Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-03
TAoALoc, OUR NEW TONGUE.
The Language Dewey Took Along with the
Philippines.

OF scientific research, II has been
traced to the Africans. to the ancient
Hebrews, to the American Indians. TO
the world at large. and to an indigo
nous primitive race" whose skulls
and other bones have been recentlv in
terviewed. Conservative philology and
ethhology ascrlbe to the language, and
to the untold millions OF men and
women who use it'an origin almost un
doubtedly Malayan.
Practically this tongue has been Of
considerable utility in the advancement
of civilization. and is interesting as an
available and effective engine of fur
ther progress. The quassi-conquerors
have ignored the benefit of colloquial
intercourse with the islanders; but for
300 years the friars have taught and
preached, ana the ira lers have bought
and sold, in the language of the people
To acquire 1t, the conventuals have gone
out and worn the bahaquc. or native cos
tune. and the Acknowledged hustlers from
China have married the sprightly dala-
gas.
The language of the archipelago di-
vldes into innumerable local dialects. of
which vocabularies of about thirty-live
have been written down. Every dialect
Is dim with an infinity of dioms, and
man and Christian propagandists, Japan
csc and Chinese castaways. Negrito wan
derers and regrlla sweethearts. Celestial
merchants and Spanish dons have been
mixed with the whole as occasion offered
or these dialects the most important Is
the Tagaloc. 1t Is spoken by fifteen hun
dred thousand Tagals in IuZon ana the
adjacent islands. Ten thousand girls
have been often heard chattering Tago-
loo all at once In Manila tobacco fac
tory. The word tagal means Il native;
tagala, native woman; Zagala, Il lady:
dalaga, a girl: bahaque. the native dress
Ito wear which Is to be a native. LuZon
Is said to be from losong. a primitive
rice mill kept in every house Cavlte is
cavit, THE Hook and not from the
Latin cave, beware" Manila. which has
given name tn valuable textile fibre
and. in some places, to the peanut. was
ma nilad, the place of the niiad" a
shrub growing wild among thu man
groves.
claire. richie. elegante metaphorique
poetique. says an enthusiast of this
tongue. Poetic and other licenses. Indeed
are granted freely. Euphony is made To
order; syncopation. ad,..eion. transposi-
ton, mutation. while you listen. Nouns
and verbs are blended: a word may be
sentence. or Il stIckful half word. Imi-
tative words grow Wild: as "halotictic.'
the noise of the lizard that mustn't be
killed. because there VIII be no earth
quake or excess of rain while its song
lasts
The natives a musical and poetical peo-
pie. are much given to the informing of cx-
temporaneous verses, and their IMPROVE
sa lions are often upon the gravest
themes. a touching incident is related OF
Il poor woman who chanted a hedrtrend-
ing impromptu Invocation To the Virgin
as her little child lay dying In her arms.
The native aptitude in the use of mod
crn writing material IL beyond doubt
They no longer make use Of arrows and
lances against us" says an ccclesiastic,
but of pens. ink and paper: of fables.
calumnies ana jokes. Scribbicrs and petit
foggers are in all the pueblos. ready
enough at writing memorials on govern
ment paper. Let the padre set himself
against their WiCkedneSs and Immediate
lioS with crosses. and away to the most
easygong court they can lind. A Tag
aloe proverb is, 'Maminsanmlnsln ay
susulat ca At maninsanminsa babata
ca nanE sulat' (wrte once in a while
ana read once In Il whie). In 1910. book
was written by Pinpin. a native, and
printed by TaiaglE,y. another native, to
enable the TasalS TO learn the Spanish
language.
The native dramas are of an ntoierahle
length; a tragedy will often include the
entire lifc of some king. There Is much
talk on the stage, says traveller. and
brIndishng ~ swords and frowns. and
fierce lighting. and genii hunting women
into wild forests, and kings and queens
gayly dressed" Religious dramas are
very popular. or these, the Passion play.
in Taealoc verse, Is HE favoritc
There IS body nf poetry consisting
largely of lyrics. we idin@ songs. roman
zas. ballads, and ditlics Of all kin Is.
These are all set To native music; weird
and fascinating melodies that are a tlAt
insult to Western ideas of tune. a conn
position in a minor key ana full Of arct-
dcntlls will take a notion To pause in the
middle a half tone below the fifth. and
to wind up without any resolution a half
tone below the tonic. These songs bear
particular names: as, the "Batlnguno.
the ''CavIteEan," ana The faVOritc If all.
the song of the conquest Of love--the
"Comintang lie In Conquista.' The Com
intang is peculiar song and dance. in
which a young couple execute an appro-
pirate pantomimc As the spectators sing
the words to the instrumental rendering
of laneuorcus and melancholy air The
lover seeks ia intiame the heart of the
dalAga, and. finally, in despair, drops as
If dead. She, too late relentng. Is about
to die of grief. when he jumps mp and
eat ches her The music of the Comm
tang indicates an influence either Span
ish AMI remotely Moorish or possibly di-
rcctly Arabian. 1t requires metre that
Is not easily described: roughly. it may
be said that three lines are accented on
the first and the fourth syllable ana cv-
cry fourth line on the second fourth and
sixth. The rhyme. which in the Tagaloc
is only the aSonante. or ,Vowel-rhEme
that ignores the consonants. is on the
twelfth syllable. The accompanying YER
sion is from a line-for-lne and word-for-
word rendering into French
Who can forget thee love,
When he has known thy grace?
Dost thou not see the grief
And anguish in my face?
Why dost thou turn away?
There is no treason here;
Thou has no foe to face,
Nor any hate to fear.
Planets AMI fateful stars.
Have We forsaken me?
Come. death, Oh. quickly come,
4 wait, | wait for theei
Why should I longer live
l. who have been betrayed,
Fooled by the god of love
To love loveless maid?
Stay, stay. thou lovely bird!
Thou who hast been my death,
Gaze, as | yield for thee
My last dcspairing breath.
Take thee no weeds of woe;
It's but myself | crave;
Stay but to lead me to
The borders of my grave.
Progressive Furnishing Receptions for Anus
inq Children.