Learning new language

Which one?

There are 3 main Visayan languages, Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray-Waray.

The best way to learn is to have your wife or girlfriend teach you.

Hobbit 112
that is very true for your words and thoughts

i have found where I can hear the spoken Visayan lunguage spoken then it helps me to say
the correct way the this language must be spoken .
and also there is the >>  R , E, O crossed referenced as R = A and E = I and O = U  prounciation placed into this vissayan language  words and itgs confusing  for me when i spussed to use these R.E,O abreviations
respect thank you Hobbit 112 respect
I looking for the childrens way to learn Visayan lunguage back tgo the casics
question has this Visayan language get an Althebat e.g as Ein English as an example
on this expat there is a learning nre languages sadly Now philippines language none not even Visayan language
regards

Hobbit 112
I Appologise i just re read your message sadly i eas not told what type visayan language pagadian speak
respectfully I will ask at philippines &am in your morning
then come back and tell Hobbit 112 respectfully thank you

regards

Looks like they mostly speak Cebuano in Pagadian and there is online help in learning the language.  Try http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cebuano.htm as a start.  There are also YouTube insructions for pronunciation.

Remember Google is your friend.

You also might find a tutor to help learn the language.  I just found one for Hiligaynon while looking for something else.  You might ask any parents around if they know of any tutors.

Good luck.

me too i would like to learn bisaya and tagalog

\Respect -
I want to learn Cebuana language
Visayan
I must hear trhe words and pronounciations to get the spaeking correct

Regards

I know Google translate can't figure out visaya

Okieboy
its Cebuana language = Visayan language
I was told there is 6 diferent languages sspoken throughtout the Phuilippines ....


Regards

Everyone speaks their native dialect well and neighboring languages well.  There are more than 6 local languages just in Mindanao.  Most can speak Tagalog, which is standard on TV.  If they finished Hi School they will do varying degrees of English.  Figure out your destination, learn that.  Cebuano Visayan can converse, transact business but not go very deep.

So far in travelling throughout the Phils mostly on motor, I've come across several major dialects with many as offshoots from them that's often determined by a major river, mountain range or sea barrier. The main ones of malay origin I've discovered are Pampangan, Panganisanian (sp), Ilocano (spoken very differently either east or west of the mountain provinces in northern Luzon), Tagalog, Bicolano, Waray-Waray of Samar and Leyte, Cebuano and Bisayan/Visayan that's spread throughout eastern/central Mindanao and all of the Visayas from Bohol west until western Negros and Panay, where the main spoken lingo is Illongo. Getting into western Mindanao, their Samboangan dialect reflects a higher concentration of Spanish, but in the more remote provinces - usually along mountain ranges - they have several Indios dialects that I understand are removed from the Malay languages. Some of these are found in Benguet, Abra and other northern/central Luzon provinces, in Bukidnon in north central Mindanao, etc. As their are 1700 islands in the Phils, I'd suggest that many of them speak their own dialetic, as on Mindoro and Masbate, sizable islands, that likely have their own peculiar languages?

daenr wrote:

So far in travelling throughout the Phils mostly on motor, I've come across several major dialects with many as offshoots from them that's often determined by a major river, mountain range or sea barrier. The main ones of malay origin I've discovered are Pampangan, Panganisanian (sp), Ilocano (spoken very differently either east or west of the mountain provinces in northern Luzon), Tagalog, Bicolano, Waray-Waray of Samar and Leyte, Cebuano and Bisayan/Visayan that's spread throughout eastern/central Mindanao and all of the Visayas from Bohol west until western Negros and Panay, where the main spoken lingo is Illongo. Getting into western Mindanao, their Samboangan dialect reflects a higher concentration of Spanish, but in the more remote provinces - usually along mountain ranges - they have several Indios dialects that I understand are removed from the Malay languages. Some of these are found in Benguet, Abra and other northern/central Luzon provinces, in Bukidnon in north central Mindanao, etc. As their are 1700 islands in the Phils, I'd suggest that many of them speak their own dialetic, as on Mindoro and Masbate, sizable islands, that likely have their own peculiar languages?

Nice summary of languages in the Philippines.  Should be noted there are 7,100 islands in the Philippines.

Yes, various islands have unique languages and have usually adopted a major.  The adopted major is always secondary.  Deep conversation always in local.

My wife from north eastern Mindanao and Zamboanga, Chavacano , speaks Visayan , ilongo, something from the mountains near Zamboanga, another from north of Zamboanga along theeast coast, tagalog, English & Arabic.  When traveling in the Mindanoa mountains we encounter isolated groups she cannot converse with.

This is a unique book if you enjoy studying the structure of the grammar. Some people would rather hear it and speak it than read, translate, and study it. Depends on who you are.

I will be moving to Northern Mindanao (Claveria, Hinaplanan) early next year. My Girlfriend speaks Tagalog and English, she understands most of the local dialects.  My questions are,

1).  Has anybody tried to learn Tagalog with Rosetta Stone?

