Improve Your English, Dude!

It is ironic that this month of Linggo ng Wika (National Language Week) we read a story that  spells out the need of improving our English capability. Although it is one of our national languages, there is no such thing as “English Week” that promotes the use of English unlike its Tagalog counterpart in the months of August. Obviously, nationalistic sentiments dramatically favor Filipino from English unlike in Canada where English and French are co-equal. Sometimes, our misguided sense of nationalism leads us to reap the unsavory fruits of our follies.

The news simply says that the better your English is, the more opportunities you have in the Philippines as well.

We see the idiocy of the government in encouraging if not imposing Filipino as the medium of instruction in the universities. My friend and college contemporary, now a professor in Ilocos Norte says that he is tri-lingual (English, Tagalog and Ilocano) in delivering lectures stressing that if in English alone, his students cannot follow or worse, cannot understand the lecture.

Whether we acknowledge or not; believe or not, our English has dramatically deteriorated. A number of Filipino college graduates or professionals working in English-speaking countries like the US have some difficulties at times expressing themselves. Differences in accent, sentence construction, colloquialism and pronunciation understandably vary but the problem lies in expressing what is meant because of halting knowledge of the language.

Did anyone come across news stories in the past about text books peppered with grammatical and factual errors? For sure, those were written by Ph.D or M.A. holders.

That means that some professors too have undependable skills in English.   How did they obtain their doctoral and masteral degrees and hoe competent are they in discharging their duties?

Exacerbating the issue is the common use of “jejemon”. It hints that is all right to write something un-grammatical or misspelled even to the point of incoherence. The government cannot ban its use in personal needs but it can restrict its popularity by making it clear that it is not acceptable in schools at all levels and in public.

If our English capability continues to deteriorate, time will come when we send our students to traditionally non-English speaking countries like China, Japan, Korea and even Vietnman to learn English. By that time we realize that some of them came here to learn English from our schools. -30-

Filipino Extincts Other Filipino Languages

As August breezes, the country remembers Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth and father of our national language. Not to be forgotten on the same month are the passing away of the most loved president Cory Aquino and the martyrdom of her husband Ninoy.

When I was in school, during the Linggo ng Pambansang Wika (National Language Week), we set aside Ilocano and English and switch to Tagalog inside the classroom. Our teachers encouraged us to use the language even when we are at play although to be honest, we were more fluent in English. There were also programs --- all in Tagalog --- honoring Pres. Quezon.

That was more than half a century ago.

You bet that Pres. Quezon is very happy wherever he is. Aside from his famous came-true-quote that he prefers a government run like hell by Filipinos rather than a government run like heaven by the Americans, Tagalog (later known as Filipino) is now widely spoken throughout the archipelago.

If I remember it right, Pres. Quezon instituted a national language so that in a country like ours with more than 100 languages, citizens can understand each other and better.

The intention is good but the result needs to be re-evaluated.

Probably, Quezon chose Tagalog because he came from a Tagalog-speaking region and not because it is the easiest language among Philippine languages to be learned.

Everybody can speak Filipino although Cebuano speaking Filipinos are somewhat reluctant to learn Filipino or if they are fluent, they prefer to use their native Bisaya unless it is extremely important for them to speak in Filipino. We remember the time when they “rebelled” and started to translate the Constitution and the National Anthem into Cebuano. Why? According to them, they don’t need Tagalog in Central and Southern Philippines.

To the Cebuano speaking Filipinos, I appreciate your determination in clinging and propagating your native language.  All ethno-linguistic groups should follow suit!

Filipino is bastardizing other languages because of the inclusion of Tagalog words to Ilocano and other languages. The Ilocano that I knew is different from the Ilocano spoken in Ilocos now. It is a mixture of Tagalog and Ilocano or aptly called Tagilo or Ilotag. In that case, is it still called Ilocano?

To exacerbate the issue, kids or school children fluent in Ilocano when asked something in their native language answer in Filipino possibly believing that Filipino is better than Ilocano. In groups, in the mall or elsewhere, Filipino is their dominant language most likely to feign an upper caste. Ilocanos and other ethno-linguistic groups must remember that speaking Filipino does not suggest patriotism or those that speak in another language are less patriotic. Patriotism has nothing to do with language. Filipinos speaking Chinese in Binondo; English in Baguio or Spanish in Manila or Arabic in Sultan Kudarat equally love the country with fervor although sometimes; misgivings cannot be evaded.

