The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-12-27

Buckle quotes an opinion of w. Won
Humboldt that it is the most perfect
form of all the Malayo-P olynesian
tongues. According to Deniker, 1T is
largely superseding the other dialects,
having already displaced Bicol in the
north Of the Province of Camarine,
Bisayan on Martinique Island, ETC."
Perhaps it would be better to say that
dialectic variety is disappearing under
the influence of closer intercourse and
Il common national spirit, for Bisayan,
Ilocoan, Tagalog, etc, are in fact a
group of related dialects springing
from single Malayan stock. Middle
ton, Catholic priest, who recently de-
livercd lecture Oh this subject before
the Philobiblon Club, of Philadelphia,
says: 1.-The various dialects are twen-
tyseven in number, all, however, akin
in their common stock, Malay, Of
which these idioms. or patois, are
daughters, yet with countless sharply
marked difference between one an
other"
Philolosists classify Tagalog in the
Malayo-rolAnesian family. Its radical
elements are dissyllabic, and rcdupli-
cation is a marked feature in its gram
matical structure. 1t lelongs TO the
agglutinatve class of languages, being
exceedingly rich in determinative par
ticlcs which modify meaning when
added to roots. In its present form il
shows the influence of Spanish and
Chinese contact. Its very alphabet is
Latin instead of the original Arabic.
Except native scholars and few for
eigners like Blumentritt and certain
Spanish monks, there ale none c0mpe-
tent to discuss Il language which, for
veal or wee, has Eecomc Il part of
American thought and life.
That the FilipiLOs lave only sc;lnt
literature and that their culture (Which
is rcaD is rot indigenous, must he adj
mittcd, but that they have great capa-
bilitics must also be conceded. That
they are, as IL lace, superior to the
Chinese should not be gainsaid by any
ore who is not prepared to deny that
three centuries of cloSe contact with
European civilization can have bene-
fetal results. Their fondness for bal
lads, music and drama Il speak Of the
uncultured natives) indicates the eX-
stence of soul which must find cx-
preston under favorable circum-
stances The poverty of their genius
is, to my mind sufficiently accounted
for by the fact that they have always
been Il subject race.
Whether the attempt which is now
being made ito suhmerge the arcAi-
pelago under Il wave of English educa-
ton" be successful or not the Tagalog
language will probably persist. 1 have
been told by an officer of the first
American troops sent to the Philip
pines, who had many opportunities Of
meeting .Aguinaldo, that the Filipino
general resented being addressed in
Spanish, and said that his people had
their own language, which should be
recognized. This spirit will keep alive
IagalOg as it has kept it alive under
300 years of Spanish dominion.
The Manila RenacimientO of June 2G
1902, states that q number of cnthusi-
astic young lilipillOs have organized Il
Sociedad dc EScritorcs Tagalos, and
gives Il list of Tagalog works published
by them. The Serranos, father and son
the latter being still alive and up to
the American occupation being princi-
pal of the normal school in Manila),
have published II good Tagalog- Span
ish Dictionary. 1t may be also meIl-
toned that there are several newspa-
pers published ut the present time
either wholly CT partly in Tagalog.
Though the printing press was set up
In the Philippines as carry as 1903, it's
products mp to recent years in the Tag
alOg language have been chiefly church
and school books written by the
monks.