The two official languages spoken in the Philippines are Filipino and English, with Filipino being the national language. However, there are many more languages spoken throughout the country. In fact, the Philippines is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world , with 187 languages currently being used today. The Philippines even has a monthly event in August to celebrate its language diversity called Buwan ng Wika, or Language Month. It is hardly surprising that so many languages are spoken in the Philippines when you consider the historical and geological context of the country. The dispersion of the Filipino people across many islands means communities have evolved their own language and dialect. Previous to Filipino, Tagalog was considered the national language of the Philippines and was the official language spoken in the capital: Manila. Tagalog is still considered an important language in the Philippines today and is where Filipino originated from. Before Tagalog, the colonization of the Philippines meant Spanish was the official language. English did not replace it until the US occupation when it became part of the public school curriculum. Filipino still has elements of Spanish within it, as well as bits of English, Chinese, and Malay mixed in too.