2). With normal learning capabilities, how difficult for 67 year old to learn? ( I also speak some Spanish and some German).

3). Your opinion on a preferred method of learning?

4). Should I just focus on Bisaya (local dialect)?

Really looking forward for your response.

Regards Keith

Well I have never been there, it has a population of under 4000. Only about 64 people over 65, I doubt they speak tagalog. Bisaya most likely and some dialects of who knows what, I just picked up what I know from locals, but my neighbors speak english  very good,so I only use Bisaya in the market. 45 minutes from where I live the people speak native

@Kampkos104 Good morning, there is no need to learn Filipino (Tagalog) or a local language. All important things are written in English and everyone speaks at least a little English. Filipino is an easy language and you can learn the basic communication with your girlfriend.

Greetings from Boracay

Andy

@Kampkos104 Hello Kampos -- I'm 66.  I've been here less than a year.  It is possible to learn a new language.  Unfortunately, the Philippine languages are unrelated to Romance languages like English, French, Spanish, Italian, etc.  It's a whole different branch of linguistics.  Fortunately, they use a Western alphabet for the most part.  (Though there are some local dialects / languages with their own writing.)

I don't know anything about Rosetta Stone.  And last time I looked, Duolingo did not have Tagalog.

I would learn the local dialect, the local slang, the local customs.  This will endear you to your family and neighbors, and cause some amusement when you call your heart a cat.  (Puso / pusa in Tagalog.)  You'll mess up 10,000 ways but be loved all the more.

To learn Tagalog or whatever takes dedication.  One or two twenty-minute sessions per day is all I can handle.  In eight months I've learned several hundred words (maybe 1200) and a few dozen key sentences.  I am mistaken for one who speaks Tagalog -- my accent is good.  (It takes practice.)  This is a problem as I don't really speak Tagalog, I just know a bunch of words, can ask questions, can give simple answers.

Two days ago Nanay visited our new house construction project.  She's in her 80's and of slow, unsteady gait.  She's wanted to go upstairs for a month.  And she did it!  I stood behind her and said (in Tagalog), "Foot, foot, foot.  Slowly!  Leg!  Perfect.  No problem!"

I aspire to speak as a three-year old.

The best language learning tool I've found is TPR -- Total Physical Response.  TPR associates an image with a word.  I made several collages of pictures -- vegetables, weather, body parts, colors, etc.  Twenty to twenty-five pictures in each collage.  On my phone (and computer, but I use my phone mostly) I have a text file -- a list of the words that correspond to the pictures.  The text file and collage are adjacent to one another in my photo gallery.  If I can't remember the word (in the picture), I can check the text file.

In TPR you should touch the picture, and remember the word in your head.  Once you have correct pronunciation, you are to SAY the word as well.  Do this 2-3 times per picture, and don't go to the next collage until you can go through the whole collage remembering each word.

I also use a flashcard app called "Flashcards."  Not trying to be funny, but there are many such apps.  The icon is a blue square with three cards.  I have about 1000 words / phrases / sentences in Flashcards. 

Study the flashcards when you are waiting in line, waiting for asawa, waiting for the worker, waiting for ... you get the idea.  Between the TPR collages and the flashcard review, I probably learn 1-3 new words each day.

Now ... this is very hard, but LISTEN to your family and neighbors speak.  It takes concentration to discern the words.  You will hear common words often.  Words like but, maybe, not possible, ready, and, or, the and so on will be frequent.  I ask, Paano mo sasabihin 'dilaw' (for example) sa English?  (They tell me it means Yellow.  And I knew they were talking about flowers, bulaklak.)  Ask about these common words.  Put them in your flashcards and TPR, if you can think of an image for but.  (No, not that one!  That's puwet!)

To shorten this up, Kampos, It takes years for a Filipino to learn Tagalog.  You probably had English for 12 years in HS.  You can learn it, but my progress is slow.  Nevertheless, I walk through the Palengke chatting with the vendors, buying my gulay (vegetables of all sorts) and so on.  I go to St Anne's and buy meds ... you will too.  It takes time and work.  In the Palengke, if I don't know a veggie, I ask them, What is this?  If they reply in English, I say, Tagalog salita, paki -- The Tagalog word, please.

I live in a very rural area.  Some young people speak English but are terribly shy.  Once out of school, unless they go OFW, English is not used much.  AROUND HERE (rural Central Luzon) Tagalog is the main language BY FAR.  English a far distant second.

Lastly, use children.  Small kids who know no English.  Point to a stone and say, Ano ito?  Bato, they reply.  Point to grass.  Ano it?  Damo, they say.  (Grass.)  They can do this for 5 minutes.  You'll hear the word, see the object, can touch the object usually (TPR), and then say the word back to them.  There are 100 objects around you and the kids know them all.  They will help you without even knowing it.

It's a long road but worth the trip.

@NN3M/DU3  My future wife is from Central Luzon, Nueva Ecija.