The Changes of Similar Words between Tagalog and Indonesian

  
The Changes of Similar Words between Tagalog and Indonesian


                                              Written by Ari Julianto



The Tagalog language has developed a unique vocabulary sinceits inception from its Malayo-Polynesian roots. The influence of the Spanish, Nahuatl, Sanskrit,Pali, Persian, Arabic, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian languages can be seen in the Tagalog language.

According to the linguistic expert Jose Villa Panganiban, "of the 30,000 root words in the Tagalog language, there are close to 5,000 from Spanish, 3,200 from Malay and Chamorro, 1,500 from English, 1,500 from both Hokkien (Min Nan) and Yueh Chinese dialects, 300 from Sanskrit and Pali, 200 from Arabic, and a few hundred altogether from other languages".

Some linguists claim that borrowings from Malay and Chamorro cannot be ascertained at this time, as words from the Old Austronesian language and those from Malay and Chamorro are still ambiguous and too similar to be distinguished.

Meanwhile, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia. It is a standardized register of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Of its large population, the number of people who speak Indonesian fluently is fast approaching 100%, making Indonesian one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.(Souce: Wikipedia).

Below is the short list of several similar words between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia.
Tagalog  Indonesian  Meaning
Anak     Anak = child
Anim    Enam = six
Apat    Empat = Four
Asin  (salt)    Asin (salty)
Asinan    Asinan = pickle
balik     balik = return
bangon     bangun  = wake up
bangkay bangkai = Corpse
bangis     bengis     fierce, ferocious
bansa     bangsa = nation
bawang (garlic) bawang merah (onion) bawang putih (garlic)
bayad     bayar = pay
bunso    bungsu = youngest child
dahon     daun = leaf
dating     datang = arrive
dingding     dinding = wall
gansa    angsa = goose
hangin     angin = wind
inumin     minum = drink
kambing    kambing = goat
kami     kami = we
kanan     kanan = right
kuko     kuku = nail
lalaki     lelaki = man
langit     langit = sky
langka     nangka = jackfruit
lima    lima = five
mahal     mahal = expensive
mangga     mangga = mango
mangkok    mangkok = bowl
manipis (thin)    menipis (become thin)
mapait     pahit = bitter
mata    mata = eye
mesa    meja = table
mula (from, since) mula (beginning)
mura    murah = cheap
pandak     pendek = short
pinggan     pinggan rarely used = plate
sakit     sakit = ill
sayang    sayang = it's too bad
siko     siku = elbow
sulat     surat = letter
taksi    taksi = taxi
tali     tali (rope) = string
taon    tahun = year
tawa    tawa = laugh
tainga/tenga    telinga = ear
tulak     tolak = push
tulong    tolong = help
tumpok    tumpuk = a pile
tusok     tusuk = pierce
uban     uban = gray hair
ubi     ubi = yam

From the above list of words, we can see that there arethree types of words change between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, they are:

1. Change in vowel
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is One vowel change. The position of the vowel can be in end-position like ako (T) = Aku (BI), Siko (T) = Siku (BI), and mid-position like Tolong (BI) = Tulong (T), lelaki (BI) = Lalaki (T).

2. Change in consonant
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is One consonanat change like sulat (T) = surat (BI), tainga (T) = telinga (BI),

3. Missing/adding Infix
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is a difference in infix like dingding (T) = dinding (BI), bunso (T) = bungsu (BI).

4. Missing/adding  letter
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is one or two letters missed or added like mura (T) = murah (BI), dahon (T) = daun (BI).

Some other words have difference in pronunciation although the words in two languages are similar. And the rest might be different in usage only.

This is only a short analysis and I hope today's posting will be useful for all of us. Amien.



Reference
Meman, Paz B. 1990. Tagalog Language Packet. Manila: Peace Corps. Manila.

Tim Redaksi. 2008. Kamus Bahasa Indonesia.Jakarta: Pusat Bahasa Departemen Pendidikan Nasional.