# Tagolog vs. Cebuano vs. Ilocano



## turkjey5

Are these mutually intelligible or basically totally different? Are they grammatically similar?
Thanks!


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## niernier

They are mutually unintelligible. I know how to speak Tagalog and Bicolano but I can't understand neither Cebuano nor Ilokano. The vocabulary is the only thing changing in these languages.


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## mataripis

Tagalog is a language, Cebuano and Bikol are dialects. Some words are closely similar but many are really different.E.g.  land= Lupa(Tagalog), Daga(Bikol), Yuta(Sebuhano/Cebuano),     House= Bahay(Tagalog), Harong(Bikol), Balay(Sebuhano)  Sit down= Umupo'(Tagalog), tukad(Bikol),Lingkod(Sebuhano)  Eat= Kain(Tagalog), Kakan(Bikol), Kaon(Sebuhano)   i walk= Lakad ako(Tagalog),Lakaw ako(Bikol and Sebuhano)  waterfalls= Talon/Tipasan(Tagalog), Busay(Bikol and Sebuhano)


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## çaférien

mataripis said:


> *Tagalog is a language, Cebuano and Bikol are dialects*. Some words are closely similar but many are really different.E.g.  land= Lupa(Tagalog), Daga(Bikol), Yuta(Sebuhano/Cebuano),     House= Bahay(Tagalog), Harong(Bikol), Balay(Sebuhano)  Sit down= Umupo'(Tagalog), tukad(Bikol),Lingkod(Sebuhano)  Eat= Kain(Tagalog), Kakan(Bikol), Kaon(Sebuhano)   i walk= Lakad ako(Tagalog),Lakaw ako(Bikol and Sebuhano)  waterfalls= Talon/Tipasan(Tagalog), Busay(Bikol and Sebuhano)



This is a common misunderstanding in the Philippines. 

Tagalog, Cebuano and Bikol are _languages _and they are not mutually intelligible. Each one of them are divided into their own _dialects_. The _Bulacan_ and _Batangas_ dialects are a couple of examples for Tagalog. Cebuano and Bikol have their own varying dialects depending where they are spoken. For the most part, dialects of the same language are mutually intelligible.


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## Cake.

By the strict definitions of language and dialect, you are correct. However, the meaning of dialect as it is used in the Philippines is different. The common usage of "dialect" in the Philippines is to refer to regional languages that are not Filipino. For all intents and purposes, these *are* languages but are referred to as dialects by laymen for convenience and simplicity; only librarians or linguists or historians or other people in various related academic fields refer to these as languages.

You may insist that calling these regional languages dialects is erroneous and to be completely technical, you are correct. But I have no doubt you know that the meaning of words often evolve to what is required or sometimes simply to what is popular. Call it language or dialect, I consider both as correct but I will refer to them as dialects to make it simpler and easier to understand.


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## çaférien

Cake. said:


> By the strict definitions of language and dialect, you are correct. However, *the meaning of dialect as it is used in the Philippines is different*. The common usage of "dialect" in the Philippines is to refer to regional languages that are not Filipino. For all intents and purposes, these *are* languages but are referred to as dialects by laymen for convenience and simplicity; only librarians or linguists or historians or other people in various related academic fields refer to these as languages.
> 
> You may insist that calling these regional languages dialects is erroneous and to be completely technical, you are correct. But I have no doubt you know that the meaning of words often evolve to what is required or sometimes simply to what is popular. Call it language or dialect, I consider both as correct but I will refer to them as dialects to make it simpler and easier to understand.



Exactly, I was merely clarifying it for anyone who is not familiar with how differently the word is understood or misunderstood, depending on how you see it, in the Philippines.


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## Scherle

turkjey5 said:


> Are these mutually intelligible or basically totally different? Are they grammatically similar?Thanks!


 I agree with niernier, they are mutually unintelligible.   I can speak Tagalog and Ilokano but I cannot speak Cebuano.


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## Scherle

mataripis said:


> Tagalog is a language, Cebuano and Bikol are dialects. Some words are closely similar but many are really different.E.g.  land= Lupa(Tagalog), Daga(Bikol), Yuta(Sebuhano/Cebuano),     House= Bahay(Tagalog), Harong(Bikol), Balay(Sebuhano)  Sit down= Umupo'(Tagalog), tukad(Bikol),Lingkod(Sebuhano)  Eat= Kain(Tagalog), Kakan(Bikol), Kaon(Sebuhano)   i walk= Lakad ako(Tagalog),Lakaw ako(Bikol and Sebuhano)  waterfalls= Talon/Tipasan(Tagalog), Busay(Bikol and Sebuhano)


 In addition: It's a little different in Ilokano though.  For instance, house = balay; Sit down = agtugaw ka; eat = mangan [not sure how to spell them correctly though]


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## jbermud2

Colloquially, yes. Bicolano, Ilocano, and Cebuano are considered 'dialects' because they do not enjoy official status like Tagalog does. 

But to be accurate, they are languages. Tagalog was adopted as Filipino, but in reality, it is NOT the mother tongue of the country. The Philippines has many languages. I highly doubt the Ilocanos, Cebuanos and other groups consider tagalog to be their mother tongue.


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## 082486

jbermud2 said:


> But to be accurate, they are languages. Tagalog was adopted as Filipino, but in reality, it is NOT the mother tongue of the country. The Philippines has many languages. I highly doubt the Ilocanos, Cebuanos and other groups consider tagalog to be their mother tongue.



I agree...


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## Hawk_Eye

niernier said:


> They are mutually unintelligible. I know how to speak Tagalog and Bicolano but I can't understand neither Cebuano nor Ilokano. The vocabulary is the only thing changing in these languages.


 



jbermud2 said:


> Colloquially, yes. Bicolano, Ilocano, and Cebuano are considered 'dialects' because they do not enjoy official status like Tagalog does.
> 
> But to be accurate, they are languages. Tagalog was adopted as Filipino, but in reality, it is NOT the mother tongue of the country. The Philippines has many languages. I highly doubt the Ilocanos, Cebuanos and other groups consider tagalog to be their mother tongue.



I can speak Waray but cannot speak Cebuano, Ilocano nor Ilonggo. But somehow I can get the drift of some of the meaning of the words that they're saying.


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