Baybayin: A Script of Legacy

Language, according to one of my professors during my academic years is the lifeblood of culture. Without it, there will be no communication between its members and outside of it. Furthermore, according to Cultural Anthropologist Franz Boaz, it is among the main components of culture regardless if it is Western or Indigenous (Non-Western).

What if a language loses one of its own unique identity? What if the way it is scribed is no longer what it used to be?

History and Legacy of Baybayin

Baybayin (Formerly known as Alibata) is a script or way of writing that has been used by inhabitants of the Luzon and Visayas in the Pre-Colonial Spanish era. It is not a language but a way of writing the phonetic languages that are associated with it. This includes the Tagalog, Bikolano, Ilocano, and Visayan.

There are a number of theories that pertain to the origin of Baybayin. According to one theory, it is based on the Kawi phonetic system which originated in Java, Indonesia. Other historians believe, however, that Baybayin is based on the Middle Eastern language, Hebrew. There are documents, on the other hand, that link it to the Pallava script which is a writing system that originated from Southern India.

Unfortunately, like most of the writing systems in world history, little has been known about the actual person or group that created Baybayin. Only a handful of writing systems have a very clear origin, one of which is Hangul, or the Korean way of writing that was developed by King Sejong during the 15th century (1400s).

It has been a popular belief that the Spaniards burned documents that were related to the Baybayin. However, there was 'little to none' actual evidence of these claims, and according to some historians, the Spanish priests were even supporting the use of the Baybayin. This was to help prevent the proliferation of the Muslim language in the country, especially in Mindanao.

Take time to look at this art created by Jacinta Sevilla on her Steemit account wherein you can see the different syllables or letters in their written form.

Fig. 1 Baybayin characters as illustrated by enthusiast, Jacinta Sevilla

Baybayin: A Segmental Writing system

As you can see, every consonant has a tail-end in its phonetic form and this is called 'kudlit' which symbolizes change in the way a word is pronounced. Unlike in Mandarin, which is a tonal language wherein tone plays a huge part, the same syllables can have two different meanings depending on the tone in which it is spoken.

Baybayin is an 'Abugida' or a segmental way of writing wherein each syllable is comprised of a Katinig (Consonants) and Patinig (Vowels). There are fourteen (14) consonants and three vowels in the Baybayin script.

The Baybays or unique phonetic characters are as follows: A, Ba, Ka, Da, E, Ga, Ha, La, Ma, Na, Nga, O or U, Pa, Sa, Ta, Wa, and Ya.

Fig. 2 The written characters for the baybay 'Ba' and its' various diphthongs

Image Source: Baybayin and Perlas ng Silangan

The image on the left is the phonetic character for "A" whereas the one on the right is the phonetics for the "Ba" Baybayin. You can notice that there are different ways the 'kudlit' is positioned depending on the syllable. The kudlit for Be and Bi is located at the top of the reversed heart-shaped symbol where as the one for Bo and Bu is positioned below.

Katinig (Consonant) paired with a Patinig (Vowel) is called a Diptongo (Diphtong) and such is the standard for segmental writing systems such as the Baybayin. This is in contrast to other writing systems such as Logographic, Abjad, and Featural.

A perfect example of a Logographic writing system is Pinyin or the writing system for the Han or Chinese language wherein it utilizes a Diacritic which corresponds to a specific tone. A difference in the tone or way a particular word is spoken, changes its entire meaning. Abjad, on the other hand, is a writing system used in the Arabic and Hebrew languages wherein consonants are the only ones that have corresponding symbols. Lastly, A featural writing system such as the Hangul or the Korean script does not make use of a diacritic to indicate changes in tones or vowels but instead, the characters or symbols itself is written in such a way that suggests or indicates how it is spoken.

Baybayin: A Legacy never forgotten

Though Baybayin has been a long-forgotten writing system especially because of the dominance of the Roman Alphabet all throughout different parts of the globe. The writing system has made its mark not only in Philippine history but in the hearts and sensibilities of the Filipino people. In the late 2010s, Baybayin is modestly being revived through different mediums such as in initiatives made by universities and as well as in movies like 'The Day After Valentines'.

In 2018, House Bill 1022 was proposed by Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil which seeks to recognize Baybayin as the country's national writing system (Philstar, 2018). The bill states that government and non-government documents and signages must be in Baybayin or at least have such version. The proposed bill is supported by institutions such as NCAA and DepEd. Though the bill has yet to come to fruition, in ways or another, the Baybayin is starting to be rediscovered again by the Filipinos.