Concise English-Tagalog Dictionary by Jose Villa PanganibanReview by: J. Donald BowenJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 92, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1972), pp. 163-164Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/599697 .

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Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

I found a number of minor inconsistencies in tran- scription and typographical mistakes, and a few factual errors. p. 4 The American and Australian natives were not "ex-

terminated" by the white man. "Decimated" is prob- ably meant.

id. in fine Only part of the Uighurs settled in Kansu after having been driven out of Mongolia in the middle of the ninth century.

p. 7, 1. 22 For Russian read Russia. p. 8, 1. 12 For on read only. p. 12, 1. 2 For almost read more than. p. 25, 1. 8 After Introduction to add Mongolian. p. 29 I am not certain whether Sinor, following, I be-

lieve, M. Weiers (see Studium Generale, XX, 1967, p. 471), is correct in stating that the Mongols were re- sponsible for turning the Uighur script into a vertical script. The late Uighur script was written horizontally as well as vertically (under Chinese influence), and it seems more likely that the Mongols merely adopted the contemporary Uighur vertical script.

p. 66 For Sheng-wu ts'in-cheng lu read Sheng-wu ch'in- cheng lu.

p. 121 Not only Uighurs, but also Chinese or sinicized officials were put in charge of Mongol chanceries and were instrumental in shaping Mongol administration.

p. 130 "the city of Balasagun-probably in the Chu valley." According to O. I. Smirnova (tr.), Sbornik letopisei, I, 2 (Moscow, 1952), p. 182, n. 3, the ruins of this city are found 24 kilometers southwest of Tokmak in the Kirghiz SSR.

id. For gur khan read giir-khan. Correct also the "Gur- khan" on p. 161.

p. 132 For Feng Chia-shen read Feng Chia-sheng. id. There is actually a book in French devoted to the

history of the Jurchen. It is C. de Harlez' Histoire de l'Empire de Kin ou Empire d'Or (Louvain, 1887), which is a translation of the Aisin gurun-i suduri bithe, a Manchu compilation of little value.

p. 166 For thirty-seven read thirty-four. (Montecorvino was in China from 1294 to his death in 1328.)

p. 228 For 1304 read 1307. A few hyphens have dropped out of double names and

compounds, e.g. Chingis khan in the Table of Contents et passim; pen chi (p. 65); Ong khan (pp. 258 and 260). Finally, since Sinor transcribes Mongol q as k (e.g. Jamuka, Oghul Kaymish, Karakorum), it would be better to write Kubilai instead of Khubilai.

IGOR DE RACHEWILTZ THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, CANBERRA.

Concise English-Tagalog Dictionary. By JOSE VILLA PANGANIBAN. Pp. xxvi + 170. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: CHARLES E. TUTTLE Co., 1969. $3.50.

I found a number of minor inconsistencies in tran- scription and typographical mistakes, and a few factual errors. p. 4 The American and Australian natives were not "ex-

terminated" by the white man. "Decimated" is prob- ably meant.

id. in fine Only part of the Uighurs settled in Kansu after having been driven out of Mongolia in the middle of the ninth century.

p. 7, 1. 22 For Russian read Russia. p. 8, 1. 12 For on read only. p. 12, 1. 2 For almost read more than. p. 25, 1. 8 After Introduction to add Mongolian. p. 29 I am not certain whether Sinor, following, I be-

lieve, M. Weiers (see Studium Generale, XX, 1967, p. 471), is correct in stating that the Mongols were re- sponsible for turning the Uighur script into a vertical script. The late Uighur script was written horizontally as well as vertically (under Chinese influence), and it seems more likely that the Mongols merely adopted the contemporary Uighur vertical script.

p. 66 For Sheng-wu ts'in-cheng lu read Sheng-wu ch'in- cheng lu.

p. 121 Not only Uighurs, but also Chinese or sinicized officials were put in charge of Mongol chanceries and were instrumental in shaping Mongol administration.

