Is there a difference between the Filipino and Tagalog?

T

Thominner

New Member
english
so..im planning on visiting the Philippines in a couple years, and i will be staying for awhile. so i figure i should probably know (at least somewhat) how to speak there language.
so..is there a difference between Filipino and Tagalog? if yes, which one should i learn?
do they also speak english there?
know any places online where i could learn the language?
thanks!
 
    • Hello Thominner,

    There is a sticky at the top of this forum that will answer your question about resources. I'll leave the Tagalog/Filipino discussion to someone else.

    But I'll just add something about resources that's not included in the sticky.

    I use livemocha.com. There are free language courses available there, but none in Tagalog/Filipino yet... although I understand they are in the works. However, what they do have is a search feature where you can look up members who speak Tagalog natively but are trying to master their English. I seek those people out, offer to help them with their English, and in return, they help me with my Tagalog. I make conversation with them over email in Tagalog. They correct my mistakes. You can really increase your vocabulary that way, and I think you remember much more because you are actually thinking of and using the words, not just reading and translating. Plus, you make some new friends along the way. I highly recommend it.
     
    Tagalog is the official language. Filipino is more a formal name for it. I believe there is a very slight difference, however if a Filipino says they speak Filipino, it is often Tagalog. I think Filipino is a regional language that is based on Tagalog.

    In most cases a language course that says teaches filipino is in fact Tagalog.

    Learn Tagalog as it is the national language and you can use it nearly all the islands and place in the philippines.

    Yes, most people will understand English to a passable level, esspecially the younger people. You might not be able to combersate but you could get by.
     
    feel free to correct me....

    Tagalog is a Filipino language, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Chavakano*, are also Filipino languages. Tagalog is only the National Language.
     
    Hi everyone,

    I grew up in Quezon Province and my mother was a Filipino teacher. Tagalog is the regional language of most of Luzon, the biggest island of the country, and of the islands of Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon. Filipino is the national language based on Tagalog. We speak Tagalog in Quezon and it is slightly different from Filipino in terms of conjugation, grammar, and vocabulary. For example, we would say "Ano ga ang ibig sabihin nire?" instead of "Ano ba ang ibig sabihin nito?" for "What does this mean?" Moreover, within Quezon Province, we have varieties of Tagalog, but that's minor. I'd recommend you learn Filipino because it is the standard form for national communication. It's the language spoken on Filipino television shows. You should also consider where you plan to stay here, because in the central and southern part of the country they mostly speak Visayan languages, which are very much different from Filipino. Almost all people understand basic English I'd say. I haven't seen good didactic material in learning the language but you should be able to manage here with some simple essential phrases for the market, transportation, greeting friends, and asking for directions. People are generally friendly and helpful.
     
    The difference is simply semantics. Historically, karmllean is accurate. But for all intents and purposes, Filipino *is* Tagalog.

    Formally, we use Filipino. Internally and amongst Filipinos, however, we refer to it as Tagalog especially since there is a plethora of dialects in the Philippines and people in some areas can get touchy about Tagalog being called "Filipino" like in Cebu for example where they very strongly feel that Cebu should have been the capital and the Cebuano dialect should've been made the national language.

    When in the Philippines and you are in regions away from the capital, asking "Marunong ka mag Filipino?" (Do you speak Filipino?) sounds odd and even though they are essentially the same, "Marunong ka mag Tagalog?" sounds more natural.
     
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    082486 said:
    feel free to correct me....

    Tagalog is a Filipino language, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Chavakano*, are also Filipino languages. Tagalog is only the National Language.
    Click to expand...

    Tagalog is the official Filipino Language. The rest however are just dialects not considered languages.

    Filipino however refers to the people who lives in the Philippines. Also, it is use as one of the minor subjects name.

    So, Thominner, you have to search for Tagalog or Filipino language. If you'll use the word Filipino, language should be added if you are pertaining to the language spoken here in the Philippines.

    I hope it helps.
     
    Just wonder, do you think we will have a national and official language if there was only one language in the Philippines? Don't you think it implies there are other languages, not mere dialects, that happen to be unofficial? And shouldn't we call our subject in school "Tagalog" instead of "Filipino" if Tagalog really was our national language? Filipino is a language subject, not citizenship. C'mon guys, this was what our teachers in Filipino thought us in school! And if anyone here thinks that Filipino and Tagalog are the same, then come to my place in Quezon and speak our Tagalog. Agapag-ikian ang mga tao roon 'pag nagapinagbutig kayo.
     
