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Discuss culture, living, traveling, relocating, dating or anything related to the Asian countries - China, The Philippines, Thailand, etc.
Ghost
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Post by Ghost »

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Mr S
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Post by Mr S »

I would only learn it if you plan on moving and living there permanently and you really have a knack and interest for learning languages. If your just a casual visitor or just looking for a woman to marry and move her back to your country I wouldn't bother. The language has little purpose outside of Luzon, and even in parts of the Philippines they don't really speak Tagalog but their own dialects. It's a waste of time unless your a language guru.
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher, 121-180 A.D.
ladislav
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Post by ladislav »

If you want to live here then yes, learn it, but remember that in many places it is not spoken and the second language is Visaya- the only book I recommend is Beginning Cebuan- two volumes- 100 dollars- find it on the Amazon. A huge help.
The Philippines is not Japan or Korea- you speak the language, you are very much in.
But if you plan on visiting and taking a woman back, you will be wasting your time and money.
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Banano
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Post by Banano »

Learn spanish instead, it is waste of time if you ask me, you can get p***y without knowing tagalog so why bother, it is useless outside PH.
If PH chicks dont like you I dont think knowing their language will make you more attractive. If you are having trouble attracting filipinas you shd consider chopping your balls off; ladislav is 50 yo dude and he doesnt do chicks that are over 20 yo...
Ghost
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Raja
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Post by Raja »

Ghost wrote: I know of other languages in the Philippines, but how different are they? Are they closer to dialects or different languages entirely?
They call them dialects, a different language suggest a different nation and there are separatist who would like that, but they are languages just as Spanish, Portuguese and Italian are separate languages. You can see the subtitles on their movies and TV when a character speaks in a language other then Tagalog or English. The Tagalogs just hold most of the power so Pilipino/Filipino is actually Tagalog with the political fiction of adding in words from the other languages
ladislav
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Post by ladislav »

If you learn Tagalog well or Visayan well, you will get girlfriends no prob and it will be appreciated but keep in mind that now you will have to adapt to a very conservative culture and you will be with girls who do not want to emigrate. In other words, you will slowly start becoming a Filipino. And they will be expecting you to act like one, too. Meaning- 2 years of courtship, marriage, lots of kids, and work your butt off to help the family. You will be accepted but now you will have to go native. Unlike in other countries around them, a Tagalog speaker is also expected to suit action to words and act local, not only speak local. So, be warned. I am in this "predicament" now.
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Rock
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Post by Rock »

ladislav wrote:If you learn Tagalog well or Visayan well, you will get girlfriends no prob and it will be appreciated but keep in mind that now you will have to adapt to a very conservative culture and you will be with girls who do not want to emigrate. In other words, you will slowly start becoming a Filipino. And they will be expecting you to act like one, too. Meaning- 2 years of courtship, marriage, lots of kids, and work your butt off to help the family. You will be accepted but now you will have to go native. Unlike in other countries around them, a Tagalog speaker is also expected to suit action to words and act local, not only speak local. So, be warned. I am in this "predicament" now.
Wow, sounds like more of a liability. I mean, you get plenty of downside but little upside.

- Most guys w/PI experience on this forum claim that it's easy to get a gf there w/out local language

- Even if you do speak local language, do you really believe they view you as a Filipino and not a foreigner? If so, does that apply to both to Luzon and Visayas region?

- 2 yrs. of courtship + marriage and lots of kids + working your butt off as a slave to the family + being stuck in a country like PI hardly sounds like the flavor of HA most guys here are pursuing, especially older ones. Perhaps you would be better off hiding your language skills so you could get the benefits of being an outsider while secretly knowing what's going on.

- Local language skills are much more useful in a country like China - plenty of practical benefits with little to no downside. Same can be said for many other countries. But in PI, seems like sticking with English is the least painful and stressful course based on what you've written above.
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Post by ladislav »

Rock wrote:
ladislav wrote:If you learn Tagalog well or Visayan well, you will get girlfriends no prob and it will be appreciated but keep in mind that now you will have to adapt to a very conservative culture and you will be with girls who do not want to emigrate. In other words, you will slowly start becoming a Filipino. And they will be expecting you to act like one, too. Meaning- 2 years of courtship, marriage, lots of kids, and work your butt off to help the family. You will be accepted but now you will have to go native. Unlike in other countries around them, a Tagalog speaker is also expected to suit action to words and act local, not only speak local. So, be warned. I am in this "predicament" now.
Wow, sounds like more of a liability. I mean, you get plenty of downside but little upside.