p. 130 "the city of Balasagun-probably in the Chu valley." According to O. I. Smirnova (tr.), Sbornik letopisei, I, 2 (Moscow, 1952), p. 182, n. 3, the ruins of this city are found 24 kilometers southwest of Tokmak in the Kirghiz SSR.

id. For gur khan read giir-khan. Correct also the "Gur- khan" on p. 161.

p. 132 For Feng Chia-shen read Feng Chia-sheng. id. There is actually a book in French devoted to the

history of the Jurchen. It is C. de Harlez' Histoire de l'Empire de Kin ou Empire d'Or (Louvain, 1887), which is a translation of the Aisin gurun-i suduri bithe, a Manchu compilation of little value.

p. 166 For thirty-seven read thirty-four. (Montecorvino was in China from 1294 to his death in 1328.)

p. 228 For 1304 read 1307. A few hyphens have dropped out of double names and

compounds, e.g. Chingis khan in the Table of Contents et passim; pen chi (p. 65); Ong khan (pp. 258 and 260). Finally, since Sinor transcribes Mongol q as k (e.g. Jamuka, Oghul Kaymish, Karakorum), it would be better to write Kubilai instead of Khubilai.

IGOR DE RACHEWILTZ THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, CANBERRA.

Concise English-Tagalog Dictionary. By JOSE VILLA PANGANIBAN. Pp. xxvi + 170. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: CHARLES E. TUTTLE Co., 1969. $3.50.

This dictionary attempts to fill the need for a short, simple, reliable, and inexpensive English-Tagalog bi- lingual dictionary. It is aimed at the needs of schools, teachers, students, translators, and foreigners studying Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines. It is an abridgment of an original vocabulary of 26,000 English entries with some 82,000 Tagalog equivalents to about 6,000 of the most common, fundamental English words, based on standard lists but modified for a Filipino setting.

The book contains a publisher's foreword, short ar- ticles on pronunciation and accentuation, Tagalog word forms, instructions on the use of the book, a list of abbreviations, a bibliography, acknowledgments, a brief collection of legal statements on language policies in the Philippines, the English-Tagalog word list, semantically related groupings of various terminologies (weights and measures, monetary units, numbers, etc.), an article with lists and discussions of common affixes, and a listing of some 700 place names presented to recommend an ac- ceptable orthography.

The dictionary follows the usage and pronunciation of the Institute of National Language (INL), of which the author was director for a number of years, which is in turn based on "the preferences of literate Manila" (p. xiv). Syllable stress and the presence of a word-final glottal stop are recorded by the use of dual-purpose accent marks. The acute accent (') is used to indicate the emphasized syllable(s) of words that end in a conso- nant or in a vowel with a "smooth" release (otherwise interpretable as a final /h/); it is dropped when the penultimate syllable carries emphasis. The grave accent (') is used on the final syllable to indicate the presence of a glottal stop (though it is otherwise unwritten in conventional orthography) after the final vowel and at the same time to indicate emphasis on the penultimate syllable. The circumflex accent (A) appears on an ac- cented final vowel and indicates the presence of a follow- ing glottal stop.

Combinations indicate two emphasized or accented syllables. These written accents comprise the system of representation recommended by INL, required in ap- proved school texts, but otherwise largely ignored.

A brief discussion explains the formation of words in Tagalog, information that would be crucial if one were looking up words in a list of Tagalog entries. It seems less justifiable in an English list, but apparently is offered to help in sentence construction. A rather sur- prising statement claims that anyone "trained in some language, as English or Spanish, at school or elsewhere, and having a sense of expression, would be able to con- struct sentences" (pp. xiii-xiv). This statement seems to underestimate the extensive contrasts in the structures of English and Spanish as compared to Tagalog. How, for example, could a student hope to master the enclitics, or monosyllabic particles that occur in a rigidly fixed

This dictionary attempts to fill the need for a short, simple, reliable, and inexpensive English-Tagalog bi- lingual dictionary. It is aimed at the needs of schools, teachers, students, translators, and foreigners studying Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines. It is an abridgment of an original vocabulary of 26,000 English entries with some 82,000 Tagalog equivalents to about 6,000 of the most common, fundamental English words, based on standard lists but modified for a Filipino setting.

