SPELL THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOLARLY DISCOURSE: TOWARDS THE INTELLECTUALIZATION OF THE FILIPINO Marites A. Mopera Abstract Introduction Intellectualization of the Filipino language is one of the most communicated issues in our educational society for the past few years up to the present. It is the crucial process of standardizing our language to be used as the CDs or the controlling domains of language in our country. In our present era where we are bounded by different technologies that we adopt from the western culture, where do we think are we now in intellectualizing and standardizing our language? For many years scholars and the government are trying to make ways of improving and establishing the use of our own language. They made resolutions, ordinance and laws. But we are still confined in using other language as our controlling domain. In the field of Education, Medicine, Science and Technology and its sub-subjects, it is undoubtedly visible that we are still far in achieving the over-all goal of intellectualizing and standardizing Filipino. For many professionals, using Filipino in teaching and learning subjects that requires technologies from other country is a waste of time. Many books, machine, medical equipment, and gadgets that we are using nowadays are run with an English-based program and language. It is very difficult to find one written in Filipino. It is a big hindrance for the continuous growth of Filipino intellectualization. Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino is the one responsible for promoting the continuous growth of Filipino intellectualization through spelling reforms and establishing rules, also known as the Ortograpiya ng Wikang Filipino, to uphold oneness in using the Filipino language. They promote the usage of scholarly discourse written in Filipino to be used in schools and institutions. But the big
Transcript
SPELL THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOLARLY DISCOURSE: TOWARDS THE INTELLECTUALIZATION OF THE FILIPINO
Marites A. Mopera
Abstract
Introduction
Intellectualization of the Filipino language is one of the most communicated issues in our educational society for the past few years up to the present. It is the crucial process of standardizing our language to be used as the CDs or the controlling domains of language in our country.
In our present era where we are bounded by different technologies that we adopt from the western culture, where do we think are we now in intellectualizing and standardizing our language? For many years scholars and the government are trying to make ways of improving and establishing the use of our own language. They made resolutions, ordinance and laws. But we are still confined in using other language as our controlling domain.
In the field of Education, Medicine, Science and Technology and its sub-subjects, it is undoubtedly visible that we are still far in achieving the over-all goal of intellectualizing and standardizing Filipino. For many professionals, using Filipino in teaching and learning subjects that requires technologies from other country is a waste of time. Many books, machine, medical equipment, and gadgets that we are using nowadays are run with an English-based program and language. It is very difficult to find one written in Filipino. It is a big hindrance for the continuous growth of Filipino intellectualization.
Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino is the one responsible for promoting the continuous growth of Filipino intellectualization through spelling reforms and establishing rules, also known as the Ortograpiya ng Wikang Filipino, to uphold oneness in using the Filipino language. They promote the usage of scholarly discourse written in Filipino to be used in schools and institutions. But the big question is that are these rules being followed when writing this scholarly discourse?
Review of Related Literature
A number of studies around the world are conducted in order to study the development of language in such case the intellectualization and standardization of a particular language. According to Bonifacio Sibayan, language has domains, ones that have human populations and support institutions, structures, and services. There are three classes of language domains, namely: non-controlling domains (NCDs) those of the home and the lingua franca; semi-controlling domains (SCDs) which include religion, politics, and entertainment; controlling domains (CDs) chief of which are (1) government with sub-domains of executive, judiciary, and legislature, (2) education with sub-domains of elementary, secondary, vocational-technical, and higher education; (3) the professions such as law, medicine, accountancy, etc.; (4) science and
technology; (5) business, commerce and industry; (6) information technology which includes mass media, (7) literature and (8) international relations (Sibayan 1991, 1994a).
The language(s) and language varieties used in the NCDs, SCDs, and CDs differ in many significant respects. In the NCDs of the home and the lingua franca, there is no restriction on what language or language variety that may be spoken or written although reading and writing are optional. Any language, for example, English, Filipino, Ilocano or any mixture may be used in the NCDs. The lingua franca of the Philippines before 1940 was English. Today it is Filipino or a "mix-mix", what is technically called code-switching variety popularly called Taglish. The rules of acceptability and correctness are very liberal. A ‘fractured’ variety may be acceptable. One does not need to go to school to learn the language of the home and the lingua franca.
The language(s) and language varieties used and the rules that apply in the SCDs of religion, entertainment, and politics are stricter than those in the NCDs of the home and the lingua franca. The population in religion, for example, consists of various categories of persons and different levels of education such as the well-educated priests, nuns and ministers who have to learn an intellectualized language required in their denomination for their education. On the other hand, many of the participants in religious services may be passive as to the language used. Many participants may not be able to read and write.
