Tagalog Facts Today, it’s estimated that over 24 million people speak Tagalog outside of the Philippines. Some of the many countries where this language is spoken include Canada, Guam, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Tagalog began appearing in written language as far back as 900 CE. The oldest Filipino document found in the Philippines, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, was written in Tagalog. It was discovered in 1989. In the beginning of the 18th century, Pablo Cain wrote the first Tagalog dictionary. In 1879, Tagalog became the official language of the Philippine islands, but its reign was short lived; in 1935, Spanish was established as the national language. Over times of various occupations, Tagalog incorporated words, phrases and pronunciations of other languages. Some Filipinos refer to the combination of Tagalog and English as Taglish. Most Filipinos still speak Tagalog, though many of the younger generations also learn other Filipino dialects as well.