Officially, there are 130 languages and 1 sign language used by the different ethnic groups in the Philippines. The Philippines is the only country in the world that has a dedicated month-long celebration for its national language. We take pride, and place importance in the national language by honoring it through this proclamation. Continue reading below for some fun facts on the celebration and the Filipino Language.

How is the national language month celebrated?

Most schools and government offices celebrate the month of August through several activities such as essay writing contests written in Filipino, speaking Filipino for a day or a month, and school programs where Original Pinoy Music (OPM) is highlighted. Some companies also take part in the celebration through similar activities. Sometimes, to challenge themselves, they even have their communications or correspondences written fully in Filipino!

Did you know?

Tagalog was the national language of the Philippines until it became officially Filipino in 1987. Due to the many languages that the country speaks, there had been many changes and debates on what the official Philippine language should be. Filipino has since then been adopted since it is the lingua franca  of the country or the common language spoken by people with different native languages.

Origins of the Filipino Language

When the Spaniards first came to the Philippines, the Filipino language was written in symbols called the Baybayin. It has 17 symbols with 14 of it being consonants, and 5 for the vowels. Many iterations of the Philippine alphabet had been made with the first published book called “Doctrina Christina,” having the first Romanized version of the language. The book had translations in Spanish and Tagalog, and was also written with a Baybayin  version.

Image from Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino

Sample:

Note: a dot is placed on the upper part of the symbol to change the “a” vowel to “e/i,” while a dot below changes it to “o/u”. Vowels are omitted by placing a cross below the symbol.

Filipino Accent is Sexy! 

Celebrate Buwan ng Wika  with us! Here are some Filipino words and phrases that may be useful when you go to the Philippines:

• – Who, What, Where, When, and How? –  Sino, Ano, Saan, Kailan, at Paano?
• – It’s beautiful here!  –  Ang ganda dito!
• – Let’s eat! –  Kain tayo!
• – How much? –  Magkano?
• – I want to go to [insert name of place; ex. Palawan] – Gusto kong pumunta sa Palawan