Who says tagalog is not an interesting language?

People prefer to learn French because they feel it is the most romantic language. Others feel that one has to learn Mandarin because it is the most popular language. Of course, one has to learn English which is the business language of most countries.

How about tagalog (or Filipino)?

Tagalog is not my mother tongue because I grew up in Davao where the language is Cebuano-based. But I have to give credit to Tagalog. It may have no long a, long u or long i sounds but I still find it interesting.

reasons why I say so?

1. using only one syllable spoken repeatedly, two persons can already engage in a complete conversation.

situation: elevator or stairs (mostly)
Person 1: bababa ba?
Person 2: bababa.

translation:
Person 1: going down?
Person 2: yes. going down.

that's simply economical. don't you think?

2. the same word can mean different things if pronounced differently.

word paalam can mean
goodbye;
inform; or
permission.

word mahal can mean
love; or
expensive;

on the other hand, the word mura can mean
unripe;
young; or
curse.

Anyway, off I go now to listen to my Berlitz Vietnamese Travel Pack. Because of work, I get to travel to different places in the world. As a sign of respect for people I meet in those countries, I try hard to learn a phrase or two. =D