The word Tagalog is derived from the endonym taga-ilog ('river dweller'), composed of tagá- ('native of' or 'from') and ilog ('river'). Main article: Old Tagalog The base consonants and vowels of the Baybayin script, the original writing system of Tagalog *tubiR (water) and *zuRuʔ (blood) became Tagalog tubig and dugô. Proto-Philippine *ŋajan (name) and *hajək (kiss) became Tagalog ngalan and halík. Proto-Philippine *r, *j, and *z merged with /d/ but is /l/ between vowels. For example, Proto-Philippine *dəkət (adhere, stick) is Tagalog dikít and Visayan & Bikol dukot. In most Bikol and Visayan languages, this sound merged with /u/ and. Tagalog differs from its Central Philippine counterparts with its treatment of the Proto-Philippine schwa vowel *ə. It is closely related to the languages spoken in the Bicol Region and the Visayas islands, such as the Bikol group and the Visayan group, including Waray-Waray, Hiligaynon and Cebuano. Being Malayo-Polynesian, it is related to other Austronesian languages, such as Malagasy, Javanese, Indonesian, Malay, Tetum (of Timor), and Yami (of Taiwan). Tagalog is a Northern Philippine language within the Austronesian language family. Problems playing this file? See media help.
