All About the Dialects Spoken in Philippines | Click For Translation | BLOG
All About the Dialects Spoken in Philippines

All About the Dialects Spoken in Philippines

First things first, in the Philippines, there is no real native language. There are approximately 187 languages spoken throughout the country. Most of these languages have very few speakers. 13 languages among these have 1 million speakers. 

Now coming to Philippines dialects, there are eight different dialects. Tagalog, one among the eight dialects, known as Filipino, is the official language of the country. 

English is also spoken by the people of Philippines and is also used for official purposes. 

An Introduction to Philippines Dialects

The dialects in the Philippines are interchangeable and used with variety. Dialect is a part of a language speech within a specific community that is distinctive from the entire language spoken in other regions. Over time, when the dialects become very common, it will be recognized as a separate language.

How Many Dialects are Spoken in the Philippines?

Coming to dialects, there are eight dialects in the Philippines. These include the – Pangasinan- Bikol- Ilocano- Waray- Tagalog- Kapampangan and – Hiligaynon. 

Out of these dialects, the level-up of Tagalog is the official language of the country – the Filipino. The English language in the Philippines has the same status. The locals of the nation are quite fluent in English. Approximately, more than 90% speak this language. So, the locals can communicate in English with foreign travelers from all parts of the world who come to have a vacation in the Philippines.

English is not the only foreign language with a stronghold in the country; there are several languages too, including Arabic, Punjabi, Mandarin, and Korean. The Punjabi language is spoken by immigrants from the Asian region, especially India, in the Philippines.

Language Vs. Dialect

The billion-dollar question is -what is the difference between a language and dialect? Below we answer your query. There are four critical criteria for differentiating between a language and a dialect, and these are as follows:-
– Mutual Intelligibility- Lexical Similarity- Grammar- Socio-Political Identity

Tagalog Language in the Philippines

Tagalog is one of the most prevalent spoken languages having a strong presence in several provinces of the Philippines. It comprises a variety of popular dialects, such as Tagalog-Laguna and Tagalog-Batangas. 

With regards to the dialect, each word can have a different meaning, and therefore translation without popper knowledge can lead to misunderstanding to a great extent. Thus, it is important to choose an experienced translator with practical industry experience in the various dialects of the Philippines, so the translated document is free of errors. 

Englishes of Southeast Asia

Another great example of dialects within a language is the varieties of English language spoken throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore English and Philippine English. The English-speaking countries worldwide would have a hard time understanding the English languages of Southeast Asians. Only an expert in the regional languages of the Philippines can help you translate your business or personal documents.

Tagalog or Filipino? – Explaining the Difference

As per the constitution of the Philippines, the official language of the country is Filipino. But, there is a lot of confusion among the locals, whether they speak Filipino or Tagalog.

The history of the Philippines ‘ official language began in 1930, when the commonwealth government wanted to write the constitution in the national language, given there were so many languages nationwide.

During that time, Tagalog was the first choice as it was widely popular in Metro Manila and a myriad of other surrounding provinces. However, several representatives in the house opposed Tagalog, so Filipino came to the scene as the language of the entire country.

After that, in the 1970s, the dictator of the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos, wished to establish a new society in the Philippines. So, he made efforts to develop a new national language, known as the Pilipino. enhancing the existing languages’ taking words from other languages such as Arabic, English, and Spanish. Several words of Tagalog were replaced to make it pleasing to the ear.

Tagalog is the evolution of the Filipino language. Besides the primary words of Tagalog, Filipino contains words from languages such as English and Spanish. In a nutshell,  Filipino is the upgraded version of Tagalog.

Spanish Language in the Philippines

The Spanish language, which is spoken throughout the Philippines, is not influenced by the Tagalog dialect but also has numerous prominent variants in the country. As of now, there are about 2 million speakers of Spanish language, apart from those who speak the Spanish Creole dialect. In the coming years, Spanish language will gain a dominant foothold in the country.

Bottom Line

The Philippine languages are many, and dialects are complicated. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to hire the best certified translation services. Do check their portfolio to determine whether they understand the different dialects; otherwise, it will do more harm than any good. 

Did we miss something in terms of the Philippines languages and dialects? Share with us through the below comment section, and our readers would love to hear your thoughts.

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