What is the pre-colonial word for "Kumusta" (Hello) in Tagalog?

 By

Dayang Marikit

Philippine History Professor

(Kumusta) is derived from the Spanish phrase (Como Estas?) which translates to (How are you?). In Tagalog this would translate to (Na pa'ano ka na?).

• During pre-colonial times, the earliest type of greeting that was recorded is (Swasti), which was written on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. This was dated to be from 900AD, or 1,100 years ago. This greeting was adopted from Hinduism.

• The second greeting was (Salamat), which is derived from the Islamic greeting (Salaam). This is also related to (Shalom), which is a Hebrew greeting. However, in modern times (Salamat) simply translates to "Thank You" in Filipino. In our neighboring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia, (Selamat) is still a greeting.

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Answer requested by 

Anne Ariate

Why do most Tagalogs not understand Bisaya?

 By: 

Ryan Fernandez

B.A. in Visual Arts, Fordham University (Graduated 2006)

Bisaya is the colloquial term for Cebuano, a Philippine language originally spoken in Cebu, but now used as a lingua franca in Central Visayas and many parts of Mindanao. As such, speaking Bisaya/Cebuano and being an ethnic Cebuano are not mutually exclusive. Nearly 20 million or 1 out of 5 Filipinos speaking Bisaya as their first language.

A bit confusing is that Bisaya/Cebuano also belongs to a wider family of languages known as Visayan languages which includes Hiligaynon, Waray, Capizon, Aklanon, Boholano, Surigaonon, Tausug, and many more. The archipelagic (island) nature of the Philippines is responsible for the variety of forms.

Bisaya and other Visayan languages are still sometimes erroneously labeled as dialects with the root language being Tagalog. This is false. Bisaya and Tagalog are sister Philippine languages.

Most Tagalog native speakers don’t comprehend or use Bisaya for the simple reason that there’s no compelling reason to learn it. The Tagalog homeland consists of Southern Luzon, parts of Central Luzon, and the National Capital Region or Metro Manila. Combined they contribute to more than 50% of the Philippines’ GDP in 2019[1]. The business and finance sectors, heavy industries, shipping, top universities, media networks and seat of government are all in Metro Manila. Tagalog is the dominant language of business, governance, and education. The bulk of the population leans heavily towards these regions as well[2].

A close parallel would be the role of English in the world today. People from Anglophone countries like the UK, US, and Australia often speak a single language - English. The universality and prominence of English globally means Anglophones don’t need to master French or Spanish or Mandarin or Hindi. Rather, it’s the other way around.

Footnotes

[1] Dissecting Data: What 2019 Regional GDP tells us about the pandemic, PH economic resilience

[2] https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing/node/120080

Is the Filipino language Tagalog close to the Spanish language?

Dayang C Marikit

I’m a Philippine history professor. I would like to inform people that “nothing is set in stone” because we are constantly gathering information and learning about our history, somethings may change in the future, but for now the things that I publish are the things that we currently perceive to “know about.”

No, Filipino language is a part of the Austronesian language family, specifically the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch. We may have adopted some Spanish loanwords but our languages are related to other Maritime Southeast Asian languages, such as Malay and Javanese.

On a side note, even Malay and Javanese had also adopted Portuguese, Dutch, English, Arabic and Sanskrit loanwords. While Spanish had also adopted many Arabic loanwords as well.

• It's normal for languages to adopt loanwords. In the Philippines we actually have multiple words for the same thing. We may have a "Spanish based loanword" and a "Local translation" as well. Ex: (Mesa/Hapag = Table), (Kwarto/Silid = Room), (Libro/Aklat = Book), (Bandila/Watawat = Flag), etc.

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Would Spanish speakers understand these?

How would Filipinos react if I spoke to them in Filipino (Tagalog)?

 

By: Bisaya

Barok and Takya Blog | Bisaya Podcast

Most Filipinos would be happy to hear you speak Filipino (Tagalog) and might even switch to English for your convenience. Some might not understand the language and will respond with a smile on their face (I don't know); don't take it the wrong way. We're just reticent. It is a sign of great respect and cares that you choose to address us in our native tongue rather than force us into learning yours.