If the trend continues, all Philippine languages will one day lose their genuineness and innate quality as Hiligaynon, Ivatan, Gaddang, Ilonggo, etc.

No thanks to Filipino intrusion.

While I agree that a language is not stagnant and  thus, it is fluid; it develops and mutates.  I cannot help but conclude that the dozens of languages we have  which we are proud of are constantly mutating towards bastardization if not extinction. The equation is simple. If no one speaks a language like Latin, it cannot thrive or survive. The less people speak a language, as in the case of Panggalatok, the greater that it will not continue to exist. Today, the Pangasinense language is on the verge of extinction.

Something must be done.

The slow but sure demise of Philippine languages can only be stopped if Filipinos take pride in their mother languages by speaking and writing them everyday otherwise, if no one does, how can our languages survive the test of time?

To use Filipino or English is common sense when others do not understand your language which could be Kinaray-a, Maranao, Chavacano, Zambal, Kankanaey, Tagalog, Panggalatok or Ilocano but it does not mean that one has to turn his back on his mother tongue by preferring other languages as his lingua franca. There is nothing wrong either in learning a second of third language. In fact it is recommended if we want to be productive and ready to compete as individuals, as a people or as a nation in local or international parlance.

Don't you think that it is high time for the scholars from the best universities in the country  to do a scientific study on the negative side of the national language in relation with the preservation of other languages?

Fifty years or a century from now, will your language still exist? If so, I am sure that it will be severely bastardized because of Filipino, the national language. -30-

Linggo de Lingua Europa: Para Que?

“The EU's policy of multilingualism has been an important tool toward achieving economic competitiveness, growth and better jobs, promoting lifelong learning and intercultural dialogue and nurturing a space for EU’s political dialogue through multilingual communication with its almost 500 million citizens.

This weeklong celebration is a creative and dynamic way to encourage Filipino students and professionals to learn other EU languages especially relevant in these globalized times when being multilingual means fostering personal growth, enhancing skills, and promoting greater chances for mobility.”

The quote was lifted from one of the dailies on the celebration of the “Linggo de Lingua Europa”.

The article lays down the participation of schools and private organizations in promoting European languages as a tool for personal enhancement and a key for the country in fostering more fraternal diplomatic relations.

However, how sane is the move when the thrust of the government is the widespread use of Filipino? I have nothing against that. My concern is why is it that English, the other co-equal national language seemed to be frowned at when used and the speaker, a suspect afflicted with the so-called colonial mentality?

Many believe that the Philippines is one of the countries with most English speakers. That is another way of saying that the Philippines is one of the largest English-speaking countries.

That may be true if the English we mean is basic. There is a difference between reading about apples and Cinderella and in understanding the op-eds of newspapers.

Most of us from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi can give a fascinating answer in fluent English when asked “How are you?” but I honestly doubt if we can all sensibly explain globalization or global warming when asked.

Instead of promoting tough to learn languages such as French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and the much hated Spanish; why don’t they not graph a program that promotes written and oral English proficiency instead? Who cares to learn any of these Euro languages when English is spoken and understood in most part of Europe? How many have the luxury to pay a visit to Europe in the first place when most Filipinos have not yet visited other parts of the country due to monetary constraints?

I wish success for the affair although in my view it lacks practicality. -30-

Language in Philippine Schools

Here we go again on language issue.

This time in Philippine public schools on what medium of instruction is advantageous for the elementary pupils in their first three to four years in school to be academically dynamic.

The Philippines is slightly larger than the State of Arizona. Distributed in the 7,000-island archipelago are 120 to 175 languages according to Wikipedia.

One of the dominant proposals is for a child to be instructed in his first years in school with his mother tongue. The idea behind is the belief that children can communicate or relate better with what they learn if instructed with their house language.

I lack credentials to discuss that professionally. I believe, however, that language is NOT the issue but the quality of teachers and method of teaching have the final say in determining the intellectual progress of a child.

In my other articles, I mentioned the case of the Rosary College (now, St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur) and Divine Word College of Vigan, both private schools.

