language - Cerebral Insights

Me – A Conyo?

We used to make fun of them – the conyo kids – way back in college. I used to disdain their seemingly exasperating mixed use of the English and Filipino language. There was Taglish, then there was just pure conyo.

Fast forward several years later, it’s such a surprise for me when I catch myself becoming conyo.

You know, it’s like speaking in English only that minsan mag-shift ka bigla to Tagalog. And then you’re like mega shocked at how your brain naturally process such mixed language and then di mo na alam san nangagaling yung mga sinasabi mo coz it’s like really weird and stuff, you know?

See. Writing that bit wasn’t so hard. My brain just naturally composed the words.

I pride myself in having a good command of the English language and a decent command of Filipino. I can write and express myself in both though I do so more easily in English. And yet the beauty of the pure Filipino language is not lost to me too.

This month we are celebrating the National Language Month a.k.a. Buwan ng Wika. It used to be a week – Linggo ng Wika then it expanded to a month. Yet this group is advocating that commemoration of our National Language should not be confided to a week or a month but should rather be a year-long observance. We can have a Pinoy Arts and Culture Month where we commemorate Pinoy pride but observance of Buwan ng Wika should be year-long according to them.

Their argument: dedicating a whole month shows just how much of a colonial mentality we actually have. For we see people who, when the month has ended, ends also their observance of the uniquely Pinoy customs they were forced to observe during Buwan ng Wika i.e. speaking in Filipino, wearing Barong Tagalog and the like.

Reading that Rappler article has reminded me of probably the most viewed and most controversial post I had circa 2011. It’s about James Soriano and his controversial article attacking the Filipino language. Many were irked by his article and so it had to be taken down from the net. But not before people had downloaded or copied it. Essentially, that article explored the connection of speaking Filipino to actually having an identity as a Filipino.

My being a conyo is a testament to how our language is evolving. I won’t be surprised when time comes and our National Language is no longer Filipino but Taglish. I mean it’s really easy and natural for many people these days to speak in a conyo manner. Maybe some are not as flamboyant as others but fact remains that it’s still Taglish.

Language reflects the identity and culture of the people using it. In a society where majority of workers are in the BPO industry, you can’t blame if there’s a rise of so-called conyo kids. They may not necessarily have the wealth of the traditional conyo kids, but the way they talked, you’d think they do if not for the identification badge stating which call center company they’re part of.

Globalization has greatly impacted the way we use our language. Since Filipino has not been deeply ingrained in us before the Americans came and converted us to an English-speaking nation, it can’t be helped that we haven’t naturally developed a love or a flair for the language unlike our Asian counterparts who have developed strong affinity for their language and hence you can see the strength of their culture. Wonderful examples are South Korea and Japan. Just look around you and you will see Pinoys wishing they could speak either Nihonggo or Korean just so they can understand or better relate to their pop idols. The Koreans and Japanese, despite not embracing English as a natural language became so successful in promoting their own language and identity. We can conclude then that loving their language led to a natural love for their own culture.

In the past I have advocated the strengthening of the Filipino language so we can eventually develop a sense of identity. However, today, even CHED mandates that Filipino GE subject need not be part of the required core subjects and can instead be an optional course for just anyone who wish to take it. And knowing how it’s Filipino, I am doubtful how many would want to do that. So how can we encourage a deeper sense of identity through the use of language?

I guess the conyo language identifies who we are. I guess this new breed language defines our very identity as a nation. What I see is a nation of mixed breeds. A nation who in adapting from other cultures have formed a culture distinctively their own. A nation whose culture is so dynamic it is perpetually evolving.

If before I see the conyo language as a negative thing – a hindrance to our growth as a country, today I see it as a language we need to embrace.

And I don’t think that’s even remotely connected to my discovery that I am already a conyo. 😉

The Language that is Filipino

ADDENDUM: The original Manila Bulletin article has been taken down but a copy of the article exists here and here. This is also Google’s cache of the piece. Further, I have decided to also repost the article at the end of this post.

James Soriano is being criticized in the social media for his article in Manila Bulletin about his perception regarding the national language. James wrote about how the English language is his primary language, about how it is the language of the learned, the language of the classroom and laboratories, the language of the courtroom, boardroom, operating room etc. and how the Filipino language is the language of the streets, that even with the capacity for learning it is not the language of the learned.

Much of what he said about the Filipino language as he perceived it growing up hurts. It cuts a hole deep in our nationalistic hearts and really wounds our pride as a nation. For that he has been criticized, but I believe it is criticism he can be proud of because he has exposed the truth and indeed the truth hurts and can be hard to swallow.

As much as he has been criticized over and over for his untimely article during the Buwan ng Wika – my UP group and Twitter timeline criticizes his article – I beg to differ with their opinion.

Like him, I must say that I grew up with the English language. Although my household spoke Filipino primarily, I was taught how to read in English. Back at school, we were taught in English. Filipino indeed was a special subject of itself, which we all grew to loathe. It was a chore learning of the pandiwa, parirala, pangungusap etc. etc. We had clubs promoting English as not just a way of language but a way of thinking. During break times, people who spoke in Tagalog or the vernacular would be fined for every word spoken. English was promoted and glorified when we were in primary school. And thus I learned to speak, think, even dream, in English.

