1. Why is Philippines considered a multilingual nation?

Filipino and English are the official languages of the Philippines. There are about 120 to 187
languages spoken in the country, depending on the method of classification. The Summer
Institute of Linguistics in its Ethnologue has identified 184 living languages in the Philippines,
and approximately 58 of which have orthographies and spelling rules. Komisyon sa Wikang
Filipino released a language count of 134. Due to this, it is said that the Philippines is among the
top 10 linguistically diverse countries in the world.
Because of its history, the Philippines also includes Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and other foreign
languages in its linguistic landscape. Even now, Spanish and English continue to impact how
Filipinos write or spell their own languages. Thus, the Philippines is a multilingual nation.
2. What are the major languages of the Philippines?
Of the more than a hundred languages being spoken by the different ethnolinguistic groups of
dwellers in the more than seven thousand and one hundred islands comprising the Philippines,
eight of them are considered major languages. These major languages are Ilocano, Pangasinan,
Pampango, Tagalog, Bicol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray-Samarnon (Belvez, n.d.).
According to Wikipedia (2020), among the languages of the Philippines, the following are the
largest and most frequently used as the main languages of each region: Tagalog: The main
language of the inhabitants of the southern part of Luzon. It is spoken by 24% of the total
number of Filipinos throughout the archipelago. It is also the main language of the National
Capital Region which is the capital of the country.
Cebuano: The main languages of the provinces of Cebu, East Negros, Bohol, Leyte, Southern
Leyte, and most parts of Mindanao. It is estimated that 27% of the country's total population
speaks the language.
Ilokano: The main language of the inhabitants of Northern Luzon especially throughout Region
I and Region II, and some parts of Region III. It is the third most- spoken language of the
Republic of the Philippines.
Hiligaynon: A Visayan language also called Ilonggo based on its best known dialect from Iloilo
City, it is the main language of Western Visayas especially in Iloilo, Capiz, Guimaras, throughout
Negros Occidental, and in southeastern Mindanao such as Koronadal City.
Waray: Also called Waray-Waray, it also belongs to Visayan language family and is related to
Cebuano and Hiligaynon. It is the main language of Eastern Visayas, specifically the entire
island of Samar, northeastern Leyte, and parts of Biliran.
Bikol: The lingua franca of the inhabitants of the Bicol Peninsula in southeastern Luzon, it is
spoken in the cities of Naga and Legazpi.
Kapampangan: It is the main language of the people of Central Luzon specifically in Pampanga,
southern Tarlac, and some parts of Bulacan and Bataan.
Pangasinan: Also often called the wrong name Panggalatok, it is one of the main languages of
Pangasinan Province.
Meranao: One of the largest languages of the Moros, it is mainly spoken in Marawi City and
throughout Lanao del Sur, and some parts of Lanao del Norte.
Maguindanao: A major language of the Moros and the Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao, it is spoken in Cotabato City.
Kinaray-a: A Visayan language mainly spoken on the island of Panay specifically in Antique and
some parts of Capiz and Iloilo Provinces such as Passi City.