The Philippines Today

Kanta vs. Dalit Kanta is the general Kapampángan and Tagalog word for “song” and “to sing”. It comes from the Spanish canta which is a conjugated form of cantar “to sing”. Dalit is a more traditional Kapampángan word that refers to native folk songs and religious songs. For example, the book of Psalms in the … Read more

Pun Last Sunday was Arbor Day in the Philippines! Did you know that the word for tree in Philippine languages is also a word that means “base” or “principal part”? This is in relation to its structure of having a central trunk that branches out to its outer parts such as leaves and fruits. PUN … Read more

Mabasa Let’s welcome the wet season with the Kapampángan word for “wet”! How do you say “wet” in your language? MABASÂ • (muh-buh-SA’)wetTagálog (Filipino): basâ RootBASÂ • (buh-SA’)wetness, (to) wet, douseTagálog (Filipino): basâ HomonymsBASÂ = (to) wet, douseTagálog (Filipino): basâ BÁSÂ = (to) readTagálog (Filipino): bása/basá Derived WordBASAN • (buh-SUHN)rag for wipingTagálog (Filipino): basáhan Verb … Read more