Alibata vs Baybayin

nordenx.blogspot.com/2010/05/alibata-vs-baybayin.html

Regarding Philippine native/indigenous writing systems: the popular name for it, "Alibata", was coined by Paul
Versosa in 1921. The older and more correct term, "Baybayin", has been mentioned in several publications dating
back to just right after the Spanish colonization began and throughout the 17-18th centuries as the word that the
native population used to refer to their writing.

Most scholars & experts in South East Asian writing systems and the Baybayin practitioners (online) are familiar with
the distinction between the two terms; Baybayin vs Alibata. However, we still see & hear a lot of new Filipino script
enthusiasts using the misnomer "Alibata"; particularly from folks in the Philippines where Alibata is mentioned briefly
in Filipino history & language classes. While those who are internet savvy are familiar with Paul Morrow's work and
quite particularly this entry from his "Ang Baybayin" site about Paul Versosa's reasoning for the term Alibata:

"In 1921 I returned from the United States to give public lectures on Tagalog philology, calligraphy,
and linguistics. I introduced the word alibata, which found its way into newsprints and often
mentioned by many authors in their writings. I coined this word in 1914 in the New York Public
Library, Manuscript Research Division, basing it on the Maguindanao (Moro) arrangement of letters
of the alphabet after the Arabic: alif, ba, ta, f having been eliminated for euphony's sake." Versosa

To which Morrow added:

"Versoza's reasoning for creating this word was unfounded because no evidence of the baybayin
was ever found in that part of the Philippines and it has absolutely no relationship to the Arabic
language. Furthermore, no ancient script native to Southeast Asia followed the Arabic arrangement of
letters, and regardless of Versosa's connection to the word alibata, its absence from all historical
records indicates that it is a totally modern creation. The present author (Paul Morrow) does not use
this word in reference to any ancient Philippine script." Morrow

SOURCE: http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/bayeng1.htm#origin

Yes, Alibata is a misnomer (an improper name). However, it is already a part of the Filipino vernacular and it would
be a challenge to completely dismiss the word. The term Alibata has been used in print and was part of academia
during the nationalistic era of the Philippines in the mid to late 1900s.

While the word "baybayin" retained its original meaning "to spell or write", its relation to the script & writing system
was almost forgotten. It's not until authors like Paul Morrow, Carl Rubino, Hector Santos, et al.began using it again in
the 1990s and with the rise of the Internet culture's easy access to information that the term is brought back and
slowly regained popular usage; associating it again with the original Philippine script.

An interesting find and observation; author Paul Versosa and Jose Sevilla, in a 1923 book, used the term " Alibata"
not just for the native script but for all forms of writing. He specifically called the Tagalog script "Baybayin" and called
the alphabet "Alibatang Romano".

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It is quite obvious from the book that Versosa intended to replace the word Alfabeto (Spanish Alphabet) with a more
native sounding word. He also acknowledged that the popular terminology used at the time were Baybayin and
Abakada. Basically, to Versosa, the word Alibata = Alfabeto = Alphabet = Abakada = Abecedario = Kana, etc. etc. not
just particularly referring to Baybayin script. Which is why Alibata is actually not the name of the various Baybayin
Scripts of the Philippines but just a made-up word for "Alphabet".

So, the word Alibata is based on letter names from Arabic Abjad, but Filipino Muslims did not adopt or use Baybayin
script, and Alibata's actual meaning is "alphabet". While Baybayin is Indic/Bramic in origin (it is not an alphabet nor
an abjad, it is a syllabary) the original arrangement of Baybayin characters actually wasn't even in the same
sequence as the western a, b, c's or even abakada (more about that in another article).

Verdict?

Alibata means Alphabet.

Alibata does not mean Baybayin Script.

Baybayin Script is not Alibata since it is not an Alphabet.

Baybayin is an Alphasyllabary.

Abugida means Alphasyllabary.

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Baybayin is an Abugida.

Yes, Alibata is a made up word, but so is the accepted term Abugida (alphasyllabary) a word that was just coined
recently in 1990. Alibata was coined and used in the 1920s and is still in use today; it predates the word Abugida.
Therefore it is hard to dismiss Alibata as a legitimate word even though it is a misnomer since it has been
established and used for decades (mistakenly exclusively to mean "Baybayin Script", mind you). But being a
misnomer it only creates confusion and it is my humble opinion that it is time to retire the word Alibata and leave it
as a footnote in Philippine history books.

Sulat Filipino is Baybayin.

Baybayin Script is Sulat Filipino.

Reference Pages:
Sevilla-Versosa Book Cover 1
Sevilla-Versosa Book Cover 2
Sevilla-Versosa Book Page 75
Sevilla-Versosa Book Page 76
Sevilla-Versosa Book Page 77
Sevilla-Versosa Book Page 78
Sevilla-Versosa Book Page 79

Other: Difference between Alibata & Baybayin.

Keep in mind that "Baybayin Script" is an umbrella term (used by linguists & academics) for categorizing the
Abugida Scripts in the Philippines. There are four main branches of these scripts:

1. Surat Mangyan - from Mindoro; it has two distinct sub-groups that correspond to their tribal namesake:

Hanunoo Script - from the Hanunuo tribe.

Buhid Script - from the Buhid tribe.

2. Kulitan Script - or the Pamagkulit is used strictly for the Kapampangan language.
3. Apurahuano Script - from Palawan; used mainly for the Tagbanwa language.
4. Baybayin Script - has many names depending on the regional language but in essence share the same
basic character forms/shape (any difference are merely stylistic). The names for various styles include:

Sulat Tagalog - based on a typeface introduced in the Tagalog version of the Doctrina Christiana.
Surat Ilocano - based on a typeface introduced in the Ilocano version of the Doctrina Christiana.
Suwat Bisaya - based on typefaces in Austrian and Italian books, particularly the one by Lorenzo
Hervas.
Guhit, Basahan - two words used by Bikolanos for Baybayin.
...other native terms for baybayin are: Kurditan, Kinudlitan, Katitikan, Sulat Filipino, and the misnomer
Alibata.

...

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