Delving into impact(s) of language in the PhilippinesOne of the many questions I had before traveling to the Philippines surrounded language and its impact on the nation’s people. How did language impact the cultural, political, and educational life of the Philippines? And how does it still impact them? Although I do wish I had time to delve into more of the indigenous languages and cultural traditions, I was struck and surprised by what I did learn. Take a brief linguistic journey with me as you discover how language has impacted a nation, and with near perfect timing as we enter Buwan ng Wika, the National Language Month, of August. “Without language, the finest invention of the human imagination, there is no memory, no history, no culture, no civilization” ---Dr. Gémino H. Abad, revered Pilipino poet and literary luminary Imagine a country with 7,107 islands, some so small they aren’t even named, let alone inhabited. Imagine, too, how geographic remoteness* of many of the areas has ensured that many of the nation’s languages have remained active. A member of the Austronesian language family, 183 living languages by some accounts, while others estimate from 150-175 languages. Of those, most are indigenous and a handful are non-indigenous. (examples of the latter include English, Hokkien Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Malay, Spanish, Spanish Creoles, and South Asian languages) Much of this diversity stems from the nation’s trade encounters throughout history. Located in a hotbed of trade routes in a confluence of seas, the Philippines has been continually exposed to people and ideas from neighboring cultures as well as those from further away. Historically Speaking The ancient indigenous Filipino language is known as alibata, baybayin or baybay, which means “to spell”. Although we saw posters in classrooms with this alphabet and its symbols, teachers informed us that no one learns it anymore, and it is displayed merely to honor history. Early writers and learners carved their syllabary onto leaves and into bamboo poles then rubbed ashes into the carvings to darken the marks. Discoveries have been made to show its formal usage both among the locals as well as between the locals and colonizers. Christopher Miller, a renowned linguist, has reviewed land deeds, petitions, testimonies and legal proceedings in the old script. What he also discovered was that, contrary to what some might believe, the pre-Hispanic culture of the Filipinos was not destroyed, as evidenced through religious texts being printed and disseminated in baybayin. In fact, he claims that the first book printed in the Philippines used baybayin. (1593, “Doctrina Christiana”) Folk tales and legends, however, were passed on orally, along with stories of Christianity, including tales of morality, and informative tales about the saints’ lives. As a testament to the strength of Filipino tradition, they insisted on keeping many of their own rituals as the Spanish missionaries brought their Christianity and built churches. Stories were --and still are-- also passed along beautifully (as we witnessed) through song, traditional dance, and elaborate dress. For a long time, under Spanish rule, Filipinos were not formally taught to read and write, but did so informally. With the Jones Bill of 1916, Filipinos were at last permitted to vote alongside English and Spanish-speaking residents of the nation. The Bill’s provision stated specifically that every male landowner 21 or older, with residency of at least one year could vote if he is “able to read and write either Spanish, English, or a native language”, thus “proving” their capacity to self-govern. And just because I think it is fascinating, here is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the baybayin script: : ᜀᜅ᜔ ᜎᜑᜆ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜆᜂ ᜀᜌ᜔ ᜁᜐᜒᜈᜒᜎᜅ᜔ ᜈ ᜋᜎᜌ ᜀᜆ᜔ ᜉᜈ᜔ᜆᜌ᜔ᜉᜈ᜔ᜆᜌ᜔ ᜐ ᜃᜍᜅᜎᜈ᜔ ᜀᜆ᜔ ᜃᜍᜉᜆᜈ᜔‖ ᜐᜒᜎ ᜀᜌ᜔ ᜉᜒᜈᜄ᜔ᜃᜎᜓᜂᜊᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜊᜓᜇ᜔ᜑᜒ ᜀᜆ᜔ ᜇᜉᜆ᜔ ᜋᜄ᜔ᜉᜎᜄᜌᜈ᜔ ᜀᜅ᜔ ᜁᜐᜆ᜔ᜁᜐ ᜐ ᜇᜒᜏ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜉᜄ᜔ᜃᜃᜉᜆᜒᜍᜈ᜔‖ Language as Power Speaking of capacity to self-govern, there is certain power inherent in language. Two of the Philippines national heroes, Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini, optimized that power by inciting revolution with their writings. We were fortunate to have visited museums honoring each of these influential men. Rizal was the Renaissance Man of the Philippines, and worked as an ophthalmologist, doctor, teacher, writer, architect, artist, novelist, historian, visonary, etc. His speeches and writings provoked and sustained the country’s powerful nationalism, even though he promoted nonviolent revolution. One of his famous sayings: ‘Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda’. (He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish). Mabini was known as the Sublime Paralytic and the Brains of the Revolution, and a rebel against foreign rule. After contracting polio, he was unable to fight physically, so he turned to words, writing as well as advising then-President Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a great orator, penned his own Philippine constitution and even a Filipino code of ethics. He was deeply involved in politics, survived exile, and inspired Philippine independence with words as his weapon. In the Classroom Tagalog, or the local mother tongue in indigenous areas (one of 12 major local languages), is the language of instruction in grades K-3. English becomes an official part of the curriculum, or medium of instruction, by grade 3 or 4. Some schools start teaching English earlier, or blend it with the mother tongue, by teaching certain subjects in English. Speaking to teachers in the many schools we visited, some teachers are more comfortable teaching in English than others, and we witnessed a common use of Tagalog (the primary mother tongue in our area) to clarify, deepen understanding, or expedite a lesson. As a whole, the focus is on communicative competence, and language is taught as a tool for learning more than simply grammar. There is a stated emphasis on fostering confidence in speaking with others, and speaking more; we noticed that many students and teachers were hesitant and apologetic for their “English”, yet were open and willing to talk to us and share what they knew. There is a strong belief that English is necessary for success among those we spoke to. There are also prominent reminders posted throughout the hallways in some schools to keep your heads held high because you are Filipino, thus using Tagalog as a cultural shot in the arm, as it were, to hold on to what makes them uniquely themselves. The Department of Education, aka, DepEd, has schools display its values and mission in English, but several schools also posted them in Tagalog. 