Tayabas Tagalog

Tayabas Tagalog (also known as Tayabasin) is a form of Tagalog primary spoken by the native Tagalog people of Quezon Province (old Tayabas Province). This dialect has developed over time and still has many special words and features shaped by the province history and traditions. Unlike the more standardized Tagalog spoken in Manila, Tayabasin retains many traditional linguistic elements. Also, towns within the province have their own variations of local words, adding to the area’s linguistic diversity.

Tayabas Tagalog
Quezon Tagalog
Tayabasin ᜆᜌᜊᜐᜒᜈ᜔
The term "Tayabasin" written in Baybayin script with horizontal virama ("pangaltas")
Native to	Philippines
Region	Quezon
Ethnicity	Tagalog people
Native speakers	Quezonin | Tayabasin
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Greater Central Philippine Tagalog Tayabas Tagalog
Writing system	Latin (Abakada or Filipino alphabet); Baybayin (revitalizing)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	taya1253

Nomenclature

Tayabas Tagalog is named after Quezon's old name, "Tayabas," and the main language used in the area, "Tagalog." E. Arsenio Manuel, the Dean of Filipino Anthropology, conducted a lexicographic study on this dialect and called it Tayabas Tagalog. Even before World War II, the term "Tayabasin" was commonly used to refer to this dialect or the people of the province.

Dialectal vocabulary

Tayabas Tagalog highlights thousands of native vocabulary words that are not present in Bulacan-Manila Tagalog, as documented in the lexicographic study of  Dr. E. Arsenio Manuel. Most of Tayabasin dialectal vocabulary can be found in Vocabulario De Lengua Tagala, the first Spanish-Tagalog dictionary written by Pedro de San Buenaventura in 1613. This means that the words preserved in Tayabas Tagalog were already in use even before the Spaniards conquered the Philippines.

English	General/Basic Tagalog	Tayabas Tagalog (Quezon)
invite	yaya	akit
bunch of coconuts	buwig ng niyog	bagaybay
a tool used for scraping coconut meat	kayuran o kudkuran ng niyog	kabyawan
cloud/ nimbus	ulap/ulap-ulan	dag-im
handrail	hawakan sa hagdan	guyabnan
scythe	kawit	halabas
throw in the fire	ilagay sa apoy	isugba
remote area/ farm	kabukiran, rural na lugar	linang
young coconut	buko	mura
skewer	pantuhog	tindagan

_{Selected Quezonian or Tayabas Tagalog vocabulary (Focus on Lucenahin words)}

Literary Form

The term “awit” in Tagalog primarily means “song.” It has been used as a generic term for various types of songs. In Quezon Province, Tayabas "awit" is unique for its twelve-syllable verses and its association with dance. It is commonly performed during social gatherings and celebrations, such as weddings and baptisms.

Sample quotes from Tayabas Tagalog Awit Fragments "Awit sa Pagpapatulog ng Bata." This lullaby (Tagalog: hele or oyayi) is traditionally sung to help put children to sleep with its gentle and soothing melody.

Naito na naman ang bangkang may kangkong,

Kasama si Neneng sa pagbabakasyon

Saya ay maskota, tapis at patadyong,

Baro, bitubito, panyong layronlayron.

Ikaw pala Neneng ay maraming damit

Purongpurong sutla habing kamarines;

Sino ang magdadala, sino ang magbibitbit?

Si Donya Mariya, anak ni Don Felis.

Related pages

• Batangas Tagalog
• Bulacan Tagalog