R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Philippines
Research Outline
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Helps For Using This Research Outline
     References To The Family History Library Catalog
     References To Other Family History Library Publications
     Map Of The Philippines
Records At The Family History Library
The Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
     Libraries In The Philippines
     Foreign Libraries
     Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Biography
Cemeteries
     Locating Cemeteries And Cemetery Records
Census
     Searching Census Records
Church Records
Civil Registration
Court Records
     The Court System
Emigration And Immigration
     Spanish Emigration Records
     Foreign Travel And Foreign Service Records
     Filipino Immigration To The United States
Gazetteers
     Modern Place-names
     Historical Place-names
     County Origins And Boundary Changes
Genealogy
     Major Collections And Databases
     Family Histories
     Printed Compilations
     Manuscript Collections
History
     Philippine History
     Local Histories
Land And Property
Language And Languages
Maps
     Finding The Town On A Map
     Atlases
Military Records
     Spanish Colonization Period Military Records
     Modern Records
Minorities
     Chinese
     Spaniards
     Americans
     Muslims
     Native Minorities
Names, Personal
     Given Names
Notarial Records
Probate Records
Other Records
For Further Reading
     Basic Research Strategies
     Important References
     Bibliographies
Comments And Suggestions

LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGESLook this term up in the glossary.

Most pre-1900 genealogical material is written in Spanish, although you will also occasionally find records in Latin, French, Dutch, or Hebrew. You do not need to be fluent in Spanish to research Philippine records. Language aids can give you the language information you need. Use a good Spanish dictionary or:

There are over 87 distinct dialects in the Philippines, and many records are partly in a local dialect. Some common dialects are Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Bicolano, Pangasinan, and Pampango. If you find foreign words in your research, find out which dialect was spoken in the province where the document was created, and then look the word up in an appropriate dictionary. You may know someone who speaks that language who can help you.

Useful references for Philippine languages are:

Llamzon, Teodoro A. Handbook of Philippine Language Groups. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1978. (FHL book Asia 499.21 L77h; computer number 0040586.)

Garcia, Pilar Cruz. A List of Dictionaries in Tagalog and Other Philippine Languages. Manila: Institute of Science and Technology Library, 1958.

Although Filipino is the official language of the Philippines, some provincial records are written in different dialects. English has also been used extensively from the time Philippines was a U.S. territory. Dictionaries for various dialects are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:

PHILIPPINES - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES.

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Version of Data: 6/9/2001]