Most Filipinos only speak a couple of the country’s many local languages so many were impressed by a video of an American who can speak at least three.
RMN Iloilo, a regional radio station, posted a video Sunday of Dave, a Mormon missionary, speaking the Filipino language Hiligaynon.
In the video, Dave talked about how he had to learn a different language every time he moved to a different town within the same island of Panay, in the Visayas. He first lived in Aklan where the primary language is Aklanon then moved to Iloilo City where Hiligaynon is widely spoken.
It got even tougher when he realized that simply moving towns could mean learning an entirely new language. After living in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, Dave moved to San Miguel, a town still in Iloilo province and only 12km. away but where the main language is Kinaray-a and not Hiligaynon.
Hiligaynon is a Filipino language widely spoken in the western Visayan provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras, and in some provinces in Mindanao Island.
In the video, Dave described Hiligaynon speakers as having a sing-song accent. He also talked about how he had a hard time learning the languages but also said that “Even if you have different languages, I love [the Philippines].”
Toward the end of the video, he asked viewers for some consideration and requested them to be more patient with Americans learning their language. “We do our best,” he said.
Many netizens appreciated Dave’s efforts. One noted how Dave speaks the language even better than other Ilonggos.
People like Facebook user Nida Llagas Avance who said she was born in Iloilo but grew up in Manila and only knows the basics of the language.
Another user praised him for learning the language and said that she understands the struggle of not understanding other Visayan languages.
Dave was also given a mini history lesson about why Filipino, the Philippines’ official language, was established in the first place.
Dave’s video has received more than 30,000 shares, more than 28,000 reactions, and more than 4,000 comments.
