Tagalog
🗺️ Tagalog
Overview
- Language family: Austronesian
- Region: Central and Southern Luzon (e.g., Manila, Batangas, Laguna)
- Number of speakers: 95% (it is the national language of the Philippines
- Status: widely spoken
- Alternate names/spellings: Pilipino, Filipino
Phonology
Consonants
b k d g h l m n ng p r s t w y
Vowels
a e i o u
Notable Features
- (Unique sounds, tone, stress, vowel harmony, etc.)
Grammar
🗺️ Word Order
Default word order: Verb–Subject–Object (VSO)
Example: Kumain ang bata ng mangga. → "The child ate a mango." (lit. Ate the child mango)
But Tagalog is flexible; it can also be SVO or VOS depending on focus/marker usage.
Word order is determined more by focus markers (ang, ng, sa) than by position.
🗺️ Pronouns
Tagalog pronouns mark case (nominative, genitive, oblique) and number (singular/plural), sometimes inclusivity.
| Person | Nominative (subject) | Genitive (possessor) | Oblique (object, location) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | ako (I) | ko (my) | sa akin (to me) |
| 2nd sg | ikaw/ka (you) | mo (your) | sa iyo (to you) |
| 3rd sg | siya (he/she) | niya (his/her) | sa kanya (to him/her) |
| 1st pl excl. | kami (we excl.) | namin | sa amin |
| 1st pl incl. | tayo (we incl.) | natin | sa atin |
| 2nd pl | kayo (you all) | ninyo | sa inyo |
| 3rd pl | sila (they) | nila | sa kanila |
Inclusive vs. exclusive "we":
tayo = we (including the listener)
kami = we (excluding the listener)
🗺️ Verb System
Tagalog verbs are marked for aspect (not tense), focus/voice, and mood.
Aspects (completed, incompleted, contemplated)
kumain → ate (completed)
kumakain → eating (incompleted/ongoing)
kakain → will eat (contemplated/future)
Focus system (voices)
Focus indicates the role of the subject:
Actor-focus: kumain ang bata ng mangga ("The child ate mango")
Object-focus: kinain ng bata ang mangga ("The mango was eaten by the child")
🗺️ Noun Structure
Plurals: marked with mga before the noun.
bata → mga bata (children)
Possessives: formed with genitive pronouns or markers.
libro ko (my book)
bahay ng guro (the teacher’s house)
Cases (marked by particles):
Nominative (focus/subject): ang/si/sina
Genitive (non-focus agent/possessor): ng/ni/nina
Oblique (location, direction, beneficiary): sa/kay/kina
🗺️ Other Features
Reduplication: used for aspect, intensity, plurality.
bili (buy) → bumibili (buying) → bibili (will buy)
araw (day) → araw-araw (every day)
Linkers: -ng / na connect modifiers.
magandang bahay (beautiful house)
Particles: express emphasis, mood, politeness.
ba (question marker): Kumain ka ba? (Did you eat?)
po/ho (politeness markers).
No gendered pronouns: siya means both “he” and “she”.
Evidence/context markers aren’t grammaticalized like in some Austronesian languages, but particles (yata, daw/raw) show hearsay, uncertainty, or inference.
Umuulan daw. (They say it’s raining.)
Umuulan yata. (It seems it’s raining.)
Vocabulary
Core Words
| English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| Water | Tubig |
| Sun | Araw |
| Mother | Ina |
| House | Bahay |
Numbers
1 = Isa 2 = Dalawa 3 = Tatlo 4 = Apat 5 = Lima
Sample Text
Example Sentence
- Tagalog: (Insert example sentence here)
- Translation: (Provide English or national language translation)
Longer Text
(Insert folk tale, poem, or dialogue if available.)
Related Dialects
References
- (Books, articles, dictionaries, or online resources)
- (Add Template:Cite web or Template:Cite book templates if available on your wiki)
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