San Jose, Francisco de. Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala. Bataan, Philippines: En el Partido de Bataan, Por Thomas Pinpin Tagalo, 1610. 


Many grammar books and dictionaries were published in the early Spanish colonial period, but none was more influential than Francisco Blancas de San Jose’s Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala (“Art and Rules of the Tagalog Language”). First published in 1610, it was reprinted in a second edition in 1752 and a third edition in 1832. Even today, it is regarded as the most comprehensive codification of the Tagalog language. The printer of Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala was, again, Tomas Pinpin. 


Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala is written in Latin, Spanish, and Tagalog and its material is rice paper. The book is organized into chapters on number, nouns, adjectives, voice, verbs, and so on. Verbs are classified into the tenses present, future, accusative, ablative, imperative, etc. The systematic division of Tagalog into a Latin grammatical framework and the lack of Tagalog terms to describe the language make clear the author’s utilitarian and western-oriented approach. 

 

Grammar books and dictionaries were instrumental in spreading the word of God and conversion of the natives. Indeed, San Jose begins Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala with an extensive “prayer with which to ask our Lord God for help in order to obtain the language necessary for the dignified preaching of his doctrine.” He continues, “Give me, Lord, energy and enthusiasm so that without impatience I may learn the language of which the souls of those around me are in need …. I ask of you a fiery language to embrace my breast, that your listeners may be inflamed by your love: and so that they and I may love you: and in loving, deserve you in this life and I the other where we will reach and see you. Amen.” 


San Jose arrived in the Philippines in 1595 and quickly learned the Tagalog language. Within three months of his arrival, he began preaching in Tagalog and within six months, began teaching the language to his fellow Spanish friars. He also learned Chinese and published many religious texts in the Philippines. (JM)