Filipino not a ‘language of the learned,’ says columnist

[Monseratto]

Anyone notice many children from higher up the social ladder are struggling with reading and writing skills in Filipino in school?


Language, learning, identity, privilege | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online

MANILA, Philippines — English is the language of learning. I’ve known this since before I could go to school. As a toddler, my first study materials were a set of flash cards that my mother used to teach me the English alphabet.


My mother made home conducive to learning English: all my storybooks and coloring books were in English, and so were the cartoons I watched and the music I listened to. She required me to speak English at home. She even hired tutors to help me learn to read and write in English.


In school I learned to think in English. We used English to learn about numbers, equations and variables. With it we learned about observation and inference, the moon and the stars, monsoons and photosynthesis. With it we learned about shapes and colors, about meter and rhythm. I learned about God in English, and I prayed to Him in English.


Filipino, on the other hand, was always the ‘other’ subject — almost a special subject like PE or Home Economics, except that it was graded the same way as Science, Math, Religion, and English. My classmates and I used to complain about Filipino all the time. Filipino was a chore, like washing the dishes; it was not the language of learning. It was the language we used to speak to the people who washed our dishes.


We used to think learning Filipino was important because it was practical: Filipino was the language of the world outside the classroom. It was the language of the streets: it was how you spoke to the tindera when you went to the tindahan, what you used to tell your katulong that you had an utos, and how you texted manong when you needed “sundo na.”


These skills were required to survive in the outside world, because we are forced to relate with the tinderas and the manongs and the katulongs of this world. If we wanted to communicate to these people — or otherwise avoid being mugged on the jeepney — we needed to learn Filipino.


That being said though, I was proud of my proficiency with the language. Filipino was the language I used to speak with my cousins and uncles and grandparents in the province, so I never had much trouble reciting.


It was the reading and writing that was tedious and difficult. I spoke Filipino, but only when I was in a different world like the streets or the province; it did not come naturally to me. English was more natural; I read, wrote and thought in English. And so, in much of the same way that I learned German later on, I learned Filipino in terms of English. In this way I survived Filipino in high school, albeit with too many sentences that had the preposition ‘ay.’


It was really only in university that I began to grasp Filipino in terms of language and not just dialect. Filipino was not merely a peculiar variety of language, derived and continuously borrowing from the English and Spanish alphabets; it was its own system, with its own grammar, semantics, sounds, even symbols.


But more significantly, it was its own way of reading, writing, and thinking. There are ideas and concepts unique to Filipino that can never be translated into another. Try translating bayanihan, tagay, kilig or diskarte.


Only recently have I begun to grasp Filipino as the language of identity: the language of emotion, experience, and even of learning. And with this comes the realization that I do, in fact, smell worse than a malansang isda. My own language is foreign to me: I speak, think, read and write primarily in English. To borrow the terminology of Fr. Bulatao, I am a split-level Filipino.


But perhaps this is not so bad in a society of rotten beef and stinking fish. For while Filipino may be the language of identity, it is the language of the streets. It might have the capacity to be the language of learning, but it is not the language of the learned.


It is neither the language of the classroom and the laboratory, nor the language of the boardroom, the court room, or the operating room. It is not the language of privilege. I may be disconnected from my being Filipino, but with a tongue of privilege I will always have my connections.


So I have my education to thank for making English my mother language.

[myk384]

Actually, I come from a middle class family and use filipino most of the time. Sa totoo lang, hindi tayo umuunlad kasi hindi tayo marunong magmahal ng sarili nating wika.

[oj88]

It's just his opinion, no need to make this bigger than it is. He could've kept some of it to himself. Nevertheless, just take it with a grain of salt.

[CVT]

Japan at Korea nga,- umunlad ng walang katakut-takot na ingles-ingles....

14.0K:bike3:

[tidus1203]

Pati din China mahina din English skills nila, pero the foreigners want to learn Chinese... Daming white guys who want to learn Chinese... Dati Japanese, pero la na kwenta Japanese la na rin kasi kwenta economy nila...

[batang_raon14]

I'd say anything that is "alien" to what you're accustomed to will always be hard. Doesn't have to stop you from trying anyways.

A more interesting idea, AFAIK, is that a person who had trouble understanding usually puts the blame on everything else except for himself ala Christopher Lao. Just my .02.

[blue_gambit]

He should have learned to keep things to himself, to avoid offense to us mere mortals who use Filipino as a medium of language... therefore he is in fact an ignoramus of his manners. He may have been thought english since he was a child, but it occupied too much of his time to be thought the manners of a gentleman...

Kahit gano siya kayaman, wala syang kahihiyan para sabihin at ilimbag sa lathalaan pa man din ang mga pananalitang kanyang binitawan. Buti na lang Ingles ang pananalita nya, di bagay ang kagaspangan nya sa wikang Filipino... hehehe

[Ry_Tower]

He should have learned to keep things to himself, to avoid offense to us mere mortals who use Filipino as a medium of language... therefore he is in fact an ignoramus of his manners. He may have been thought english since he was a child, but it occupied too much of his time to be thought the manners of a gentleman...

Kahit gano siya kayaman, wala syang kahihiyan para sabihin at ilimbag sa lathalaan pa man din ang mga pananalitang kanyang binitawan. Buti na lang Ingles ang pananalita nya, di bagay ang kagaspangan nya sa wikang Filipino... hehehe

I Pity him, he is so ignorant of the real world. Babaw ng problem niya! kawawang tao...

Papansin lang yan. Pati sa PEx tinitira katangah*n niya.

