Editing Tagalog language (section)

===Baybayin===
{{Main|Baybayin}}

Tagalog was written in an [[abugida]] ([[alphasyllabary]]) called [[Baybayin]] prior to the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, in the 16th century. This particular [[writing system]] was composed of symbols representing three [[vowel]]s and 14 [[consonant]]s. Belonging to the [[Brahmic family]] of scripts, it shares similarities with the [[Old Kawi]] script of [[Javanese language|Java]] and is believed to be descended from the script used by the [[Bugis]] in [[Sulawesi]].

Although it enjoyed a relatively high level of literacy, Baybayin gradually fell into disuse in favor of the [[Latin script|Latin alphabet]] taught by the Spaniards during their rule.

There has been confusion of how to use Baybayin, which is actually an [[abugida]], or an [[alphasyllabary]], rather than an [[alphabet]]. Not every letter in the Latin alphabet is represented with one of those in the Baybayin alphasyllabary. Rather than letters being put together to make sounds as in Western languages, Baybayin uses symbols to represent syllables.

A "kudlít" resembling an apostrophe is used above or below a symbol to change the vowel sound after its consonant. If the kudlit is used above, the vowel is an "E" or "I" sound. If the kudlit is used below, the vowel is an "O" or "U" sound. A special kudlit was later added by Spanish missionaries in which a cross placed below the symbol to get rid of the vowel sound all together, leaving a consonant. Previously, the consonant without a following vowel was simply left out (for example, ''bundók'' being rendered as ''budo''), forcing the reader to use context when reading such words.

Example:
<div style="text-align:center; margin:1em 0;">[[File:Baybayin sample 02.jpg|Ba Be Bo B (in Baybayin)]]</div>

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ vowels
! scope="row" | 
| {{script|Tglg| ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | a
| {{script|Tglg|ᜀ}}
|-
! scope="row" | i<br />''e''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜁ}}
|-
! scope="row" | u <br /> ''o''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜂ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ b
! scope="row" | b
| {{script|Tglg|ᜊ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ba
| {{script|Tglg|ᜊ}}
|-
! scope="row" | bi<br />''be''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜊᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | bu <br /> ''bo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜊᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ k
! scope="row" | k
| {{script|Tglg|ᜃ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ka
| {{script|Tglg|ᜃ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ki<br />''ke''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜃᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ku <br /> ''ko''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜃᜓᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ d/r
! scope="row" | d/r
| {{script|Tglg|ᜇ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | da/ra
| {{script|Tglg|ᜇ}}
|-
! scope="row" | di/ri<br />''de/re''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜇᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | du/ru <br /> ''do/ro''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜇᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ g
! scope="row" | g
| {{script|Tglg|ᜄ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ga
| {{script|Tglg|ᜄ}}
|-
! scope="row" | gi<br />''ge''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜄᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | gu <br /> ''go''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜄᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ h
! scope="row" | h
| {{script|Tglg|ᜑ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ha
| {{script|Tglg|ᜑ}}
|-
! scope="row" | hi<br />''he''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜑᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | hu <br /> ''ho''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜑᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ l
! scope="row" | l
| {{script|Tglg|ᜎ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | la
| {{script|Tglg|ᜎ}}
|-
! scope="row" | li<br />''le''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜎᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | lu <br /> ''lo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜎᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ m
! scope="row" | m
| {{script|Tglg|ᜋ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ma
| {{script|Tglg|ᜋ}}
|-
! scope="row" | mi<br />''me''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜋᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | mu <br /> ''mo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜋᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ n
! scope="row" | n
| {{script|Tglg|ᜈ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | na
| {{script|Tglg|ᜈ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ni<br />''ne''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜈᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | nu <br /> ''no''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜈᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ ng
! scope="row" | ng
| {{script|Tglg|ᜅ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | nga
| {{script|Tglg|ᜅ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ngi<br />''nge''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜅᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ngu <br /> ''ngo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜅᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ p
! scope="row" | p
| {{script|Tglg|ᜉ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | pa
| {{script|Tglg|ᜉ}}
|-
! scope="row" | pi<br />''pe''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜉᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | pu <br /> ''po''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜉᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ s
! scope="row" | s
| {{script|Tglg|ᜐ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | sa
| {{script|Tglg|ᜐ}}
|-
! scope="row" | si<br />''se''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜐᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | su <br /> ''so''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜐᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ t
! scope="row" | t
| {{script|Tglg|ᜆ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ta
| {{script|Tglg|ᜆ}}
|-
! scope="row" | ti<br />''te''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜆᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | tu <br /> ''to''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜆᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ w
! scope="row" | w
| {{script|Tglg|ᜏ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | wa
| {{script|Tglg|ᜏ}}
|-
! scope="row" | wi<br />''we''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜏᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | wu <br /> ''wo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜏᜓ}}
|}

|
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ y
! scope="row" | y
| {{script|Tglg|ᜌ᜔}}
|-
! scope="row" | ya
| {{script|Tglg|ᜌ}}
|-
! scope="row" | yi<br />''ye''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜌᜒ}}
|-
! scope="row" | yu <br /> ''yo''
| {{script|Tglg|ᜌᜓ}}
|}

|}