This term and pronoun are used as agreeable and even affectionate, even in the languages of much greater importance, as Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, which are the three most venerable tongues. In polite and affectionate intercourse they are very extravagant, addressing letters to each other in terms of elaborate and delicate expressions of affection, and neat turns of thought. As a result of this, they are much given to musical practice; and although the guitar that they use, called _cutyapi_, is not very ingenious or rich in tone, it is by no means disagreeable, and to them is most pleasing. They play it with such vivacity and skill that they seem to make human voices issue from its four metallic cords. We also have it on good authority that by merely playing these instruments they can, without opening their lips, communicate with one another, and make themselves perfectly understood--a thing unknown of any other nation. The Bissayans are more rustic and less civil in manners, just as their language is harsher and less polished. They have not so many terms of courtesy, as formerly they had no letters until, a very few years ago, they borrowed theirs from the Tagalos. As we have already treated of their languages, it would be advisable to make some mention of their letters. Of the Letters of the Filipinos. Chapter XVII. All these islanders are much given to reading and writing, and there is hardly a man, and much less a woman, who does not read and write in the letters used in the island of Manila--which are entirely different from those of China, Japon, and India. This will be seen from its alphabet, which is as follows: The three vowels serve as five, and are: A I O a e i o u The consonants are only twelve, and in writing are used with the vowels in the following form. The letter alone with no point above or below it, is pronounced with the vowel-sound A: BA KA DA GA HA LA MA NA PA SA TA YA Ba ca da ga ha la ma na pa sa ta ya By placing the point above, each is pronounced with the vowel-sound E or I: BI KI DI GI HI LI MI NI PI SI TI YI Bi qui di gui hi li mi ni pi si ti yi Be que de gue he le me ne pe se te ye By placing the point below, they are pronounced with the vowel-sound O or U: BO KO DO GO HO LO MO NO PO SO TO YO Bo co do go ho lo mo no po so to yo Bu cu du gu hu lu mu nu pu su tu yu Consequently, to pronounce _cama_, two letters without points are sufficient: KAMA _ca ma_. If a point is placed above the KA we have KIMA or _que-ma._ If a point is placed below each character KOMO the word is _co-mo_. Final consonants are suppressed in all forms of expression: accordingly _cantar_ is written KATA _ca ta_; _barba_, BABA _ba ba_.