Learn about the Filipino alphabet
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Intro |
|---|
| Alisha: What alphabet does Filipino use? |
| Danilo: And has it changed over time? |
| Alisha: At FilipinoPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Michelle Mercado, a kindergarten student, is studying the alphabet with her mother, Marian, at home. Michelle sees an unfamiliar letter and asks, |
| "What letter is that?" |
| Michelle Mercado: Anong titik iyon? |
| Dialogue |
| Michelle Mercado: Anong titik iyon? |
| Marian Mercado: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Alisha: Once more with the English translation. |
| Michelle Mercado: Anong titik iyon? |
| Alisha: "What letter is that?" |
| Marian Mercado: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Alisha: "It's ñ." |
Lesson focus |
| Alisha: In the conversation, we hear Michelle ask, "What letter is that?" |
| Danilo: Anong titik iyon? |
| Alisha: to which her mother responds, "It's ñ." |
| Danilo: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Alisha: As we can see, the Filipino alphabet is not exactly the same as the English alphabet, but how exactly does it differ? |
| Alisha: Like English, Filipino also uses the Latin alphabet, but with the addition of two letters: |
| Danilo: Ñ |
| Alisha: and |
| Danilo: Ng. |
| Alisha: The first, |
| Danilo: Ñ, |
| Alisha: comes from the Spanish alphabet and serves as the same |
| Danilo: enye |
| Alisha: sound that you may be familiar with. The second, |
| Danilo: Ng, or endyi, |
| Alisha: comes from Tagalog, and despite appearing as a diagraph, is considered a single letter. |
| Alisha: When studying the Filipino alphabet, it's important to remember these additional letters as they denote unique sounds that are not as regularly used in other languages like English. |
| Alisha: From beginning to end, the pronunciation of the Filipino alphabet is as follows: |
| Danilo: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, Ng, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. |
| Alisha: Note that the vowels of Filipino mirror those of Spanish: |
| Danilo: a, e, i, o, u. |
| Alisha: Since the alphabets of English and Filipino are so similar, a quick review of this lesson is likely to be all you'll need to master the Filipino alphabet. |
| Practice Section |
| Alisha: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Danilo models the correct answer. Repeat after him, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "What letter is that?" |
| Danilo: Anong titik iyon? |
| Alisha: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Danilo: Anong titik iyon? |
| Danilo: Anong titik iyon? |
| Alisha: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "It's ñ." |
| Danilo: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Alisha: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Danilo: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Danilo: Iyon ay ñ. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Alisha: The modern Filipino Alphabet, as declared in 1987, is the latest of several revisions to the official alphabet since the start of the Spanish rule of the Philippines in the 16th century. But did you know that the natives of the Philippine islands were already using an ancient writing script even before the 16th century? This pre-colonial writing system, known as |
| Danilo: Baybayin, |
| Alisha: is a 17-character indigenous script that was used by the natives to communicate and document their laws and legends. Today, some Filipino advocates are trying to revive this script as a way to preserve and celebrate the indigenous history of the Philippines. |
Outro |
| Alisha: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Danilo: Paalam. |
| Alisha: See you soon! |
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