Reminding all CDP bloggers yet again: our theme for September 1 is Open-air Markets (so difficult for me!) and the poll is ongoing for the October theme. Please vote and help spread the word!
August 23, 2010
P is for Pilipinas
Before the Spaniards came and conquered the islands in the 16th century, our ancestors in the big island of Luzon already had a written language. Called Baybayin, it was the alphabet of the spoken Tagalog and Kapampangan languages, and shares its origin from the ancient Brahmi script of the Indian subcontinent with many other Asian languages. After more than four centuries of colonial rule, however, we no longer use Baybayin regulary and very few people can write in it with any facility. But the logos and abbreviations of many of our government institutions still use the alphabet's individual letters. The logo of the National Museum of the Philippines is the Baybayin "P" in the middle of a stylized sun. This rendition in marble is on the floor of the main lobby of the National Art Gallery.
Reminding all CDP bloggers yet again: our theme for September 1 is Open-air Markets (so difficult for me!) and the poll is ongoing for the October theme. Please vote and help spread the word!
Reminding all CDP bloggers yet again: our theme for September 1 is Open-air Markets (so difficult for me!) and the poll is ongoing for the October theme. Please vote and help spread the word!
Surely an image breathing history. Beautiful. Please have a good start into the new week.
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad that your country's name should derive from a foreign king. It's a beautiful image and an education for me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting history as well as for the photo. You're helping me learn a great deal about the Philippines. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone trying to keep the old alphabet alive? I hope so!
ReplyDeletemerci pour les explications et pour l'histoire
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information you shared. And thank you for the theme reminder, I had completely forgotten! Although I'm with you, open air markets are not such an easy find in 100+ heat!
ReplyDeleteI love getting this kind of insider information from you. Otherwise, I'd look at this and think it was just a pretty design. Thanks for the education.
ReplyDeleteGreat take on the P theme
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and different symbolism!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week dear Hilda!
Léia
A very interesting story and a beautiful memento of this ancient written language.
ReplyDeleteooooh interesting trivia! :)
ReplyDeleteleethroughthelens.blogspot.com
Great information, Hilda, and the logo is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA fancy marble logo - cool! And yes, I have my theme day ready to auto-post on Sept 1!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm watching the bus hijack now, hope all ends well!
ReplyDeleteanother new thing learned from your blog. you never fail to surprise as with some new things.
ReplyDeletemuseum is my weakness as i always say because photos are not allowed i rarely visit it. in return i miss out things like the baybayin.
You so much information. Cool. Love that marble rendition
ReplyDeleteIt's quite lovely. Your doses of history are always wonderful, Hilda.
ReplyDeletevery informative hilda. i'm ashame to admit i didn't know that fact.
ReplyDeleteThat was certainly a new lesson for me! And an interesting one! (Yours is the third Museum post today for me; after my own!)(And, a suggestion: how about the Sat or Sun markets in Makati?)
ReplyDeleteThis is good to know. So glad the reminders are so visible.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful writing.
ReplyDeleteOpen air market, yep, difficult for me as well, as there are almost none here.
«Louis» did not know about this written form of Tagalog - the things you learn by surfing the CDP blogs!
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