Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs (Tuttle Language Library) [Paperback]

Paraluman S. Aspillera (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0804819106 | ISBN-13: 978-0804819107 | Publication Date: October 15, 1993

Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, is spoken by millions of people. Learn how to communicate with them in fifty carefully planned, eminently practical lessons in this self-study guide. Basic Tagalog intends to teach Tagalog to English speakers with a minimum of time and effort. It includes a structured introduction of eight hundred words of vocabulary, sufficient to cover daily needs; common idioms; and offers hints and study methods suggested by previous students of this method. After a small investment of time, you'll find yourself prepared for everyday situations and have a glimpse of the lives and culture of Filipinos around the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I hope that the new and expanded edition of this book will further encourage both non-Tagalogs and non-Filipinos to speak the Tagalog language better. Only then shall they appreciate the individuality of the language that reflects the resilience and flexibility of Filipinos all around the world."—Yolanda Canseco Hernandez

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Paraluman Aspillera, author, teacher, and newspaper journalist, specialized in the teaching of English and Tagalog. She was director of the Institute of Filipino Language and Culture at Philippine Women's University and a professor of Pilipino and Philippine Literature at the Institute of Asian Studies, University of the Philippines. She wrote the popular daily column ôYour Tagalog Column,ö which appeared in the Manila Times, and authored many books and articles in both English and Tagalog. Mrs. Aspillera dedicated herself to promoting the national language and culture of her country through extensive travel in North America, Europe, and Asia, and served as executive secretary and director of the UNESCO-sponsored Akademya ng Wikang Pilipino.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (October 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804819106
• ISBN-13: 978-0804819107
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Tagalog

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overall, a pretty shoddy job, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

I guess I'm a little bit spoiled by some excellent material in other Asian languages. This isn't the worst language book I've ever worked through (Speak Cantonese, Book II, by Huang, unquestionably takes that honor) but it is definitely substandard in several areas that a language learner of even average interest and motivation would find important. I give it two stars mostly because one-and-a-half, which would have been my first choice, was not offered as an option.

First, most of the exercises are of the "do it yourself" variety, where one starts with a word list and is told to make up sentences from there. Even when the book does give the reader sentences to translate, there is no key in the back that would give any idea of how close to a correct sentence one had come;

Second, there are a number of sentences in the book where words are used which are not defined, either in the lesson or in the glossary in back, a particularly serious sin of omission since Tagalog dictionaries are not thick on the ground;

Third, there are no conversations, just freestanding sentences and short narratives, so one is left with very little (if any) idea about how Tagalog is actually used;

Fourth, very little about the book is cumulative: each chapter treats a separate area of Tagalog grammar topically, and only rarely, do the later lessons build on earlier ones.

I would guess that when this book was written, it was aimed at an audience of people who had access to Tagalog speakers on a regular basis (e.g., Americans living in the Phillipines). For someone who has had to use the book as his primary Tagalog source material,(rather than as a support) it just doesn't make the grade. I'm writing this review mostly as an urgent plea to Routledge, Teach Yourself, Hugo and other publishers who have brought out first-class materials for other languages: Help! Help! Help! Tagalog is a fascinating language indeed and it deserves better treatment than it has had up til now- if anything, this is probably the best Tagalog book I have.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All That, and a bag of chips!, October 31, 1999

By 

Howard Trail ([e-mail]) (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

Well, I have family who speaks tagalog, and they wont teach me a thing, so I took it upon myself to learn the native language of my loved one, and now she is able to speak to me in simple phrases and I understand. I even know when her and her friends talk about me! This book is great to learn simple phrases and to expand your vocabulary of tagalog if you are also exposed to it often. Its just a great book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mabuhay !, April 12, 2000

By 

gary rowe (Bunbury, Western Australia.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

I bought an edition of this book in 1993 after my first two visits to the Philippines.I picked it up almost every day,which is an unusual thing for me to do with a book,however because of the teachings and systematic way the book is set out it made for very enjoyable learning. Even more enjoyable than learning from the book,is getting to put what I have learned into practise during subsequent visits to the Philippines.The filipino people are quick to encourage someone who they can see has put in an effort to learn their language.This book makes that effort worthwhile !