[niky]

I don't get what's so insulting about this article? Read it better, and not just the thread title (which isn't his)... he's not trying to insult Filipino at all.

Basically, he's actually bemoaning the fact that he is not proficient in Filipino, but thankful that at least, he knows English.

Unless I'm reading it wrong. Parang mahina ang pagkaintindi ko ng pa-Ingles-Ingles niya.

Sometimes, for a nation to go forward, it has to make sacrifices and accept change. Embracing English is a change, but it's not one meant to destroy the country, but to help it move forward.

Most countries see English not as a colonial imposition, but as a means of attaining economic prosperity. The Chinese want to learn English (from us Filipinos). The Koreans want to learn English (from us, again). The Vietnamese, Thai and Malaysians all want to learn English.

I am like the author... I use English for technical things, but at home, we teach our child Filipino. The reason we do this is because I'm a Fil-Am, born and raised in the US. When I came here, I had a very hard time adapting because I didn't speak Filipino very well (I still don't).

Filipino is the language of feelings, emotions and family. There really are many things you can express in Filipino more easily than English. When I talk to my wife, we talk in Tagalog. When we talk to our daughter, we mix it up... because, honestly, she needs English to have a good future, but she needs Filipino to have a good life. ;)

[dodongo]

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.

[uls]

there's now a whole generation of kids who grew up watching disney channel, nickelodeon, high school musical, etc

born late 90s/early 00

fluent in english, very intelligent, tremendous learning capacity

their parents are well-educated, well-travelled, professional/management/capitalist types

i suppose those parents know what's best for their kids

do they mind their kids can barely speak filipino? i don't think so

the parents dont freaking care if their kids can't speak filipino

the parents are preparing their kids for a highly competitive world

being unable to speak filipino won't affect their kids' chances of landing a job in Google or Goldman Sachs

the parents are thinking global, not local

kung natural selection ang pag uusapan, in 10-15 yrs we will see who rises to the top of the food chain

kids who watch ABSCBN, GMA noontime game shows and evening dramas

or kids who watch disney and nickelodeon all day

--

this isnt about being nationalistic

this is about survival of the freaking fittest in a very competitive world

[marg]

Yup "KEEP THEM POOR, KEEP THEM STUPID" as the politicians and church want. Makes the Masa easier to Control.

The daughter of our househelp, schooled in pure Tagalog, is living in our house. Falls asleep whenever Discovery, NGeo and History channels are on. But is abreast with everything about WOWOWEE and the Telenovelas.

Compare her to my niece, fluent in English, who could talk non-stop about Astronomy, Geology, and a host of other topics. And she is just 6 years old.

English is the Language of Science and Mathematics. The majority of Scientific Journals, Documentaries and Web pages are in English.

Tama na yung misplaced nationalism. Our country is being left behind. In terms of International Science and Math achievement tests, the Philippines is always NEAR THE BOTTOM.

The Philippines is being brought down by people like this:

[Ry_Tower]

The autohr just did not presented it in a more appropriate term. That's what makes his writing insulting IMO. Yes english proficiency is what we need to succeed but does not give us the right to belittle Filipino as a native languange.

He could have posted instead that if you want to succeed in life, be proficient in english. Period.

[Monseratto]

Wrter's perception: Filipino = gutter language...=p

[uls]

BUT

being able to speak english doesnt necessarily make a person smart

there lots of dumb Americans. really dumb

point here is if you're able to think only in filipino you are missing an entire universe of ideas and concepts that can only be grasped when you're able to think in other languages

buti sana kung highly advanced language ang filipino

hindi eh

--

anyway

other people they don't care if they can't grasp foreign concepts

what's important to them is that they're happy and content

they don't need to know what algorithms are

as long as they have life's essentials (food, beer, videoke) they don't need anything else

ignorance is bliss

[myk384]

Sa totoo lang, the author should not wrote this in a insulting way. There is nothing wrong with using filipino or english. Pag informal ang usapan - Filipino/Taglish, Pag formal affairs - English. Ang kalalabasan ng article is ang filipino is jologs language. Heck, I know English and Filipino, but do I brag it??? No.

Parang ang kalalabasan that the author is proficient in English among everyone. Kahit sino proficient eh, heck some public school students know English. Pagyayabang ang tunog nito eh.

[niky]

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.

[andywesteast]

Yup "KEEP THEM POOR, KEEP THEM STUPID" as the politicians and church want. Makes the Masa easier to Control.

The daughter of our househelp, schooled in pure Tagalog, is living in our house. Falls asleep whenever Discovery, NGeo and History channels are on. But is abreast with everything about WOWOWEE and the Telenovelas.

The Philippines is being brought down by people like this:

Yan ang gusto ng ABS-CBN, GMA7 and now, Ch5.

Easier to FOOL the Masses with.

[Gerbo]

The Filipino language has its use. I married a Bicolano and I speak Cebuano, and we speak Filipino so we can understand each other. Even until now when my wife can understand the local dialect since we lived in a Cebuano speaking region.

But my two daughters use English for conversation. Filipino and Cebuano are the secondary dialects.

The more languages one is proficient with, the better. And it usually start with English. Most Filipino kids who can speak English tends to be schooled in "elite" private school systems. They can understand the better programs seen on cable TV.

Honestly,we don't encourage them to watch the local shows. Doon nila natutuan mga mura, jolog-speak, bakla-language, etc. tuloy parang hindi "learned" ang dating.

[vinj]

My take is that we should still concentrate on honing our English skills, especially at schools and on programming. This has been something that has kept us competitive globally.

Tagalog (or whatever local dialect) will always be around and will not vanish because of such.