Taglish: The Art of Switching Languages in a Conversation

Taglish is an art in which switching between two languages, mainly Tagalog and English, happens. The effortless language-switching in between conversations surprised other nationalities! On the other hand, why is Taglish more acceptable and practiced rather than using only pure Tagalog in a conversation?

Art of Switching

The Philippines has the most linguistic diversity globally, with 187 languages and dialects. The country (Philippines), on the other hand, has a lot of borrowed words from other languages due to the long history of colonization.As a result, some words or terms are used similar to those in different languages but have no available translation in Filipino. With that, mixing of other languages, like words from Spanish and English, begins to emerge during a conversation, and it is already considered normal.

English has become the country’s second official language, following its primary and national language Filipino. The Philippines is considered one of the largest English-speaking countries. At an early age, Filipinos are already exposed to English as it is the medium used in school textbooks, from kindergarten up until college. Besides that, most teachers mainly use English in their classroom discussions as most subjects taught in school are in English, like Mathematics and Science.

The majority of Filipinos enjoy watching Hollywood movies which are mainly English films. Even cartoons played on television intended for younger audiences are in English! One of the internet’s most popular viral videos features English-speaking children influenced by the cartoons they watch, like Peppa pig. Also, Filipinos enjoy listening to English songs, are big fans of Hollywood celebrities, and read novels written in the same language.

When does the art of switching occur?

Taglish is not limited to the middle class or the educated; all Filipinos speak and switch between the two languages. Taglish is also used on social media platforms, as well as on television, radio, and print media. Furthermore, Filipinos can quickly and freely switch to English because they have a flexible language structure.

Taglish is also commonly used in informal conversations and work; however, paper works must be in pure English or Tagalog. Lastly, speaking Taglish does not make you any less of a Filipino. It simply demonstrates where we came from, our history, and that we live in a world where things and people constantly change. However, we need to know and learn more about our culture and language rather than prioritize others.