The most enjoyable way to learn about an unfamiliar culture is through
its stories--especially when they're told in two languages!
This book introduces 40 stories from the Philippines through bilingual
Tagalog and English texts presented on facing pages. Paired with
cultural notes, vocabulary lists, exercises, comprehension questions and
free online audio recordings, Tagalog Stories for Language Learners is
an excellent resource for intermediate language learners.
This compilation includes a mix of traditional folktales retold for a
modern audience, as well as several well-known works of contemporary
Philippine literature. Along the way, you will meet fabulous
mythological characters like the Bagobo goddess Mebuyan and the
shape-shifting Aswang. Other characters cope with day-to-day issues,
such as the domestic worker who cannot find her keys and a beauty queen
who leaves behind her comfortable city life in order to help peasants in
the countryside.
Four of the stories are by well-known Filipino writers and are
presented in complete or partially condensed form. These include:
-
Estrangheritis by Inigo Ed. Regalado (1907)--The writer is critical
of Filipinos who exalt all things foreign while, in fact, benefitting
from their own land but unappreciative of their national culture.
-
Desire by Paz Latorena (1928)--The story of a Filipino woman who has
to deal with the narrow-mindedness of a foreigner who is far more
interested in her body than in her personality.
-
Greta Garbo by Deogracia Rosaro (1930)--Monina, who looks like Greta
Garbo, plans a weekend getaway with her beau, only to be left at the
station waiting, and later discovers he has gone on a honeymoon!
-
Maria Elena Paterno's Sampaguita (1991)--Two popular legends about
the Sampaguita (Philippine jasmine flower) which touch on the themes
of courage and forbidden love.
Stories from different periods are presented so learners get a feel for
authentic Filipino texts.