    Hello karmllean!

    I believe you should create another thread regarding your other question.

    I believe Filipino and Tagalog are not the same. Let us wait for the others to post there comments though.

    Regarding Filipino being a citizenship, I believe it is. Isn't it when somebody ask us about our citizenship we answered "Filipino"?

    Let me just correct my earlier post though, regaring Tagalog being the official Filipino Language. Filipino (formerly Pilipino) is based on Tagalog and is the official language of the Philippines.
     
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    karmllean said:
    Just wonder, do you think we will have a national and official language if there was only one language in the Philippines? Don't you think it implies there are other languages, not mere dialects, that happen to be unofficial? And shouldn't we call our subject in school "Tagalog" instead of "Filipino" if Tagalog really was our national language? Filipino is a language subject, not citizenship. C'mon guys, this was what our teachers in Filipino thought us in school! And if anyone here thinks that Filipino and Tagalog are the same, then come to my place in Quezon and speak our Tagalog. Agapag-ikian ang mga tao roon 'pag nagapinagbutig kayo.
    Click to expand...

    Ok, that's supposed to be "...C'mon guys, this was what our teachers in Filipino taught us in school...."

    And those were rhetorical questions.
     
    082486 said:
    feel free to correct me....

    Tagalog is a Filipino language, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Chavakano*, are also Filipino languages. Tagalog is only the National Language.
    Click to expand...

    Kuya you're wrong :) you said feel free to correct you so thats why I post a quote:

    for local use, our language is called TAGALOG
    and for international it's called FILIPINO

    its just the same example like
    saging = banana

    like that
    Tagalog - native/ local
    Filipino - english
     
    so..im planning on visiting the Philippines in a couple years, and i will be staying for awhile. so i figure i should probably know (at least somewhat) how to speak there language.

    so..is there a difference between Filipino and Tagalog? if yes, which one should i learn?
    Click to expand...
    FILIPINO is the "citizenship" of a person who is naturally born in the Philippines. TAGALOG will be his native "language".

    Like, saying, a person who were born in the USofA is called an AMERICAN and his native language is ENGLISH.

    Hope I made sense. :)

    do they also speak english there?
    Click to expand...
    I must say English is our second language here. People here were taught to speak English since the day we were sent in school.

    know any places online where i could learn the language?
    thanks!
    Click to expand...
    I recommend Youtube.. they have tutorials on how you'll say the words correctly. Dont rely on online translators, they are usually inaccurate. I suggest you start with the basic words like, Thank you, How are you?, How much?, Yes and No and whatnot.

    Goodluck.. Enjoy your coming trip!
     
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    Check out Tagalog Verb Guide by Hawkins and Gallo-Crail. A great quick way to get the basics down and practice real practical langauge.
     
    I have a couple pet peeves with the way languages are conventionally talked about in the Philippines.

    First of all, Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, etc. are "LANGUAGES," not "dialects." If they were dialects of each other, they would be mutually comprehensible, which manifestly they are not. The term "dialect" should be reserved for varieties of a single language, such as the Visaya spoken on Cebu versus the Visaya spoken on Bohol (however, the Visayan "dialects" spoken on Panay and Samar are already different languages). It's almost as if we feel that a "dialect" is a "non-prestigious," merely local, speech form and that the term "language" is reserved for a "prestigious" speech form.

    As for "Tagalog" vs. "Filipino," they are the same thing: "Filipino" is what we call Tagalog when we want to emphasize its role as the national language. "Filipino," inasmuch as it can be defined as distinct in any way, can even be considered to be a dialect/variety of Tagalog on par with Bulacan Tagalog, Batangas Tagalog, etc.

    Personally, I think if Americans are fine with calling their national language "English," why shouldn't we Filipinos be fine with calling our national language "Tagalog"?

    The poster had a point when s/he pointed out that Cebuano, Ilocano, etc, are "Filipino" languages too.
     