- Most guys w/PI experience on this forum claim that it's easy to get a gf there w/out local language

- Even if you do speak local language, do you really believe they view you as a Filipino and not a foreigner? If so, does that apply to both to Luzon and Visayas region?

- 2 yrs. of courtship + marriage and lots of kids + working your butt off as a slave to the family + being stuck in a country like PI hardly sounds like the flavor of HA most guys here are pursuing, especially older ones. Perhaps you would be better off hiding your language skills so you could get the benefits of being an outsider while secretly knowing what's going on.

- Local language skills are much more useful in a country like China - plenty of practical benefits with little to no downside. Same can be said for many other countries. But in PI, seems like sticking with English is the least painful and stressful course based on what you've written above.
It is a liability in some ways except if you are interested in actually becoming a member of the mainstream Philippine society and few people are. As to whether they will view you as a Filipino and not as a foreigner, well, in this country it is simple- if you are a citizen you are not a foreigner. Filipino refers to citizenship, not to race. So, as long as you are a non citizen, that is how they will view you. They always ask about your citizenship here. I am US citizen so I am a foreigner. If you mean socially, it basically always works like this- they see your face and they talk to you in English immediately. From then on it depends on how fluent you are in the local language. If you are fluent, then they will immediately change their attitude and call you by the name of that language you are speaking. If it is heavily accented and broken, then you are a foreigner. But it does not mean you are excluded from most social activities. You will still be included. This is not Japan.

I know of other languages in the Philippines, but how different are they? Are they closer to dialects or different languages entirely?
Dialect is a misnomer harking back to the Spanish times. The Spaniards would not consider even Aztec to be a language, but just a dialect. From traditional linguistic point of view, here is a map of Philippine languages.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... guages.jpg

The actual dialects are marked by an additional designation to the title of the language in front of it.
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filousophe
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Post by filousophe »

Hi,

100% Filipino Guy here. Let me answer your question.

The short answer is no.

English is our second language so most of the girls here can perfectly understand you. Just learn a few of key Filipino (not Tagalog) words, such as "mabuhay," "mahal kita," etc., and you would just be perfectly fine.

Hope this helps.
Rock
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Post by Rock »

filousophe wrote:Hi,

100% Filipino Guy here. Let me answer your question.

The short answer is no.

English is our second language so most of the girls here can perfectly understand you. Just learn a few of key Filipino (not Tagalog) words, such as "mabuhay," "mahal kita," etc., and you would just be perfectly fine.

Hope this helps.
You forgot Winston's million dollar no-fail pick-up line - You are very maganda!"
filousophe
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Post by filousophe »

^that would probably work if said with an accent, as some girls find it cute here to blend Filipino and English words, both of which should be spoken in a non-Filipino manner.
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Falcon
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Post by Falcon »

Ever heard of this quote?
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.� - Nelson Mandela
Definitely yes. Learn Tagalog, especially if you're East or Southeast Asian. Filipinas appreciate me a lot more when I use at least some Tagalog with them.

It's not a necessity, but Tagalog is the language of the home, of the street, and of the heart.
OutWest
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Post by OutWest »

Falcon wrote:Ever heard of this quote?
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.� - Nelson Mandela
Definitely yes. Learn Tagalog, especially if you're East or Southeast Asian. Filipinas appreciate me a lot more when I use at least some Tagalog with them.

It's not a necessity, but Tagalog is the language of the home, of the street, and of the heart.

If you are from Luzon that is....
for millions it is not....


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Falcon
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Post by Falcon »

If you are from Luzon that is....
for millions it is not....
Still start out with some Tagalog though, then pick up Ilokano, Bikolano, Cebuano, or whatever language. Non-Tagalog Filipinos will still appreciate you using Tagalog a lot, and will be even more impressed if you start speaking their native tongue.
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