Filipinos are generally more flattered than insulted by an offer to try their native language, so it should be relatively easy as long as you pronounce the unfamiliar words accurately through adequate study beforehand. You can also say thank you or sorry after addressing someone in Tagalog, as words exist in the language.

If you want to speak Filipino (Tagalog), there is a pretty good chance your interlocutor will be highly receptive and generally pleased to hear it. However, some people might not understand what you're saying. So again, it's a sign of care and respect that you've chosen to address them in their native tongue rather than force them into learning yours.

Why do many Filipinos speak a mix of English and Tagalog...

 

... instead of speaking either pure Tagalog or pure English?

By: Dayang C Marikit, Philippine History Professor

First of all, there is no such thing as a "pure language".

Secondly, it’s a “class thing”… the higher you are on the social ladder, the more likely you are to “code-switch” between Filipino and English, we call these people “conyo.”

• Most of the people who are interviewed in those “Asian Boss” videos are generally “well-off” college kids who study along the “university belt” in Manila and they don’t represent everyone, I’d say that they are a “significant minority" in that location of the city.
• If they interviewed people like market vendors, street food vendors, Jeepney drivers, etc, they’d most likely get a much different result. There would be far less code-switching and it's highly unlikely for them to have a proper conversation. What I'm saying is that the demographic sample that they used in this social experiment is skewed, which then confirms their bias.

My second point is, code-switching isn’t “new,” especially for the upper classes. “Pure Tagalog” still has a lot of Malay, Javanese, Sanskrit/Indic and Chinese cognates & loan words.

• The oldest written document in the Philippines is the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, dated to be from the 10th century, and it was written with a mixture of “Old Malay, Old Javanese, Old Tagalog and Sanskrit.”
• The first word written on this document is “Swasti” a Hindu greeting that wishes people “good fortune”… this is also the word from which the term “Swastika” is derived from, this is because the swastika is a symbol of “good fortune” until the Nazis corrupted it and made it infamous as a symbol of hate… anyways, back to the point, this artifact proves that “code-switching” isn’t new.
• Lastly, even English and Spanish themselves have also adopted a lot of loanwords, from different languages such as Greek, Latin, Phoenician, Egyptian, etc.

What is “please” in Tagalog?

There simply is no easy answer for this, or in other words, there is no one specific word that exists in Tagalog.

Some people might say the word is “paki-” but this is not entirely correct. “Paki-” can only be used with verbs (actions) and has very specific rules about how it can be used. “Paki-” is used when you are commanding someone to do something (imperatives) but when you want to do so in a more polite way. It can ONLY be used in this way. Here are some examples:

Ipasa mo ang tubig. → Pass the water.

Paki-pasa ang tubig. → Please pass the water.

Tulungan mo kami. → Help us.

Paki-tulungan mo kami. → Please help us.

Notice how both examples are examples where the “paki-” is added onto the front of a verb (action). Also notice how the first example changes the verb ever so slightly when you add the “paki-”. This is the tricky part of using “paki-”. So it is good to know that “paki-” is not exactly the best translation for the word “please” in all cases.

Instead the best answer to the question is to realize why we say “please” in the first place. We say “please” in English in order to show respect or to be more polite or honorific to someone. Tagalog’s way of doing this is with the word “po”.

Now “po” does not mean “please”; it actually doesn’t translate to anything in English. It is called the “respect word” and is used to show respect or to be extra polite. And that’s exactly what is does. Here are some examples:

Ako si Juan. → I am Juan. (casual)

Ako po si Juan. → I am Juan. (polite)

Ano ang pangalan niya? → What is his/her name? (casual)

Ano po ang pangalan niya? → What is his/her name? (polite)

Notice how the translations for both the “casual” (meaning the sentences without “po”) and the “polite” (meaning the sentences with “po”) both translate to the exact same thing in English, but the implication (the subtext) is that one is just more respectful than the other. Again, “po” doesn’t mean anything specifically in English, it’s just Tagalog’s way of being more respectful to someone—just how “please” does in English.

I did not mean to complicate what you might have hoped was a simple question, but it is good to be aware of accurate information and not be tricked by anyone claiming they have a simple answer!