Philippine Literature:

Pre-Colonial Period

The history of Literature begins with the history of writing. The history of writing system is primarily the development of
expressing the language through alphabets and other marks or symbols.

Baybayin/Alibata
Before the Spanish arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, the people of the islands used a writing script
called baybayin or alibata
literally means Spelling.
is a Pre-Hispanic Philippine Writing system that originated from the Javanese script Kavi.
Early Filipinos wrote on bamboo or on specially prepared palm leaves, using knives and styli.
It has 17 symbols:
o 3 vowelsa,e/i,o/u
o 14 consonants---ba,ka,da/ra,ga,ha,la,ma,na,nga,pa,sa,ta,wa,ya
kudlit- a mark that modifies the sound of a symbol into different vowel sounds. It is placed either above the
character (to produce an e or I sound--be or bi) or below (to produce an o or u soundbo or bu
the character
an Abugida writing systemuses consonant-vowel combinations. Each charater, written in its basic form, is a
consonant ending with vowel aba, ka, da.

Abakda
developed in 1930s by Lope K. Santos, renowned scholar in the Philippines.
It consists of twenty letters
o five vowelsa,e,i,o,u
o fifteen consonants---ba,ka,da,ga,ha,la,ma,na,nga,pa,ra,sa,ta,wa,ya


Pinagyamang Alpabeto (Enriched Alphabet)
In 1976, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) of the Philippines issued a revised alphabet
which added the letters c, ch, f, j, ll, , q, rr, v, x, and z.

Makabagong Alpabeto Pilipino (Modern Filipino Alphabet)
Instituted in 1987 during Aquino Presidency.
Composed of 28 alphabets/letters:
o Five vowelsa,e,i,o,u
o 23 consonantsb,c,d,e,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,,ng,p,q,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z


Early literary forms of Literature
Folklore
Folk- refers to any group of people bound together by a common factor like religion, occupation, language, and
etc.
Lore- refers to any body of knowledge such as tales, music, dance, oral history, legends, jokes, popular beliefs
and etc.
the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.




Classified in three groups:
1. Folk Speech
o Riddle/Bugtong- a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed.
Ex. Riddle: "What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?"
Answer: Man. an infant, he crawls on all fours; as an adult, he walks on two legs and; in old age, he uses a
walking stick.

o Proverb or Salawikain- proverbs are traditional sayings or maxims used by Filipinos based on local culture,
wisdom, and philosophies from Filipino life.
-expresses a system of values, general truths and observations about life and human nature, virtues and
condemning certain vices.
Ex. Ang taong pili ng pili, natatama sa bungi or the choosy ends up with the worst.


2. Folk songs- songs belonging to the folk music of people or area, often existing in several versions or with
regional variations. Usually expresses love, experiences or daily activities, lullaby, etc.

3. Folk Narratives- can either be in Prose or in poetry/verse.
o Alamat/Legend- relate the origin of local phenomena, places, plants, animals, things and names but cannot
prove to be true. Ex. Alamat ng Pinya, Alamat ng Lanzones, Alamat ni Maria Makiling.

o Folktales (kwentong bayan)- stories originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth.
Ex. The Monkey who left his heart on a tree/ The Monkey and the Shark