Pilipino Language

The Pilipino dialects belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language family, which perhaps is the largest language family in the world. This language family includes almost 1000 odd languages spoken in the S. E. Asian archipelago and the southern Pacific. In the Philippines alone there are several dialects. I grew up in a small town in the Philippines where Isinai is spoken by just a couple of thousand people. Language scholars attempt to link the Malayo-Polynesian language to other language families but the consensus is that it has no external relatives.

Rather than boring you with reference material I am just going to give you my personal observation of the language. Due to multi-regional problems the Philippines has used the lingua francas to facilitate inter-trading and communication.. Tagalog became the official language of the country.

Tagalog's characteristics are simplicity and reduplication. If a computer created a language the closest one would be Tagalog. It has minimal phonemes and most of them end with A. Rather than wasting another sound bit, it economizes by repeating itself. It is a decimal system, start "o-o" is yes and "a-a" is no. Reduplication is the same as in the Fijian word "levu" for big, "lelevu" for several more, and a superlative "levulevu". It is probably the same when a rich Pilipino says "libolibo" money. Another language pattern is that a verb can be used as adjective or noun by just repeating some syllables.
the repeating BA

The Pilipino language attribute is its simple formation. The ba sounds is considered baby language and it is the basis. It is just natural that Tagalog words derived ba from the very beginning. Our nomadic ancestor built the language from.. bathala - god; batya or balsa- float; banka - boat; baybay - navigate; barangay- ocean going outrigger; barangay- become the place; bahay - house, our houses were boat shape; bayan - barangay group (town); bansa - country; bata - children; batay - basis; batas - law; bantay - watch by; bayani - heroes;

Our language was conceived together with our seafaring nation alone this line.

Our culture can be defined at times by our expression of "Bahala na" reflecting a "que sera,sera" or what will be, will be syndrome. The profound meaning has an ancient translation. Derived from my first Ba word, Bathala for the supreme deity god, bahala na is the will of the god (bathala)

When the famous Krakatao in Indonesian exploded in 1883 it produced the strongest sound ever heared in the world. The echo went around the world seven times and few years later on the huge lake it created, another volcano sprouted. When the natives called the new volcano "AnakniKrakatao", I knew right away that they speak the same language family. We are the "Anak" (sons & daughters) of the worshippers of the early volcanic icons alone the Pacific's fire rims.

Just a few miles west of Chile lays the Easter Island. It is  near the Galapagos Islands where animal evolution is being studied.  Evolution on the Easter Island focusing on ecological failure of another kind of animal, human animals almost driving themself to extinction is going to be researched. What happened to this highly advanced people who were to able erect giant stone structures? Where did they  come from or go?  Why did they  vanish? The problem was they used all the island's natural resources .  I know where they came by  from what they called their giant stone monument with its pair of oversized eyes.  "Mata" is eye in any Pilipino dialect. They came from the same place where the builders of Rice Terraces of Banaue came. They were the Nomads of the Pacific. The ancient Malay mariners who studied the pattern of the wind, waves, and skies crossed the vast southern Pacific riding on wooden outriggers. The lesson here however, is after settling down on  Easter Island, they put heavy burden on the land and cut down all trees that they needed for rolling the giant monuments. Chaos and war followed when the island was no longer able to sustain the creative civilization. They started tearing down some of the legacies, the "Mana" that they built for their ancestors. When the forest was all gone they did not have enough trees to build another outrigger to bring them, maybe, to America. They perished waiting for the mythical giant bird.. Their marvelous monuments are still standing by facing the sea but the people are now gone because of poor foresight. This is another conjecture on my part but I hope that you enjoyed it.  My observation of the Nomads of the Pacific and the Banaue Rice terraces are next.. Salamat po.

Pratyaya@aol.com writes:
I believe that the etymological derivation of BATHALA is from sanskrit
bhattara this word is used as an honorific, something like venerable, worshipful, holy, etc.

pilipino = bathala guro = god as the supreme teacher
sanskrit = bhattara guru = the supreme or worshipful teacher, one of the epithets of lord shiva, that is shiva as the supreme teacher of higher
consciousness through yoga.

recall the tales of shiva and parvati on panay and the apabhramsa skript that they used there, also the hindu-buddhist idols dug up and on display in the National Museum in Manila.

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Indian words...Sarong= skirt; putong=turban; Asawa=spouse; diwa=thoughts, puri=honor; wika=language

Chinese= sangko=oldest brother, pansit=noodle, susi=key

*Nestor Palugod Enriquez
*DNG66A@prodigy.com