For most of those moving to the Philippines and desiring to learn a new language, the choice is fairly clear. Depending upon where you will live, either Cebuano or Filipino (Tagalog for the purposes of this article) is more prevalent. This is especially true in the larger cities. If you wish to live in a remote province, then you very possibly have other choices. I wish you luck with that. Unless you are one of those talented people that picks up languages without trying, you aren’t likely to get much in the way of reference material with anything but Filipino or Cebuano.
If Davao is your intended destination, then the the river gets a little muddy.
Bisaya, or the local version of Cebuano, is the most common native language for Davao but that doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s more complicated than that.
To start with the Cebuano spoken here is a mix. It’s not pure. That in itself is not a big issue, but there is no one set way they speak it here. Different people speak it differently. They mix in Tagalog, English, Bisaya, and text speak. It depends on the group you are with, of course. The older people tend to understand Bisaya pretty universally if they are from around here.
I’ve found that though I’m learning Cebuano, and if I can ever get fluent, I’ll need to spend some time (re)learning to speak with some of the residents here. Some have suggested that I not learn formally, as what I am learning is not always correct for the local communication, but I know that I could never learn to speak Bisaya if I were to just to pick it up informally. There is not enough consistency in they way they speak it here for me to be able to do that. I’m struggling as it is. Not that it’s such a hard language to learn. I don’t think it is. I’m just not retaining information very well.
Another issue, at least for some, is that almost all the news and television shows are in Filipino. There is a local newscast in Cebuano, just before the national news, but all else is in Filipino. For many that doesn’t matter, for others it might. It depends on your intentional use of the language.
There could be a number of reasons you are considering learning a local language. If your purpose for learning a language is to assimilate with the locals, then you might be in for a surprise. I have seen many foreigners that get along great with their families, neighbors, etc. that don’t speak any local language at all. I think that it has much more to do with the person, than the language. I’m not saying the language can’t help, of course it can, but don’t think that it’s going to suddenly get you accepted. You’ll need to work on that. If you can also speak to them in their native tongue, then you have that extra ability to understand and bond.
Honestly at this point the main reason I’m still working on it is to have something to keep my mind active. This is hard for me and I have to think quite a bit. If I didn’t have my language lessons, and the study in between, I could easily become even more mentally complacent than I already am.
I’m very happy I chose, and am trying to learn, Bisaya. I wish it was easier for me. I do not think I would be disappointed if I had chosen Tagalog, as I think in most cases it would serve me almost as well here in Davao. I don’t think there is a right or wrong with the two. If you really want to learn one, set your plan and get going.
The most important aspect is to know why you want to do it.
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Nov 16, 2013 @ 18:42:16
I’d normally agree with the argument of ditching formality, but you raise a good point about learning it.
I may be wrong, but would it be doable to learn it and mixing it with some English? It’s not a unique thing because, as you know, many switch back and forth from English to Bisaya/Tagalog when they converse. That way you get to more of a conversation flow instead of stopping and thinking of the next word. And then improve your way into more Bisaya as you progress in your conversations?
Like I said, I can’t really say if this works for you and you may even find it more difficult. Just thought I’d throw it out there.
Nov 16, 2013 @ 18:56:48
What you suggest is what I do in practice, not so much because of the mix here, but that I’m not far enough along in my learning to be able to do otherwise. I get as much out as I can, and mix in English for the rest. Sometimes that just the words I don’t know, and other times it’s finishing the sentence because I got stuck.
The main problem with practicing when I go out is that I end up saying or asking the same things over and over. I’m trying to incorporate more. It’s a process. The good news is that there is no deadline that I’m required to meet.
Nov 16, 2013 @ 22:11:13
I think I will be in the same boat as you Randy, it will be hard for me to learn a language there. Some people can pick them up so easy, but I am not one of them. My current second language abilities are limited to counting to 10 in Spanish, and I know quite a few Spanish cuss words. I have had a Mexican house framing crew thats worked for me for a few years, seems when they hit there finger with a hammer, I learn new words.
Nov 17, 2013 @ 07:07:47
Funny you should mention that. I’ve not learned any local cuss words. Don’t know if it’s not common here, or I’m just not catching them. I do hear them use a few English ones now and then, but it sounds out of place. Not always the intended use.
Nov 18, 2013 @ 23:19:49
Hey that book looks familiar. I decided to take a different approach to learning Bisaya (Cebuano). I know enough of the vocabulary, I just have to practice speaking and listening the language more. That will put me out of my comfort zone but I think that’s what I need to do to go to the next level.
We’ll be back Dec 22 for a few weeks to practice. See you then