Oral and Written Literature of the Philippines

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the development of Philippine literature from oral traditions through the Spanish and American periods, including specific poetic forms and dramatic genres.

Lougtong

The term used for riddles in oral literature.

Salawikain

Traditional Filipino proverbs.

Tanaga

A poetic form consisting of $4$ lines with a structure of $7, 7, 7, 7$ syllables.

Dalit

A $4$ line poem with $8$ syllables per line and a rhyme scheme of either AAAA or ABAB.

Lullaby

A folk song used to put a person to sleep.

Harana

A folk song categorized as a love song.

Myths (Alamat)

Stories involving supernatural phenomena and themes of life and death, often featuring Bathala or God.

Legends

Stories that are believed by people to have truly occurred.

Fables (Fabula)

Short, brief stories with non-human animal characters that aim to teach a moral lesson.

Epic

A narrative focused on heroes and the act of saving people.

Ferdinand Magellan

An explorer associated with the Spanish period, with the transcript noting the date March 18, 1821.

Baybayin / Alibata

The original Filipino alphabet that was later changed to the Roman alphabet.

Senakulo

A recreational religious drama.

Pasyon

A religious text or performance described as 'pag pontig mabagal' (slow chanting or reading).

Awit

A tale of chivalry consisting of $12$ syllables (pantig) with an andante (slow) rhythm.

Korido

A metrical tale of chivalry following a structure of $8$ syllables (pantig) with an allegro (mabilis/fast) rhythm.

Narrative Poetry

A type of poetry where the main focus is to tell a story; examples include ballads and epics.

Lyric Poetry

A type of poetry that expresses powerful emotions, such as elegies and odes.

Illustrados

A group that began to write about colonization during the Period of Enlightenment, including Jose Rizal.

Haiku

A poetic structure consisting of three lines with the syllable pattern $5, 7, 5$.