Quote Originally Posted by dodongo View Post
How bout we take a look at the other end of the spectrum? The marginalized could be having a difficult time in school, maybe even their teachers, because English is the language used instead of their mother-tongues, especially considering provinces with their own dialects. I did a research paper on this and I believe I saw it on i-Witness, it was proven true, albeit very small sample size.
Actually, There was that big ruckus over the NCEE, wherein other regions were complaining very loudly about moves to make the NCEE all-Filipino. The ruckus was loudest in Cebu, if I recall.

I mean... who are we kidding. "Filipino" is Tagalog. Period. Written down or spoken, it bears little (if any) resemblance to other major dialects.

Would it be easier for students if they learned in their native dialect? Yes. Would it help bind our nation together and ensure a large pool of highly trained professionals and technical people are available for any region or area that may need them? Maybe not.

The reason some of us can't get all patriotic about "Filipino" is because we're mixed heritage. My grandparents speak Panggalatok. My wife's grandparents speak Ilocano. Many of my teachers in Grade School were Cebuano. None of them sound anything like "Filipino" or look anything like it when written down.

But English? Unless you have a cockney accent thicker than Yorkshire pudding or a mile-a-minute New Yawk tongue, everyone can understand everyone else's English.

Other countries are not afraid of English. We have many hang-ups over it because of the preconception of it being a "colonial language". Well, English doesn't belong to the British or the Americans. The world owns English, and if we want to be part of the Global Village, the price of entry is learning the language spoken there.