Why Filipinos say their national language is Tagalog?
The basis for the Philippine national language is Tagalog. So what is the difference between Filipino and Tagalog? Think of Filipino as Tagalog Plus. Filipino is inclusive of the contributions of languages other than Tagalog. It is also more politically correct to refer to Filipino, not Tagalog, as the Philippine national language. For Filipinos from other parts of the country, Tagalog is not their first language; they learn to speak Filipino because it is constitutionally the national language and taught in schools. In practical terms, most people, especially Filipinos overseas who have come to realize that foreigners favor “Tagalog” to refer to the Philippine national language, don’t strictly differentiate among the words Filipino, Pilipino and Tagalog, and have learned to adapt to how Americans or Canadians perceive the meaning of each word. You will find a good discussion of this topic in this link. http://www.taga