The book contains a publisher's foreword, short ar- ticles on pronunciation and accentuation, Tagalog word forms, instructions on the use of the book, a list of abbreviations, a bibliography, acknowledgments, a brief collection of legal statements on language policies in the Philippines, the English-Tagalog word list, semantically related groupings of various terminologies (weights and measures, monetary units, numbers, etc.), an article with lists and discussions of common affixes, and a listing of some 700 place names presented to recommend an ac- ceptable orthography.

The dictionary follows the usage and pronunciation of the Institute of National Language (INL), of which the author was director for a number of years, which is in turn based on "the preferences of literate Manila" (p. xiv). Syllable stress and the presence of a word-final glottal stop are recorded by the use of dual-purpose accent marks. The acute accent (') is used to indicate the emphasized syllable(s) of words that end in a conso- nant or in a vowel with a "smooth" release (otherwise interpretable as a final /h/); it is dropped when the penultimate syllable carries emphasis. The grave accent (') is used on the final syllable to indicate the presence of a glottal stop (though it is otherwise unwritten in conventional orthography) after the final vowel and at the same time to indicate emphasis on the penultimate syllable. The circumflex accent (A) appears on an ac- cented final vowel and indicates the presence of a follow- ing glottal stop.

Combinations indicate two emphasized or accented syllables. These written accents comprise the system of representation recommended by INL, required in ap- proved school texts, but otherwise largely ignored.

A brief discussion explains the formation of words in Tagalog, information that would be crucial if one were looking up words in a list of Tagalog entries. It seems less justifiable in an English list, but apparently is offered to help in sentence construction. A rather sur- prising statement claims that anyone "trained in some language, as English or Spanish, at school or elsewhere, and having a sense of expression, would be able to con- struct sentences" (pp. xiii-xiv). This statement seems to underestimate the extensive contrasts in the structures of English and Spanish as compared to Tagalog. How, for example, could a student hope to master the enclitics, or monosyllabic particles that occur in a rigidly fixed

163 163

This content downloaded from 185.44.77.34 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:27:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Journal of the American Oriental Society, 92.1 (1972) Journal of the American Oriental Society, 92.1 (1972)

position and order, which are said to be in themselves meaningless (p. xv), and would therefore presumably be excluded from a dictionary of English entries? They have meanings, of course, and most are included in the present list, but no information on how to use them, information a student would need, is supplied. A grammar must definitely accompany the dictionary. " Entries in English are marked for part (or parts) of

speech, followed by the Tagalog equivalent or, as is

frequently the case, equivalents. Distinct meanings are identified by English synonyms or brief phrases as key words. A dash separates meanings of different parts of

speech. Language of origin for loan words is mentioned where known. Archaic terms are marked, as are Tagalog terms not in common use, but "deemed needed" (p. xviii), though the criteria for judging need are not in- cluded. Various abbreviations indicate technical terms.

One might question the selection of certain English words for definition in a small dictionary on the basis of their relative infrequency or limited registers, words such as hypogastrium, spumous; attire, garment, etc. Pos-

sibly more useful and certainly more frequent would have been airplane, face, I, clumsy, stockings, etc., which are not included. In general meanings are identified with

acceptable accuracy, though occasionally the system of

distinguishing synonyms seems inadequate, as with the

entry: "BEAN, n. grain or legumes, butil. Some native beans: sitaw, bataw, paayap, patani, talipdn, balatong (mungg6), etc."

