our languages?

A first and crucial step is to change our attitude towards them. Let us look at our local languages not as liabilities but as resources which we can harness to educate society and improve lives.

We need a national language much as we need our local languages and the languages of wider communication (i.e. English, Spanish). Through these languages, we gain a local identity, a national identity and a global identity. They help us to think globally, and act locally.

The indigenous knowledge systems stored in the local languages also complement our knowledge of Western science and technology. This integrated knowledge ensures that any development resulting from it will be sustainable and friendly to the ecosystem.

Our children have the inherent right to be educated in their home language. The home languages and local cultures have been found to be enabling factors to learning in the content areas. They also serve as two way bridges to learning other languages more effectively, as shown in Lubuagan. A learner gains self-respect when his experiences and the language in which they are expressed are acknowledged. The child can then builds from this knowledge, add new concepts and learn more remote and abstract ideas.

At the same time, our people should be given the opportunity to learn the national language and the other languages of wider communication like English. They should be allowed to explore into the exciting opportunities that the national and global economy has to offer. Linguistic diversity does not mean that indigenous cultures must remain unchanged.

By valuing our first languages, we learn to value our second languages, namely Filipino and English. It is the first step for our people to regain control of their environment and their inalienable right to exist.  

[MrJamesXOXO]

Daily Greetings in Filipino:

Good Morning = Magandang Umaga
Good Noon = Magandang Tanghali
Good Afternoon = Magandang Hapon
Good Evening = Magandang Gabi
Good Day = Magandang Araw

Example: Magandang Umaga, Binibing Cruz
[Good Morning] , [Ms. Cruz]

This is how you ask "How are you?" in Filipino
Kumusta ka na? o Kamusta ka na?
alternatively you could also say Kumusta?/Kamusta? only

Greeting Happy Birthday to someone.
Maligayang Bati! - translated literally as Happy Greetings.

Greeting Happy New Year and Merry Christmas
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon
[Merry ] [Christmas] [Happy] [New Year]

How to Address Persons of Seniority
Whenever you meet a person older than you remember to say "po" or "opo". You could use ho/oho as a alternative but most people speaking Filipino use po/opo. "po" denotes respect and kinda like honorifics except that they aren't placed after nouns/names Opo, on the other hand denotes a polite term for "oo" meaning "yes" in English. As respect given to seniority is still valued in the Philippine Society; you would really need this.
Using "po" and "opo"
Paano po ba ako makakatulong ako sa inyo?
[How am I able to help you?]
Magandang Araw po
[Good Day]

Mano po Gesture
Use the "Mano po" gesture. Grab the elder/older person's hand much like how people do the hand kiss. Except that this done without the kiss. Instead put the elder's hand to your forehead using one of your hands while slightly bowing as you put his/her hand to your forehead. Common practice whenever the "magulang" comes or si "lolo't lola"
*magulang = parents
lolo't lola = Grandfather and Grandmother

How to Address Persons according to Relationship

Family = Pamilya
Parents = Magulang
Grandfather - called "lolo" in Filipino.
Grandmother = Lola in Filipino
Father = Tatay, Daddy, Dad, Itay
Mother = Nanay, Inay, Mom, Mommy, Ma.
Brother = Kuya
Sister = Ate (Pronounced as ["A-te"] not the pronounced the same as "ate" in English)
Uncle = Tito
Aunt = Tita
Cousin = Pinsan
Friend = Kaibigan
Best Friend = Matalik na Kaibigan
Enemy = Kaaway
Husband & Wife = They are both called "Asawa" If talking about two person it's called "magasawa"
Child = Anak
Son and Daughter In Law = Manugang
Mother In Law = Biyenang Babae
Father In Law = Biyenang Lalaki/e
Brother In Law = Bayaw
Sister In Law = Hipag  

[MrJamesXOXO]

A video about Greetings, Phrases and Questions.
 

[MrJamesXOXO]

Directions in Filipino
Right - kanan
Left - kaliwa
Up - taas
Down - baba
Forward - pasulong o abante
Sideways- patagilid  

[MrJamesXOXO]

Filipino Games.
PATINTERO! rofl rofl
My favorite game when I was younger. whee

Details of the Game


Number of Player: As many as possible. Preferably 6 or more
.
Setting: You need to be in place where there's a grid or a line dividing people. Like in a grided street or painted floor line in the gymnasium.

Mechanics:
First, have your friends decide the way you divide the group into two teams. One team would be the defense the other the attacker. You could do it by choosing someone to represent or do the rock paper scissor. Or do the mini ini miney moe. A creative chanting would be preferable.

2nd. Once you have chosen teams, now choose a representative to do the rock paper scissor or have the side of your slippers or coin flipped to decide whose the defense and the attacker.

3rd. Do the Formation. You could agree with the other team to have your front person do the "Around the World" technique which means he/she is allowed to roam along the boundary lines in the grid. Which means you could be attacked or get "taya" sideways not just at your front. So be careful. It would be advantage though when your team goes offensive.

4th. The Goal. You need to pass all the persons blocking and defensing. It's just like entering a castle or having pass different levels in a Video Game.

5th. Once you had passed all of them. You need to get back to the starting line to be able to win the game and the other team go again to be the defense. But if you had been "taya" a new game would conclude and your team would be the defense.

RULES
1. The front person if allowed to do the "Around the World" technique would be allowed only to "taya" the offensive team in the line/boundary that is not the same with the Original Defense player for that grid. He/She maybe be able to roam around but not on the same line with the Original Defense Player.

2. You are not allowed to ENTER LATE in the game. Once the game started, you should either run or stay at the 1st 2 boxes/level.

3. You are not allowed to go back again to the level you had gone to. That would be called "Balikbayan" which would lead you to be a defense. You need to finish all level going to the Goal and back to Starting Area to Win the Game.

Note:
"taya" is considered like "it" in children game. So if you "taya" the other person it means they were caught. So you win and the Game Formation changes.

 

[MrJamesXOXO]

KATAKA-TAKA Lyrics
by Mabuhay Singers

Kataka-takang mahibang
ang katulad ko sa iyo
Biru-biro ang simula
ang wakas pala ay ano?
Aayaw-ayaw pa ako
ngunit 'yan ay di totoo
Dahil sa iyo puso kong ito'y binihag mo
(Repeat)

Alaala ka maging gabi't araw
Alipinin mo't walang kailangan
Marinig ko lang sa labi mo, hirang
Na ako'y iibigin lagi habang buhay.

English Translation:

It's very curious how someone like me could fall for you,
Jesting in the start but then to what end?
Though I say I don't want it,
but that's not the truth.
It's all because of you, now this heart of mine belongs to you.
Thinking of your night and day,
you do need to worry my heart's now your slave.
Just to hear your lips, say those words, my love,
that you'll always love me, throughout all of my days.