Filipino 'not the language of the learned,' says columnist
Filipino is the âlanguage of the streets" â âhow 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 lines, found in a âManila Bulletin" column now circulating on social media, aroused sentiments that champion the Filipino language Thursday as the nation winds down its commemoration of August as the National Language Month. James Soriano, who wrote the column titled âLanguage, Learning, Identity, Privilege," contextualized his piece in his experience of learning English as his âmother language." Soriano said he was required to speak English at home, had all his books in English, and even prayed in English. âFilipino, on the other hand, was always the âotherâ subject â almost a special subject like PE or Home Economics, except that it was graded the same way as Science, Math, Religion, and English," he said in his column originally posted Wednesday. âMy 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," Soriano added. âProudâ of Filipino proficiency but⦠Halfway through the column, Soriano qualified that he was âproud" of his proficiency in Filipino, but âit was the reading and writing that was tedious and difficult." âI 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," he said. Soriano noted that it was only in the university that he âbegan to grasp Filipino in terms of language and not just dialect." âOnly 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, " he added. âBut 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," Soriano said. Sorianoâs piece generated a mix of reactions on social networking sites.
Miguel Lizada, assistant instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University English Department, urged the public to re-read Sorianoâs piece for better understanding. âI'm becoming more and more convinced that he is not an elitist, matapobre bastard. Do close reading. Look at the way he begins and ends his article. Look at the way he suddenly switches to konyo in the middle of the article," Lizada said in a Facebook post. Filipino subject becoming a bane In a related story on Wednesday, GMA News TVâs âState of the Nation" newscast explained that Filipino, as an academic subject, is becoming a bane to a number of Filipino students.For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Interest in Sorianoâs column came a day after another language-related concern sidetracked debates on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill at the House of Representatives. During the RH bill debates Wednesday, Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol said he could not continue with the interpellation if Akbayan Rep. Arlene Bag-ao would answer his questions, which were asked in English, in the Tagalog language. âThe official language is English and Filipino... I insist that there should be interpreter... Tagalog is not an official language. If she wants to speak in Tagalog, then there should be an interpreter," Apostol said at the House plenary. Bag-ao, however, insisted that she is using the official Filipino language and must be allowed to do so throughout the interpellation. â VS, GMA News