Although this dictionary is primarily intended to help in the study of Tagalog, it seems likely to be more useful for speakers of Tagalog who are studying English. This conclusion is suggested by the apparent difficulty a student learning Tagalog would have composing sen- tences without a considerable control of the complex morphology and syntax of the language, as well as

making the difficult choices between synonyms of only approximate equivalence, as hadlangdn, pigilan; sawa- tain-all listed under PREVENT. It is not ideal for advanced students of English, since it is considerably abridged. A student who wishes to look up "anticipa- tion" or "expectation" will find neither, unless he looks under PROSPECT, where these are used as key words to

distinguish synonyms. The recommendation for spelling place names in Tagalog will be helpful for persons who are unsure how these names should be written, but some

may cause disagreements. Buhol is recommended instead of Bohol, for instance, and Denber for Denver seems to need an m.

Typographical errors are relatively few. Some have been noted, as paglalaho for paglalah6 (p. xi), oz for or

(p. xvii), double entry for OFTEN (p. 71), udly for ugly

(p. 131). There are a few cases of broken type (GARGLE,

LANGUID, Tagalog, p. xxi), but the text is on the whole

attractive, easy to read, and will be welcomed as a useful

addition to Tagalog lexicography, with the hope that a

position and order, which are said to be in themselves meaningless (p. xv), and would therefore presumably be excluded from a dictionary of English entries? They have meanings, of course, and most are included in the present list, but no information on how to use them, information a student would need, is supplied. A grammar must definitely accompany the dictionary. " Entries in English are marked for part (or parts) of

speech, followed by the Tagalog equivalent or, as is

frequently the case, equivalents. Distinct meanings are identified by English synonyms or brief phrases as key words. A dash separates meanings of different parts of

speech. Language of origin for loan words is mentioned where known. Archaic terms are marked, as are Tagalog terms not in common use, but "deemed needed" (p. xviii), though the criteria for judging need are not in- cluded. Various abbreviations indicate technical terms.

One might question the selection of certain English words for definition in a small dictionary on the basis of their relative infrequency or limited registers, words such as hypogastrium, spumous; attire, garment, etc. Pos-

sibly more useful and certainly more frequent would have been airplane, face, I, clumsy, stockings, etc., which are not included. In general meanings are identified with

acceptable accuracy, though occasionally the system of

distinguishing synonyms seems inadequate, as with the

entry: "BEAN, n. grain or legumes, butil. Some native beans: sitaw, bataw, paayap, patani, talipdn, balatong (mungg6), etc."

Although this dictionary is primarily intended to help in the study of Tagalog, it seems likely to be more useful for speakers of Tagalog who are studying English. This conclusion is suggested by the apparent difficulty a student learning Tagalog would have composing sen- tences without a considerable control of the complex morphology and syntax of the language, as well as

making the difficult choices between synonyms of only approximate equivalence, as hadlangdn, pigilan; sawa- tain-all listed under PREVENT. It is not ideal for advanced students of English, since it is considerably abridged. A student who wishes to look up "anticipa- tion" or "expectation" will find neither, unless he looks under PROSPECT, where these are used as key words to

distinguish synonyms. The recommendation for spelling place names in Tagalog will be helpful for persons who are unsure how these names should be written, but some

may cause disagreements. Buhol is recommended instead of Bohol, for instance, and Denber for Denver seems to need an m.

Typographical errors are relatively few. Some have been noted, as paglalaho for paglalah6 (p. xi), oz for or

(p. xvii), double entry for OFTEN (p. 71), udly for ugly

(p. 131). There are a few cases of broken type (GARGLE,

LANGUID, Tagalog, p. xxi), but the text is on the whole

attractive, easy to read, and will be welcomed as a useful

addition to Tagalog lexicography, with the hope that a

bilingual addition that goes from Tagalog to English can be provided soon as a companion volume.

This dictionary has an acknowledgment section that surely rates as one of the most interesting ever published. It relates the travails of a serious research scholar in wartime struggling under the most difficult conditions to preserve and carry to completion a work he believes in, and lists many of the names of those whose contributions under trying circumstances made the work possible. It is our good fortune that the author's diligence was re- warded by ultimate publication.

J. DONALD BOWEN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los ANGELES

Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs. By PARALUMAN S. ASPILLERA. Pp. xviii + 236. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: CHARLES E. TUTTLE

Co., 1969. $3.50.

