Taglish, a portmanteau of the words Tagalog and English, is an informal dialect in the Philippines of Tagalog that infuses English terms. Taglish is, perhaps, most common in Metro Manila where its use has become stereotype. The influence has been great, nonetheless, as it is now arguably a lingua franca in many parts of the country. Akin to Taglish is Englog which, in turn, is English infused with Filipino words, a popular type of which is called Coño English.
An intriguing aspect of Taglish is the fact that any English verb, and even some nouns, can be converted into a Tagalog verb by following the normal verb tense constructions of Tagalog. This is done usually by the addition of one or more prefixes or infixes and by the doubling of the starting sound of the base form of the verb or noun. The English verb drive can be transformed into the Tagalog magda-drive meaning, "will drive". The English noun Internet can be converted into the Tagalog nag-Internet, meaning "have used the Internet" or even "have logged-on into the Internet".
Taglish reflects the evolution of Tagalog and the inevitable infusion of English words. Despite existing classical words in the language, speakers habitually substitute the English word instead. For example, 'Can you explain it to me?' can be said in the classical Tagalog way as 'Maaring ipaunawa mo sa akin?'. Instead speakers nowadays say 'Pwedeng i-explain mo sa akin?' (it is sometimes spoken as 'Pwedeng ipaliwanag mo sa akin?'). Or for example, the word magmamaneho is the Tagalog equivalent of will drive, but magda-drive is more popular.
Taglish also applies to speech wherein adjacent clauses are either English or Tagalog. The conjunctions used to connect the clauses can come from either language.
Some examples:
- Magsya-shopping ako sa mall mamaya.
- I will shop at the mall later.
- Na-print mo na ba ang report?
- Have you printed the report?
- Mag-MRT ka papuntang school.
-
Use the MRT (a local metro rail system) in going to school.
- I went to school, kaso wala pa palang pasok.
- ... but there was no class.
- Nahihiya sila na mag-ask ng favor from you, kasi/kase hindi mo na trabaho ito.
- They are shy/uncomfortable asking a favor from you, because this isn't your job anymore.
NOTE: /ka·sé/ is the direct pronunciation of kasi for many (but not all) people, and it is sometimes used in writing for easy reading.
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