    To make it simple, here's a short explanation:
    "In practical terms, Filipino is the formal name of Tagalog, or even a synonym of it. It is sometimes described as "Tagalog-based", part of a political fiction that the national language is based on an amalgam of Philippine languages rather than on Tagalog alone. It is usually called Tagalog within the Philippines and/or among Filipinos to differentiate it from other Philippine languages, but has come to be known as Filipino to differentiate it from other countries' languages; the former implies a regional origin, the latter a national. This is similar to the Spanish vs. Castilian concept"
    -hope this helps...
     
    pareanom said:
    The poster had a point when s/he pointed out that Cebuano, Ilocano, etc, are "Filipino" languages too.
    Click to expand...


    Are you referring to my post? I'm a "she"...hehe :)
    I was born in Panay, I'm speaking Kinaray-a/Hinaray-a which is also a Visayan "dialect/language" but not the same like the one being spoken by Cebuanos...(I can understand and speak Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, these are Visayan "dialects/languages" as well)...

    Anyway...for me Tagalog and Filipino are the same...
    Tagalog is a Filipino language and happens to be our National Language... :)
     
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    just the name. both use the same words. Tagalog is the older version, Filipino is modern Tagalog, interchangeable usages of words can be encountered, but comprehension between these two is almost identical.
     
    i agree with karmllean here. Filipino is base from from tagalog which is the regional language/dialect of the southern tagalog region . region 4. We have many different versions of tagalog, different tagalog for batangas, cavite, and laguna. i have lived in these provinces and i would say that yes, we have many versions of tagalog and filipino is the official national language base on tagalog.
     
    Tagalog is the language itself spoken by the people in Southern Luzon. On the other hand, Filipino is a term used to a standardized variety of the Tagalog language.
     
    karmllean said:
    Hi everyone,

    I grew up in Quezon Province and my mother was a Filipino teacher. Tagalog is the regional language of most of Luzon, the biggest island of the country, and of the islands of Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon. Filipino is the national language based on Tagalog. We speak Tagalog in Quezon and it is slightly different from Filipino in terms of conjugation, grammar, and vocabulary. For example, we would say "Ano ga ang ibig sabihin nire?" instead of "Ano ba ang ibig sabihin nito?" for "What does this mean?" Moreover, within Quezon Province, we have varieties of Tagalog, but that's minor. I'd recommend you learn Filipino because it is the standard form for national communication. It's the language spoken on Filipino television shows. You should also consider where you plan to stay here, because in the central and southern part of the country they mostly speak Visayan languages, which are very much different from Filipino. Almost all people understand basic English I'd say. I haven't seen good didactic material in learning the language but you should be able to manage here with some simple essential phrases for the market, transportation, greeting friends, and asking for directions. People are generally friendly and helpful.
    Click to expand...

    This is the most helpful answer, kudos to you! Very informative I learned something today again!
     
    Hi, new here to the forum and I see the threads very interesting. According to my MS Education professor, Filipino is the country's national language and Tagalog is actually one of the various languages in the Philippines. My native language is Cebuano or Visayan which is spoken by about 2/3 of the people in the country most of them residing in Mindanao and Visayas Islands.
    Filipino, the country's national language, is still in its evolving stage. Since most of the previous presidents resided in Luzon where Tagalog is spoken, this is the reason why Tagalog is more like the national or Filipino language. Now that we have a president who speaks Cebuano, our Filipino language is inspired with more Cebuano words in it.
    Hope this helps.
     
    acyu said:
    This is similar to the Spanish vs. Castilian concept"
    -hope this helps...
    Click to expand...

    I'm not so sure the concept is parallel.

    In Spanish, español and castellano are quite interchangeable and usually it just depends on what is common practice in a certain area. Sometimes the nuances are slight though and even may depend on what the user implies by choosing one or the other.

    In English, however, that is not the case. Spanish is the name for the language and Castilian is mainly reserved to the Northern variety of the Spanish spoken in Spain, being used only in contexts in which there is special mention of this specificity.

    As I understand it, Filipino is a name applied to the standardized version of the Tagalog language being used as the main national language in the Philippines.
     
    Tagalog and Filipino (National Language) as of now can be considered as one and the same. Maybe in the future as Filipino (the language) evolves you can the a huge difference between Tagalog and Filipino. Currently, the difference between that two is so small, unless you actively search for it and analyse it or be a student of it.

    Enter another example. Chavacano. It's a spanish creole based language. Spanish speaking people will hear this as chabacano. But it's really not. Hence coined creole. It's a full language with spanish words as it's base. A large chunk of it. Estimated around 60-
    70% spanish words (not grammar, but vocabulary). and the rest are composed by other languages from other countries and within the country. Hence you can really tell the difference.

