A lot of Pinoys think that our ancient script is Alibata, when the correct term, in fact, is Baybayin. Learn about this interesting Filipino script here.
If you want to give your older kids a fun learning challenge, why not teach them to read or write Baybayin? While this script is no longer widely used today, it would be a great way to share some insight into ancient Filipino life with your children. An interesting history lesson and a nice, artistic experience rolled into one!
A lot of Pinoys confuse Baybayin with Alibata as the ancient script that Filipinos use. But as history experts proved, there’s a difference between the two. So, which one is truly Pinoy?
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Baybayin vs. Alibata
Many Filipinos use the term Alibata to refer to the Filipino ancient way of writing. However, Alibata is an ancient script that was derived from the first two letters of the Maguindanaoan alphabet “alif” and “bet” and has Islam or Arabic origins. It was mistakenly coined by Paul Versosa, a member of the National Language Institute as the ancient Filipino script in 1921.
But historians argue that the older and more correct term, “Baybayin”, has been mentioned in several publications right after the Spanish colonization began.
So while the term Alibata is more popular and has a Pinoy ring to it, always remember that the truly Pinoy ancient way of writing is really Baybayin. Here’s a table that shows the difference between the two:
Not Alibata but Baybayin: Brief History of Baybayin
While the term Baybayin literally means “to spell” in Filipino. Another theory is that Baybayin also got its word from the word “baybay” or seashore in Tagalog.
According to Ezekiel Oclaray, a popular handspoke artist specializing in Baybayin, some professors accept the theory that the traditional script Baybayin was inspired by the shape of a seashell.
Because the Philippines is an archipelago, our ancestors got the idea to use the shape of a seashell in coming up with our own way of writing, which explains a lot of the curves in how it is written.
To date, there are only a few Mangyan tribes who continue to use this ancient way of writing. However, a lot of linguists and historians in the country work to keep this language alive. Some also introduce it as an ancient form of art, which is why Baybayin (or Alibata as a lot of Pinoys refer to it) is very popular in tattoo artists.
So, by teaching your kids to learn about Baybayin, you will be able to contribute to this cause, even for just a little bit.
The basics of Baybayin
It may seem difficult or complicated to teach children how to read or write in Baybayin. On the contrary, once they become familiar with the basic characters, you will see that it isn’t tough to read or write in this script after all.
Oclaray teaches us the basics of writing and reading Baybayin. Starting with the golden rule when it comes to this ancient Filipino script.
Write it the way it is pronounced
“Ang Baybayin, hindi siya per character tulad ng Roman Alphabet. Syllabic siya. Kaya ang pinakamahalagang rule ng Baybayin, kung paano mo siya binibigkas, ganoon mo rin siya isusulat,” said the artist.
There are 17 basic characters in Baybayin, covering common syllables used in Filipino words, and there are symbols for syllables such as la, ma, sa and pa.
There are no borrowed letters or “hiram na titik” in Baybayin, so if the name or words include the letter c, f, j, q, v, x, or z, you have to convert it to the Filipino way of pronouncing it. For example, the word “candy” will be written as “ke-n-di” in Baybayin.
In all of these basic characters, the syllables begin with a consonant sound, and end with an ‘a’ sound. When writing and reading Alibata, the syllables are taken as is. So for the word bata, which means child, you need to draw the symbol for “ba,” followed by the symbol for “ta.”
Note that there is a separate symbol that represents the sound “a,” but there is no need to include this when spelling out bata, otherwise the written word will read as “ba-a-ta-a.”
Oclaray also shared another thing that he learned from his mentor, Christian Cabuay, who wrote the book An Introduction to Baybayin, which is, “If it’s long, it’s probably wrong.”
Adding the “i/e” and “o/u” sounds
If you need to add syllables in Baybayin ending in the “i/e” or the “o/u” sounds, you can do this by adding a kudlit, or a small mark above or below the written syllable. You can use a small dot or a line to indicate this.
Baybayin syllables that have the mark above it end with an “i/e” sound. For example, when the symbol for “ba” has a mark above it, it is now read as “be” or “bi.”
Similarly, adding a diacritic below a Baybayin symbol transforms it into one that ends in the “o/u” sound. Therefore, the symbol for “ma,” when written with a mark below it, now sounds like “mo” or “mu.”
Once your child is able to identify the basic symbols and remember how the sounds change when diacritics are added, he or she is one step closer to start reading and writing words in Baybayin.
Pilipino as written in Baybayin. Note the “kudlit” at the top and bottom of the script, which indicates a vowel change.
Cancelling vowels
For syllables that do not end in a vowel when pronounced, Oclaray says that you can use a virama or what they refer to in Filipino as “pamatay patinig.” It’s a concept added by the Spaniards who were struggling to read Baybayin.
A virama is used to cancel the “a” sound in the syllable. You can do it by adding an x or a + sign at the bottom of the script.
Punctuations and limitations
Are there punctuation marks in Baybayin?
Oclaray said that there are two ways to write punctuations in this traditional way of writing. One diagonal line (/) can indicate a comma. While two diagonal lines (//) can indicate a period, question mark or exclamation point, depending on how you interpret the sentence.
According to him, numbers are not recognized in Baybayin. So, if you want to write a number, you just have to spell it out.
English words also have to be first translated into Filipino to make writing it easier. Although, if it has no direct translation, you can opt to write it the way it is pronounced. Again, we use the example “ke-n-di” for writing the word “candy.”
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Writing your name in Baybayin
So, to write your name or your child’s name in Baybayin, the first thing to do is to spell it out the way you would pronounce it in Filipino, taking note of the rules.
Again, if your name has any of those borrowed letters, you have to substitute it for the Filipino way of pronouncing it. For example, the name Jennifer is written as “D-ye-ni-per,” or Pocholo is written as “Po-t-so-lo.”
If your child’s name is an English word, you have two choices. You can spell it out as it is pronounced, or translate the word to Filipino first. For example, Angel can be written as “Endyel,” or “Anghel,” which is the direct Filipino translation of the word. Another example is the common name Joy, which can be translated to “ligaya” in Filipino.
Learning Baybayin may seem like a trivial activity to undertake. But it does provide your child with a skill that is unique. It also helps to firmly establish his or her Filipino roots, by giving the child a peek into how our ancestors used to share their written stories. Ultimately, this is a fun and educational bonding activity that you can do with your children.
Try to learn Baybayin with your child and have a rich lesson of Filipino history, while having fun and learning a new skill together.
Additional information by Camille Eusebio