Language

Mindoro Language

The principal language in Mindoro is Tagalog, although in some parts it has been greatly influenced by the native Visayan and Mangyan languages. Mainstream Filipino and Taglish are, indeed, present in and around such areas as Puerto Galera, Pinamalayan, and Calapan City. Visayan and Mangyan languages, too, are spoken on the island, as are Ilokano and some foreign languages — e.g., English, Fukien, and, to a much lesser extent, Spanish.

Visiting Oriental Mindoro does not entail memorizing bits of conventional lines in dialects spoken other than Tagalog, which serves as the predominant dialect. Other dialects spoken are Ilocano and Cebuano. Strains of the Mangyan dialect spoken are Arayan, Alagnan, Buhid, Hunuo, and Tadyawan. The working population can read and speak Filipino and English.

Palawan Language

Palawan is an ethnically diverse island. The diversity is reflected by the Palawan languages distributed all throughout the municipalities and villages. These are spoken by majority of the people but dialects in Palawan remain that makes it authentic. Although there are several Palawan languages spoken on the island, you don’t have to know all of them to survive.

There are various dialects in Palawan being spoken by the locals. English, Tagalog and Ilonggo are widely spoken but among the native ones, the most widely spoken are Cuyonon and Palawanon. Statistics say that Tagalog dominates, followed by Cuyonon, then Palawanon and some speak Ilonggo. Cebuano and Muslim dialects in Palawan are spoken as well.

Cuyonon is spoken in an island group east of the main island. It may be surprising that the dialect in a small island group is one of the widely used but theres history to this. During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, Cuyo became the second capital of Palawan. Palawanon on the other hand is spoken by three groups that have distinct languages, all called Palawanon. Theres Central Palawanon, Southwest Palawanon and Brookes Point Palawanon, which has the most speakers among the three dialects in Palawan.

There is a long list of exotic Palawan languages and dialects in Palawan to learn from for those who like learning a new word or two. If Palawan languages are your interest, you should try visiting Palawan and start discovering. As a traveler, you will receive a warmer welcome when you try to connect with the locals with their own dialect. If youre not the kind with the interest in languages, this wont be a challenge since youll be fine with English or Tagalog.