    Unlike - Tagalog/filipino. Hardly any difference to the common folks like you and me. (I had to litterally search what's the difference).

    Also, we are trying to get rid of the stigma of dialects. Philippiens give or take has 175 languages. Not dialects. The arguments around these are all the definition or consideration of what makes a language and what makes a dialect. Take away that part.. they are all languages.
     
    pareanom gave the best explanation in my opinion.

    summary:
    • "Filipino" is the national language of the Philippines which is based off the Manila dialect of Tagalog ("Manilenyo")
    • Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray-waray, Ilokano, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Bikolano, etc. are all regional languages in the Philippines as well ....they are not dialects!
      • Dialects are mutually-intelligible varieties of the same language; for example, a Bol-anon (Bohol) speaker and a Leytenyo (Leyte) speaker can understand each other because they are both speaking a dialect of the Cebuano language. Someone from Bulacan or La Union wouldn't understand their conversation except for a few words that are shared common words between all Philippine languages (and even then, you have to be careful if they are actually false friends instead).
    • Labeling Tagalog/Filipino as the sole Philippine language and the others as dialects is a common misconception that is unfortunately propagated by the pro-Manila/Tagalog government and educational system in the Philippines. Like pareanom said, it's as if Tagalog is being elevated above the other Philippine languages as "prestigious". What if you're a Filipino who doesn't speak Tagalog/"Filipino"? ...does that mean you are less of a Filipino than someone who knows how to speak "Filipino"?
      • other than regional news, there's almost no local programming in the regional languages so essentially all Filipinos are exposed to Tagalog from the very beginning as it is forced down their throats in the media, educational system, and when doing business with the government (whether local or national), etc.
    • The idea behind the national language concept (a convention was held on it back in the 1930s) was that it is supposed to evolve and incorporate vocabulary and grammar aspects from the regional languages. In other words, Tagalog was chosen as the basis of the national language and from there it was supposed to evolve.
      • The fact that Filipinos still largely refer to their national language as Tagalog instead of "Filipino" means that this so-called national language is still largely Tagalog in nature and hasn't evolved much despite almost 90 years having elapsed already. Case in point, Cake. mentioned that asking "Marunong ka mag Filipino?" (Do you speak Filipino?) sounds odd, but asking "Marunong ka mag Tagalog?" instead sounds more natural.
      • The Visayan ethnolinguistic group is actually the most-populous in the Philippines. It would have made more sense to base the national language on Cebuano, but of course the powers that be had to base it on Tagalog because the capital is in Manila where Tagalog is predominantly spoken. (note: Cebu was the original capital of the Philippines as chosen by the Spaniards, but eventually relocated to Manila due to better natural defenses in Manila Bay, etc.)
        • Cebuano speakers are vehemently proud of their language, and they would rather opt to reply in English when spoken to in Tagalog. It also doesn't help that Visayans are made fun of their thick accent when speaking Tagalog, especially when they relocate to Manila for school and/or work. There's a bunch of negative stereotypes against Visayans as well due to their negative portrayal as blue-collar laborers on Philippine national television. There's other factors that play into this animosity between Cebuanos and Tagalogs, I invite you to read the following materials if you are curious/interested:
        • The national government is trying to skew the census figures to disguise the fact that Visayans are the largest group in the Philippines. Hell, if you look at some figures presented by the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority), the total number of Cebuano speakers is much lower than it actually is because Boholano/Bol-anon and some parts of Cebuano-speaking Mindanao are counted as separately. Like seriously, wtf?
      • Instead of the "Filipino" national language evolving, what you will notice instead is that the regional languages are being influenced by Tagalog in which some of their native vocabulary is being replaced by Tagalog vocabulary. This is especially rampant among the younger generations, and this trend will only continue (which could arguably be considered as cultural genocide) due to social media and the younger people pretty much being ignorant and/or not caring enough about their respective heritage languages. It doesn't help that the Philippine government recently did away with the mother-tongue based learning system in the elementary schools.
        • A good example of this phenomenon is the Dabawenyo (Davao) dialect of Cebuano, which uses a considerable amount of vocab and sometimes grammatical aspects of Tagalog. There is a research paper written about this:
     
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