Basic Tagalog takes its name and inspiration from

Ogden's Basic English. It presents a simplified version of

Tagalog grammar and usage within a vocabulary of 800 words (500 of them nouns), to be covered in a three- month period of intensive (two hours a day) study With another three months of practice minimum fluency for "minor mastery" is promised. An earlier version of the

text, lacking the subtitle, appeared in 1956 and has gone through several editions. As the subtitle indicates, the book is aimed at both a foreign (specifically English- speaking) and a Philippine audience, non-Tagalogs re-

ferring to Filipinos of other mother tongues. The contents of the book are varied, with two fore-

words, an introduction, a linguistic census report, two articles on the Tagalog (and Filipino) language, two lists of common or everyday expressions, 50 lessons (9 lexical, 3 on writing, 37 on grammar, and 1 review), a republica- tion of an article on the na ligature, a pull-out verb chart, a list of 135 common verbs with conjugation translations, a list of sentence patterns, reading materials in prose (several the work of former students), poetry, Christmas

songs and the national anthem, selected dialogues, a

two-way bilingual word list, a glossary of grammatical terms, and an author's vita. The lessons comprise just 60% of the text.

In concept and approach the text is conservative, formal, oriented toward the written language, and the

grammar interpretation is based on the Balaril& ng Wikang Pambansa, described as the official textbook on

Tagalog grammar, and incidentally written by the author's father.

The user is warned in the foreword "not to apply fully the rules of English grammar to Tagalog" (p. xv), since comparisons will be inadequate. The primary criticism of the text is that it fails to follow this advice,

bilingual addition that goes from Tagalog to English can be provided soon as a companion volume.

This dictionary has an acknowledgment section that surely rates as one of the most interesting ever published. It relates the travails of a serious research scholar in wartime struggling under the most difficult conditions to preserve and carry to completion a work he believes in, and lists many of the names of those whose contributions under trying circumstances made the work possible. It is our good fortune that the author's diligence was re- warded by ultimate publication.

J. DONALD BOWEN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los ANGELES

Basic Tagalog for Foreigners and Non-Tagalogs. By PARALUMAN S. ASPILLERA. Pp. xviii + 236. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: CHARLES E. TUTTLE

Co., 1969. $3.50.

Basic Tagalog takes its name and inspiration from

Ogden's Basic English. It presents a simplified version of

Tagalog grammar and usage within a vocabulary of 800 words (500 of them nouns), to be covered in a three- month period of intensive (two hours a day) study With another three months of practice minimum fluency for "minor mastery" is promised. An earlier version of the

text, lacking the subtitle, appeared in 1956 and has gone through several editions. As the subtitle indicates, the book is aimed at both a foreign (specifically English- speaking) and a Philippine audience, non-Tagalogs re-

ferring to Filipinos of other mother tongues. The contents of the book are varied, with two fore-

words, an introduction, a linguistic census report, two articles on the Tagalog (and Filipino) language, two lists of common or everyday expressions, 50 lessons (9 lexical, 3 on writing, 37 on grammar, and 1 review), a republica- tion of an article on the na ligature, a pull-out verb chart, a list of 135 common verbs with conjugation translations, a list of sentence patterns, reading materials in prose (several the work of former students), poetry, Christmas

songs and the national anthem, selected dialogues, a

two-way bilingual word list, a glossary of grammatical terms, and an author's vita. The lessons comprise just 60% of the text.

In concept and approach the text is conservative, formal, oriented toward the written language, and the

grammar interpretation is based on the Balaril& ng Wikang Pambansa, described as the official textbook on

Tagalog grammar, and incidentally written by the author's father.

The user is warned in the foreword "not to apply fully the rules of English grammar to Tagalog" (p. xv), since comparisons will be inadequate. The primary criticism of the text is that it fails to follow this advice,

164 164

This content downloaded from 185.44.77.34 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:27:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions