Which Filipino language sounds most like Spanish?

11 Comments

1. pnks says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   First of all, there is only one language Filipinos speak and that’s Tagalog. However, there are several ‘dialects’ in the Philippines and the dialect names correspond to the area where people lived whom in general they are also referred to…for example…in Cebu, people are referred to as Cebuanos, the dialect spoken is ‘Cebuano’. In Iloilo, the people are referred to as Ilonggos, the dialect spoken is ‘Ilonggo’..etc. Philippines has so many dialects that they don’t understand each other thus using the language ‘Tagalog’ for better communication in general.
   But to answer your question…YES…Cebuano dialect sounds more of the Spanish language…for example…Hija or Hijo is commonly used in Cebuano upper class population is a Spanish word(s). Cebuanos also uses the Spanish numbers…uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez while in Tagalog they are….isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat, lima, anim, pito, walo, siyam, sampu.
   Tell your Mom, kumusta sa iya diha.Hinaot maayo iya kahimtang.
2. greenday.> says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   hamster sauce
3. Lorraine says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   maybe ilocano or kapangpangan(if that is a language) haha
4. Joy says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   I think it’s Tagalog.

   I speak enough to be respectful, but there are lots of similarities. The days of the week are almost the same, saying hello.. Kumsta po? vs. Como estas?. One can see the similarities if they look. It just depends.

   I haven’t’ heard what’s spoken in Cebu, but it could be closer, I’m not sure.
5. Marie says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   i agree with you. Tagalog doesnt sound like Spanish, it sound more like native american language or cambodian.

   i think its chabacano???
6. kikumaru_luver says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   in tagalog:
   ( correct me if i’m wrong )

   domingo = linggo (um…..sounds a bit )

   lunes = lunes ( yeah definitely )

   martes = martes ( definitely )

   miercoles = miyerkules ( a bit )

   jueves = huwebes ( a bit )

   viernes = biyernes ( a bit )

   sabado = sabado ( definitely )

   wahahahahahahahah
7. Joannah says:

   November 22, 2009 at 7:20 am

   It’s definitely not Tagalog, There are some borrowed words from spanish but it is very different from spanish. For your answer, it’s a dialect in Zamboanga called Chavacano. It doesn’t sound like Spanish, almost 70% of the words are spanish as well as the language structure.
8. Ann says:

   July 15, 2010 at 10:16 pm

   More of Cebuano. I am Cebuano myself and my Spanish friends agree with it sounding more Spanish.
9. tony says:

   September 30, 2010 at 10:04 pm

   Lol visayan language or cebuano has 40% Spanish
10. Sonyun says:

    March 17, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    The Philippines consists of 100+ languages.

    They are not dialects, Cebuano and Tagalog are separate languages. You guys need to be educated in linguistics.

    If Cebuano is a dialect of Tagalog, can a Tagalog speaker understand Cebuano? If Cebuano is a dialect it should mean Tagalog and Cebuano are mutually understandable with minor differences.

    Here is a Cebuano paragraph:
    Pag gani-hang buntag ni adto ko sa simbahan kay Domingo naman pag mata nako! Na nguta-na ko sa akong silingan ngano ang mga tao wala sila ni adto didto sa simbahan? Ang gi sulti sa mga tao kay na guba man kuno ang simbahan tungod sa sunog.

    If a Tagalog speaker can understand that 90%, that means Cebuano is a dialect (but it is not a dialect, it is a separate language).

    Boholano is a dialect of Cebuano. Boholano and Cebuano speakers can understand each other but they have minor differences which do not affect each other’s understanding.

    Cebuano contains more Spanish words than Tagalog. It is said to be mainly because the Spaniards had more cultural impact to the Visayans than the Tagalogs. For example, many Tagalog speakers have moved on to using English words while Cebuano speakers can still be heard using Spanish words.

    For example, it is still common for Cebuanos speakers to use words like aparador, refrigirador, telepono, maldita, salvajes, limpyo, lababo, sillya, etc. In a lot of cases Tagalog speakers would use its own words or English words.
11. Sonyun says:

    March 17, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    However, Cebuano is not the Filipino language that sounds most like Spanish.

    That prize would go to Chavacano, a Spanish-Filipino creole language.

    Chavacano de Zamboanga is essentially 70% Spanish, 30% Cebuano.

    Chavacano de Caviteño is essentially 60% Spanish, 10% Portuguese, and 30% Tagalog.

    There was also another Chavacano language called Ermiteño from the Ermita district of Manila. It is now extinct.

    Out of all the Chavacano languages, the one with the most speakers and the one which retained the purest form form the original Spanish is Chavacano de Zamboangueño.

    Essentially Central and Southern Philippines have kept it’s Spanish roots alive much more then their Northern counterparts.

    It has something to do with the Americanization which is widespread in Manila/Luzon but in Central/Southern the Hispanic influences are more relevant.