In the Rosary, from preparatory, toddlers were taught in English and as they progress in years, they were urged to speak the language of Mr. Shakespeare in the campus. In fact, a lot of middle-income families, not only from Vigan but from neighboring towns of San Vicente, Sta. Catalina, Caoayan, Bantay, San Ildefonso and even Santa or Cabugao wanted their children to enroll to St. Paul because of the English language.

To the best of my knowledge, St. Paul and Divine produced the better (if not the best) crop of students who passed their doors into the new world.

In public schools (Ilocos Sur), pupils were taught in Ilocano, the language of the province. In fairness to them and to their instructors, they also produced excellent products. The difference is, although I cannot present a scientific data, the English-instructed were more successful. Since English during my years long ago was the official language in public functions here in the province, it was easy to spot who were from private schools. They have a different academic mien which I must confess with apology --- better.

There is a point I want to say here. Filipino language proponents, leftists and nationalists, point out that it does not necessarily follow that an English fluent is smart to which I agree.

But the story does not end there. English fluency exposes the student to a wider learning. Most textbooks are still in English and it also the language of the internet and of the  world.  It is a mystery that Filipinos are fenced with their national language when the Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and other Asian neighbors are learning English.

Consider that a family from Cebu, totally Ilocano illiterate, settles in Vigan. How could the children learn in a public school if Ilocano is the medium?

I am also against the establishment of Tagalog (the national language) as the medium of public instruction. Tagalog students have more advantage than those who are not Tagalog.

Why not English?

It is sad that most Filipinos look in a different way about the English language. Our eccentricity drives us to believe that English is a vestige of colonial mentality and it must be thrashed out. Jose Rizal indeed said that he who does not love his mother tongue is compared to a rotten fish. It should not be forgotten, may I stress, that Rizal wrote only a few in Tagalog.  Most were in Spanish, his lingua franca.

The government should instead study measures to improve the quality of teachers and the curricula in all levels to satisfy the academic craving of Filipinos. -30-

You Cannot Write In Your Mother Tongue?

Aside from extreme poverty caused by massive graft and corruption, the Philippines is also known to have several dozens of languages. With the exception of Chinese and Arabic, Filipinos use the Latin alphabet. Thanks for the influence of the Spanish alphabet which trashed the original Filipino way of writing known as “baybayin”.

All Philippine languages are similarly written and pronounced  like Spanish, Classical Latin, Italian   (but Agno is still AG-NO and not AN-YO) and some  languages from the Malay family. The sound of each letter in words is heard but depending on the region there is no distinction between “f” and “p”, “e” and “i”, “b” and “v”.  Exceptions are "mga"  (indicates plurality) and "ng" (denotes possession).

There are a number of Filipinos who foolishly say that they are fluent in speaking their mother tongue,  say Ilocano,  but they claim that they cannot write it.

I don’t believe so.

People from South and Central America including Spain  and Italy who have zero Ilocano knowledge can write it if the words are dictated slowly and pronounced properly.  If alive, Cevantes, Cicero and Dante Alighieri can write Ilocano or any Philippine language from dictation.

“Innakto agarado inton bigat.” (I will go and plow the field tomorrow.)  That sentence could be written by one from Buenos Aires  or Milan as “Y(I)nnactó agarado intón vigát.” 

An Argentine or an Italian can read that sentence perfectly like Ilocanos do.

It is in Spanish orthography but when an Ilocano reads it, he can perfectly understand and pronounce the sentence correctly.  Kapampangan, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Tausug, Bicolano or Maranaw can also read the sample sentence but they cannot understand it.

How much more to a native of the Ilocos Region or Ilocanos in diaspora whose first language is Ilocano?

One’s inability to speak and write his mother tongue even for decades does not make him (totally) forget  his first language.  It is understandable that decades of not using the language prompts the speaker to search for the right word for the thought he wants to express.

My granddad lived in Manila for 60  straight years and never came back to Vigan.  Tagalog has been his lingua franca but during reunions,  his Ilocano was perfect and so with his Vigan accent.

It is impossible that a German who learned Tagalog living in Manila for 25 years will forget  to write in  German when he goes back to Hamburg.

As Filipinos, we have our fancies if not stupidities. Jose Rizal said before that anyone who does not love his native language is just like a stinking fish.

Well, that’s what we are!   We are good in putting masks on our faces.  Masks that mud or bastardize our identity. -30-