4 elements of notability in schools are the 4 core values, which in my opinion, sound so much better in Tagalog: Maka Diyos (being religious); Makakalikasan (respecting the environment); Makatao (being human); and Makabansa (love of their country). For me, seeing those 4 values posted resonated more powerfully than the mission statements did, probably because of their inherent humanity, and knowing what I do now of the powerful Pilipino nationalism. Tagalog used to be taught as a single subject area, but not used as an instructional medium, until the Japanese occupation. In 1940, the Japanese insisted on using the “National Language” in schools instead of English, which of course vaulted its use in official communicative platforms. The Official Languages In spite of the diversity, there are 2 official languages: Tagalog and English. Filipino is a “3rd language”, slightly different than Tagalog as you’ll soon read. Tagalog used to be the language of Manila and its nearby provinces when the constitution of 1935 was written. Although the constitution stated there would be a national language, it didn’t specify what that language would be. Officials had to determine which language would be acceptable to everyone, and how they might incorporate elements from several languages. Since Tagalog was spoken in/ near Manila, it became the national language, although it was soon labeled and expanded to “Filipino” as a nod to non-indigenous languages like Spanish and English. Many words come from both of these languages; although they may be spelled differently, they often sound similar. While Tagalog is spoken by about 28% of the people**, Filipinos typically speak Pilipino as a second language, after English or their mother tongue. It became the official national language with the 1987 constitution, after controversy and concerns over the lack of native speakers and literary works blocked its formal rise with the 1973 constitution. Filipino (Pilipino) as compared to Tagalog, then, is more inclusive of different sounds, too, such as f, j, c, x and z, which weren’t originally present in Tagalog. Ironic, isn’t it, and yet another show of power, for the Spanish to name the country “Philippines” (after King Philip) when they didn’t even have an “f” sound? That’s why you will often see/ hear the word “Pilipino”, the Tagalog word for Filipino, or “Pilipinas” for the Philippines. Taglish is common, too, much like Spanglish in the United States; that interweaving and code-switching from one language to the other makes speaking and listening a constant adventure. (English had become a national working language in 1987, and the Philippines is touted as the 3rd largest English-speaking nation in the world.) Fun facts: Nonverbal communication manifests itself in a range of ways: for example, the national flag is flown upside down (red on top) when it is engaged in warfare. Filipinos tend to point with their lips and chin, which I found endearing-- they would pucker their lips, raise their eyebrows (or one), and lead with their chin in the direction of reference. Double-down: many Filipino words are repeated, which I found intriguing, although the only reason for it, according to folks I asked, is for emphasis! Here are just a few examples: Yoyo--come back Ihau-ihau -- perfect perfect Sari-sari -- “variety” (ie., sari-sari store) Pichi-pichi -- type of dessert Quilo quilo --for the weight “kilo” Araw-araw --everyday everyday Halo-halo --mix mix (a very popular iced cream dish with mixings) Dali-dali --hurry hurry Words derived from Tagalog that are now “English”: Bahala na --what will be, will be; sense of fatalism, or letting it be in God’s hands Boonies/ boondocks--from bundok (mountain) (thanks to WWII returning troops who brought it home with them in the 1940’s)*** Mani-pedi --combined manicure/ pedicure, first coined in 1972 Barkada -- group of friends Buko water --coconut water Mabuhay --long life! Cheers! Hooray! Utang na loob-- a debt or favor owed to someone ….and so many more. These are just a few of the words officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary as of 2015! In researching and learning more about the Pilipino languages and nationality, it’s powerfully evident that the question of language has been around as long as the nation’s people have been. With plenty of external forces testing their linguistic loyalty, it’s also easy to understand how critical it has been to their identity to maintain their language as a sort of foothold amid the political chaos. This is not to say the language is done changing. As with any major language, change is constant, such as Taglish’s combinatorial power, but committees and groups have united to maintain the many different indigenous heritages, cultures and languages. Also, with nearly 20% of Filipinos working overseas, their impact of learning and spreading new words, or using them in new ways increases exponentially, much like that of the traders encountered in the early years of their nationhood. And as the new additions to the OED demonstrate, the Filipino relationship with language is not one of merely taking --- they, too, are responsible for linguistic change and innovation. As stated at the beginning of this paper, “Without language, the finest invention of the human imagination, there is no memory, no history, no culture, no civilization”. It’s quite obvious that each of these --imagination, memory, history, culture, and civilization -- continue to morph in the Philippines, as language remains so prominently in the consciousness of its speakers and thinkers and Filipinos remain ever-adept at tweaking what they have and making them fully their "own". Mabuhay! :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Speaking of geographic remoteness, I was surprised to learn that the Philippines boasts the highest rate of new animal species discovered in the world! **according to the 2000 census ***Steinberg, David Joel. 2000. The Philippines: A Singular and a Plural Place. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
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