Of course I knew the vernacular, I could speak Tagalog and Bicol (my dialect) fluently though sadly not as fluent as English. When I was mad, I expressed myself in English. When I discovered my flair for writing, it was in English. I became more comfortable expressing myself in English.

Yes, the Filipino language is beautiful. Growing up and being exposed equally to Filipino literary works made me appreciate the language even more. But I cannot deny that it was English I was comfortable with.

In college, I had to take a subject in Filipino out of desperation. I needed Philippine units to graduate and the course about Philippine culture I wanted were all full. It was the course on Filipino language that was severely lacking in takers. I had no choice but to take it lest I do not graduate. I faced the subject with trepidation. I viewed it as a course wherein I wouldn’t really learn anything but merely enter the class for the sake of attendance.

But I was wrong. In the subject, I learned about the Filipino identity as defined by the Filipino language. I learned that much of the progress our nation lacks now is tied up with the lack of identity we have as a nation primarily because of our adaptation of a culture and a language that is not entirely ours. I learned that to fully solve the problems of our society, we would need to embrace our Filipino language entirely because it would connect to our sense of identity.

However, it cannot be denied that English has indeed become the language of the learned in the country. This is said in the paradigm that our courtrooms, our hospitals, even our government institutions uses English. I posted earlier this year about an incident wherein our municipality released a census survey written in English. And they expected the constituents to fill it out entirely! How can the greater population do so then if they are not taught about English?

And so I agree with James Soriano when he said that:

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.

For me, his article is a timely article during this month of the Buwan ng Wika. For more than insulting the national language, he has actually exposed the reality of the state of our language now. We are hypocrites trying to glorify the Filipino language in a month when in reality, the way we speak and conduct ourselves is in English.

How many interviews have you attended wherein the language used was English? How many presentations have you made wherein you presented in English? How many forms – even official public forms – have you filled out wherein everything was written in English? What medium is now used in our educational institutions to teach lessons in Science and Math? How many families do you know whose kids learn to speak English first before learning to speak Filipino? How many commercial establishments have you entered where they greet their customers in English instead of Filipino?

I gave credit to our President for delivering his recent SONA in Filipino. I wonder then why all previous presidents delivered theirs in English when delivering one in Filipino is possible and just as effective – if not more so? Is it really because English is the language of the learned?

To all of James’ critics, I say that before actually criticizing the guy who was honest enough to admit who he is, why don’t we examine first what is really happening in our society, as he said, of rotten beef and stinking fish. Maybe we will see that what he said is really something worth pondering about, that it is the reality engulfing us, and that perhaps we are just too full of pride to admit that indeed he is right.

Continue reading “The Language that is Filipino”

Tagalog – slowly dying?

My sister and I have this lively discussion going on for several days. It’s about how we, Filipinos, can never really communicate in straight and native Filipino. This was triggered by the caption in a local news program. The word BOLUNTARYO was used. Yes, it is indeed in the native tongue but BOLUNTARYO is a direct literal translation of VOLUNTARY. Instead of using the term KUSANG LOOB which means the same, the term BOLUNTARYO was used.

This shows that the Filipino language is evolving and making itself distinct from the Tagalog dialect where it was hailed from. KUSANG LOOB would be Tagalog but BOLUNTARYO would be Filipino. A more ancient example would be ALAGAD NG BATAS which is Tagalog for POLICE (English) and PULIS (Filipino).

The Filipino language is indeed an interesting one – evolving as quickly as the English language perhaps. Language is after all dynamic and ever changing with all the word adaptations from other languages.

But the nuisance of language wasn’t what my sister and I were really intent on discussing. Rather it was more of the implications of a native language heavily reliant on a foreign one. Or how a nation with it’s own native language would deliver its notices and public memos in a foreign language.

Our dad just came home from Madagascar, a country poorer than the Philippines in terms of economic growth. However, their public forms and documents were in their native language (which is something close to French) and I must say that since that is what the whole populace speaks and understands then the language they use becomes a tool for unity and not otherwise. A more classic and wonderful example would be Korea. They were poorer than the Philippines after the war but now they had surpassed our country by all respects and means. All the while they stuck with their native language and their local culture and proceeded to revive their dying country through sheer guts and unity. Look where they are now. KPop, Koreanovelas – slowly they are the ones invading our country with their culture!

Recently, our local municipality issued a census document which we were expected to fill out. There were questions about various statistical stuff about our household – how many were kids, how many were malnourished between ages 0-5, what type of home dwelling do we have, etc. etc. It was quite shocking for us observe that the form was entirely in English! There was not even a Bicolano term anywhere much less a Bicolano translation of what was being asked from the form. I wonder how they expect the entire populace of our town to answer the form – much less understand it!

Even public notices are oftentimes posted in English! I read this notice in the jeepneys informing the public that the jeepney fare rates have increased. It was written purely in English – and constructed in a legal tone with legal words! It was hard to comprehend even for me.

