The Philippines is home to between and languages, including a wide range of native languages mainly from the Malayo-Polynesian language family group. Though now promoted in the Philippines only on an optional and voluntary basis, Spanish was the official language there for over three centuries. As Spanish colonisers grew their numbers in the Philippines, they spread their language along with their rule. Spanish became the language not only of government in the Philippines but also of education, religion and trade.
When the Spanish introduced free schooling in Spanish in , the language spread even further. The use of English in the Philippines is, comparatively, a much more recent development. It arrived as part of the American occupation of the islands, with the US government formally acquiring the Philippines from Spain through the Treaty of Paris in December Do Filipinos speak Spanish today? There are now fewer than , native Spanish speakers in the Philippines.
The widespread use of English in the Philippines has delivered a number of advantages in terms of international opportunities. Not only is English an important language for politics and trade, it has also provided many Filipinos with access to the international jobs market.
For further musings on language and remote work, click the link below. Now that I've established a historical context, it's time to look at the Tagalog language. One interesting aspect of language discussions about the Philippines is that many people confuse Tagalog with Filipino. Tagalog is the language spoken natively by It was the official language of the Philippines between and , much to the irritation of Cebuano speakers more on that below.
Filipino, meanwhile, is one of the two current official languages of the Philippines, alongside English. The Filipino language is a standardised version of Tagalog. It is very similar to Tagalog but it is not the same. Filipino was created under the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos as part of his efforts to create a new, unified society. So, which native languages are spoken most in the Philippines?
As I've already mentioned Tagalog, let's start with that. Including second language speakers, Tagalog is the most spoken language in the Philippines. It is spoken as a first language by Tagalog is closely related to many other Filipino languages, including Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, the Bikol languages and the Visayan languages. Cebuano is another important language spoken by the people of the Philippines. Native speakers number upward of Most are based in the southern parts of the Philippines, with the language having originated from the island of Cebu.
The Cebuano language is referred to by its speakers as Bisaya or Binisaya. It was the most spoken native language in the Philippines between around and , though today Tagalog is more widely spoken.
The Ilocano language is spoken by around 9. That makes it the third most spoken native language of the Philippines. Speakers are located in northern areas, particularly in the northwest. Read more: Malaysian Language Overview. Another widely spoken language in the Philippines is Hiligaynon. Interestingly, speakers are split between an area in the centre of the country and a region to the south, with few in between.
Native speaker numbers are estimated to be just over 7 million, with 8. Since , the language has been taught formally in schools and universities in the Philippines. Tagalog is a language spoken in Philippines by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority.
Truth is, both are correct but the national Language or Philippines official language is Filipino. Tagalog is the basis of the national language. According to NCCA, it is predicted that by the year , the Philippines will be a Filipino lingua franca speaking nation, which is quite an achievement wrought within a time-frame of around 65 years Ilocano is the language that most Filipinos speak in Northern Luzon, and its speakers constitute the third largest language community of the Philippines.
In September , the province of La Union passed an ordinance recognizing Ilocano Iloko as an official provincial language, alongside Filipino and English, as national and Philippines official languages Filipino, respectively. It is also very closely related to the Ibaloi language spoken in the neighboring province of Benguet, located north of Pangasinan. Pampango or Kapampangan is the primary and predominant language of the entire Pampanga province, southern Tarlac, northeastern Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Zambales that border Pampanga.
There are living languages currently spoken in the Philippines, the vast majority of which are indigenous tongues. This sounds like a lot until you consider the fact that the Philippines consist of 7, individual islands. Even though most of them are uninhabited, that still leaves plenty of opportunity for linguistic diversity to flourish.
Still, there are official and national languages to speak of, as well as several other tongues that are more widely spoken throughout the nation. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and English. Filipino is the national language, and the official status of English is a holdover from its time as a U.
The reason that it is so hard to figure out the difference between the Tagalog vs. Filipino language is because Filipino based on the Tagalog language. You can think of Tagalog as the root language for Filipino.
Interested in learning more about Filipino? Then you might want to give Filipino idioms a try. You never know when they might come in handy. All rights reserved. Home Reference Filipino vs. Tagalog: What Is the Philippines Language? Filipino vs. Tagalog: What Is the Philippine Language? Tagalog vs.
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