Spelling Adaptations & Transformations from Foreign Words
Words from Spanish and English origins are often integrated into the Filipino language. When they are, the words are spelled with slightly different letters to use the spelling system of the Filipino language, while remembering the simple rule that in the Filipino language a word is spelled as it is pronounced.
These letter changes occur because certain letters ( like C, Q, V, F, X ) did not exist in the original Filipino alphabet, and in other cases because the sounds made by a foreign word are better represented with different letters when using the normal rules of Filipino pronunciation.
Review the spelling transformations that frequently take place in the example box below:
Examples:
Hard C is changed to the letter K
"crisis" in English becomes...
krisis in Filipino.
krisis in Filipino.
Soft C is changed to S
"cinema" in English becomes...
sine in Filipino.
sine in Filipino.
CK is changed to K, and
Double M's are change to a SINGLE M
Double M's are change to a SINGLE M
"gimmick" in English becomes...
gimik in Filipino
gimik in Filipino
CT is changed to K
"abstract" in English becomes...
abstrak in Filipino.
abstrak in Filipino.
QUA is changed to KWA
"quadruple" in English becomes...
kwádrupló in Filipino.
kwádrupló in Filipino.
long I is changed to AY, and
V is changed to B
V is changed to B
"driver" in English becomes...
drayber
drayber
F is changed to P, and
Hard C is changed to K
Hard C is changed to K
"traffic" in English becomes...
trapik in Filipino.
trapik in Filipino.
Long O is changed to U, and
V is changed to B
V is changed to B
"approve" in English becomes...
aprúb in Filipino.
aprúb in Filipino.
Long I is changed to AY,
Soft C is changed to S, and
CLE is changed to KEL
Soft C is changed to S, and
CLE is changed to KEL
"tricycle" in English becomes...
tráysikel in Filipino.
tráysikel in Filipino.
TION is changed to SYON, and
Hard C is changed to K
Hard C is changed to K
"action" in English becomes...
aksyón in Filipino.
aksyón in Filipino.
X is changed to KS
"relax" in English becomes...
reláks in Filipino.
reláks in Filipino.
Beginning S is changed to IS
"score" in English becomes...
iskór in Filipino.
iskór in Filipino.
Soft CH is changed to TS, and
CK is changed to K
CK is changed to K
"check" in English becomes...
tsek in Filipino.
tsek in Filipino.
Hard C is changed to K
"carne" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
Soft C is changed to S
Hard C is changed to K
Hard C is changed to K
"circo" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
CH is changed to TS, and
E is sometimes changed to I
E is sometimes changed to I
"lechon" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
F is changed to P, and
IE is changed to IYE
IE is changed to IYE
"fiesta" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
J is changed to H
Hard C is changed to K
Hard C is changed to K
"cajon" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
LL is changed to LY, and
Hard C is changed to K
Hard C is changed to K
"calle" in Spanish becomes...
V is changed to B
"vapor" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
Z is changed to S
"lapiz" in Spanish becomes...
in Filipino.
in Filipino.
Trivia:
There are many Spanish and English words integrated into the Filipino language. These influences in language can also be observed in Filipino traditions, clothing, government, food, architecture, and religion.Did you also notice that the Filipino language rarely uses double consonant letters? You don't spell gimik with double m's. Or adik with double d's.