I remember my GE subject teacher in college. She used to say that language is the tool for unity and unity is the tool for success. She promoted the use of the Filipino language, explained the importance in doing so. I was so convinced that I was even lamented my apparent inclination to the English language and did my very best to divert my path to the Filipino language. (I even wrote blogs in Filipino!) Sad to say, it was a short lived stint. Like most of my countrymen – as staunch nationalists as we may be – I still am deeply ingrained in this foreign language dubbed the international language. It is the sad reality which I must admit I may pass on even to the next generation.

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Wika – Solusyon nga ba sa problema ng Pilipinas?

Sabi ni Rizal ”Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa sa malansang isda”. Subalit dahil sya ay namumuhay sa panahon ng mga Kastila noon kung saan ang wikang pinaiiral o ginagamit nya ay Kastila, at kung saan wala pang nadedeklarang Pambansang Wika ang Pilipinas – ano kaya ang sariling wika na tinutukoy nya?

Pero hindi yan ang punto ng sinusulat ko na to.

Sa tingagal ng panahon at matapos makalaya sa tatlong malalaking kolonyador sa Pilipinas, may Pambansang Wika na rin ang ating bansa – ang wikang Filipino.

Subalit masasabi nga ba nating wikang Pambansa ang Filipino gayong mas madami ang nahuhumaling sa pangalawang wika ng ating bansa – ang Ingles?

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Disclaimer: This is a long-delayed blog. Opinions/circumstances may have long since changed.

Bakit Tagalog

Bakit ako nagsusulat sa Tagalog? Or in other words, sa Filipino. Sila ay magkaiba kung di mo natatanong subalit saka ko na ipapaliwang ang kanilang pagkakaiba.

Matagal ko ng sinubukang alamin ang pinakaugat ng mga problema ng bansang Pilipinas. May ideya na ako sa solusyon sa polusyon, kahirapan, kamangmangan at kung ano-ano pang obvious na problema ng ating bansa. Subalit alam ko na upang tuluyang mawala sila ay kailangan kong masolusyunan ang ugat ng lahat ng ito.

Inisip ko dati na ang ugat na yon ay ang values na meron ang Pilipino. Di kaya ay ang kawalan ng disiplina sa sarili o ang sadyang pagiging sakim. An dami dami pang beses ko naisip na ang personal na katangian nga ng Pinoy ang ugat ng mga problema na kinakakaharap ng bayang Pinas.

Noon lamang nag-report ako sa Filipino 40 ko natuklasan ang tunay na ugat – yan ang kawalan ng pagmamahal sa sariling wika. Tama nga na masahol tayong lahat sa malansang isda. Tayong lahat ay matagal nang nahahalina sa wika ng ibang bansa. Nahahalina at nakukulong sa kanilang kultura. Marami sa atin ang sa loob ng ating sarili ay naghahangad na sana sa ibang bansa nakatira. Na sana sa ibang bansa pinanganak. Minsan sa sobrang hangarin natin maging banyaga mas alam pa natin ang kanilang kultura, tradisyon at wika.

Kung ating titingnan kalimitan sa mga bansa na maunlad ay nagmahal ng sarili nilang wika. Sila man ay nasakop at naalipin ng banyaga, nagpursigi parin silang ibalik ang sariling kanila nung sila ay makalaya. Ang kanilang naging kalayaan ay tutal – pisikal, puso at isipan. Ang Pinoy lumaya nga ngunit sa pisikal lamang. Ang kanyang puso at isipan ay nananatiling sakop ng banyaga.

Maging ako guilty dito. Mas alam ko pa paano ipahayag ang sarili ko sa Ingles at yan ay mapapatunayan ng mga journals ko kung saan mas madalas na Ingles ang behikulo ko upang masulat ang mga damdamin ko. At ang subukang sila ay isulat sa Filipino ay masyadong mahirap para sa akin. Paano nagkaganoon ngayong ako ay Pilipino? Hindi ba’t parang sinabi ko narin na mas madali ang ipahayag ang pagka-Pinoy ko sa salitang Ingles? Di ba ironic iyon?

Guilty ako. Subalit sisikapin kong magbago. May 20 taon ako para paghandaan ang aking pagiging pangulo ng bansa. Ang paghahanda na ito ay hindi ko lamang dapat ilimita sa pagtuklas at pag-aaral pano pa magiging mas magaling na lider, sa pagttrabaho upang magkapondo, sa pag-aaral pano papatakbuhin ang isang bansa. Ang aking paghahanda ay dapat ibilang din ang aking pagiging bihasa sa sarili kong wika. Bihasa na ako sa lingua franca ng buong mundo. Dapat maging bihasa din ako sa sarili kong wika ng sa gayon mahihikayat ko ang aking kapwa mamamayan na kung lahat tayo ay magpapakabihasa na sa sarili nating wika – darating din ang panahon na maibabalik ang sarili nating identidad, uunlad tayo at gagalangin sa buong mundo bilang Pilipino – sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.

Originally written: August 23, 2008

**disclaimer:
This is a long-delayed blog. Opinions/circumstances may have long since changed.