The Philippines has two official languages: Filipino and English. Filipino is the national language and is a standardized form of Tagalog, which is the most widely spoken native language in the country. It serves as the lingua franca, used by Filipinos of various ethnolinguistic backgrounds for communication across the diverse regions. English is also an official language and is widely used in government, education, media, and business, reflecting the country's historical ties with the United States
. Besides Filipino and English, there are many other native languages spoken in the Philippines-between 130 to 195 languages depending on classification- including Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, and Pangasinense. Cebuano is the second most spoken native language after Tagalog, mainly spoken in the southern parts of the country
. In summary:
- Filipino (based on Tagalog) is the national and most widely spoken language.
- English is the other official language, used extensively in government and education.
- Numerous regional languages and dialects are spoken throughout the archipelago, reflecting the country's rich linguistic diversity