The main language used in the CDs of language is always an intellectualized language. An intellectualized language is that language that can be used for giving and obtaining a complete education in any field of knowledge from kindergarten to the university and beyond. An intellectualized language is written, thus making reading and writing necessary skills. Knowledge and information on any subject are stored in and retrieved from various written sources and information storage such as books and CD-ROMs and most recently, with some languages, the internet. New knowledge and information as a result of research are reported in an intellectualized language. (Sibayan)
A developing language needs a source language for intellectualization (SLI). The source languages in the intellectualization of English were Greek, Latin, Old French, Arabic, among others (see etymological entries in large dictionaries of English). The SLI of Tagalog during the 16th to the 19th centuries was Spanish (Hispanismos 1972; Gonzalez 1985). The SLI of Filipino in the 20th century and beyond is mainly English. One can’t read modern and intellectualized Filipino (nee Tagalog) without encountering borrowings from English. Those who have a good command of written and spoken English and other intellectualized languages may fully contribute to the intellectualization of Filipino; monolingual speakers of Filipino can hardly do so. (Sibayan)
In 2003, a study entitled Language planning in multilingual countries: The case of the Philippines, Andrew Gonzales concludes that Filipino as a chosen national language has been standardized and propagated and even cultivated as the language of literature and entertainment. On the other hand, he also determined that Filipino is not being developed as a language of intellectual discourse in the print medium and in the academia. Language intellectualization to be used in the intellectual discourse and in the academia requires corpus planning which are expensive in terms of human and financial resources thus making it impossible for the society to focus with these process. (Gonzales, 2003)
Language development is multidimensional and has many facets. Like some other countries which have a similar option, the Philippines has a national language which it holds up as a symbol of unity and linguistic identity but not as a medium of instruction for scholarly discourse at the university level. (Gonzales, 2003)
In the year 2000, Rey Carlo L. Amio, in his study entitled The Intellectualization of Filipino Through English: Spanish as an Intermediary Language, he stressed out that intellectualization of Filipino is (1) that Filipino is Tagalog-based (contrary to the statements made by some parties that it is [or should] be uniformly made up of contributions from all of the dominant Philippine languages; (2) that, following Torres-Yu (144), Filipino language intellectualization will have taken place when (a) Filipino is widely used by intellectuals and experts in their discourse; (b) there exist an adequate vocabulary through which abstract thought can be expressed and conveyed; (3) that, based on the above criteria, Filipino has been partially intellectualized, and still being further intellectualized; (4) that the most dominant, accepted, and widely utilized mode of intellectualization is the “Pilipino/Tagalog” mode (following Gaerlan’s [24] terminology) which favors the use of indigenous words and Spanish borrowings; (5) that the Filipino speaker possesses a partial and intuitive knowledge of Spanish morphology (Goulet); and (6) that Filipino and Spanish possess a structural (i.e., morphological and phonological) compatibility that facilitates lexical borrowing, a compatibility that does not exist between Filipino and English. The conclusions made were: (1) that the currently dominant intellectualization practice is actually English-based, although it utilizes Spanish as an intermediary language; and (2) that the role of Spanish in such a mode of intellectualization is to provide a basis for the morphological conversion of English words as would make these words more compatible with Filipino phonology and hence make their incorporation into Filipino intellectual discourse more natural. (Amio, 2000)
Present Study
In the Philippines were we are consider as one of the multilingual country in the world, a continuous reform to establish the intellectualization and standardization of Filipino takes place several years ago. In order for us to fully achieve this goal of standardizing our language, KWF or Kagawaran ng Wikang Filipino set guidelines that must be used in scholarly discourse in the Philippines. With these, this study will focus on identifying which language and spelling preference are used in the scholarly discourse in the Philippine setting. It also aims to answer if the rules in the Ortograpiya ng Wikang Filipino are being used in this higher discourse.
Statement of the Problem
Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is considered to be the language of scholarly discourse in the Philippine setting?2. What are the spelling preferences used in the higher discourse?3. To what extent is their preferred spelling different from or in conformity with the spelling
reforms formulated by the KWF?
Methodology
In this study, the researcher wants to determine what language of scholarly discourse is used in the Philippine setting. In order to answer this question, the researcher tries to identify the words in an English book subject written in Filipino. The researcher chose the book Ekonomiks Para sa Filipino Edisyong 2007 by Shirley Nuevo et. al. In this particular book the researcher will list all the words not common in Filipino language to determine if these words follow the rules set by the Kagawaran ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) in the Gabay sa Ortograpiyang Filipino.
Procedure
The book chosen by the researcher is written in Filipino. In order for her to determine the choice of words in a scholarly discourse in the Philippines, she list all of the words that is used in the book not common to Filipino language to determine the choice of word borrowing rule from other language.
The researcher lists a total of 714 barrowed words which she analyzed and grouped according to the classifications given by the KWF (Kagawaran ng Wikang Filipino) which follows:
1. Tumbasan ng kasalukuyang leksikon sa Filipino ang mga salitang hiram o banyaga.2. Gamitin ang natatanging mga salita mula sa mga katutubong wika sa Pilipinas at
panatilihin ang orihinal na baybay.3. Ang mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol ay dapat na:
a. Baybayin ang salita ayon sa ABAKADA.b. Sa mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol na may e, panatilihin ang e.c. Sa mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol na may o, panatilihin ang o.d. Sa mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol na may o at sinusundan ng n nagbabago ang
kasunod na katinig, ang o ay nagiging u at ang n ay nagiging m.4. Mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol at Ingles: Kung hindi tiyak ang pagtutumbas, hiramin
ang orihinal na Espanyol at Ingles.5. Panghihiram sa Wikang Ingles: Kung wikang Ingles at iba pang wikang dayuhan ang
pinanghihiraman, panatilihin ang orihinal na ispeling kung makakalito ang pagsasa-Filipino ng baybay.
6. Panatilihin ang orihinal na baybay ng mga salitang pantangi, panteknikal, pang-agham, at matematika.
After carefully analyzing and grouping the words, the researcher consults a Filipino language teacher which is a professional in the said field of study in order to check her classification of the words.
The researcher carefully grouped the words in 5 groups namely:
1. Mga Salitang Tinumbasan ng Kasalukuyang Leksikon sa Filipino2. Mga Katutubong Wikang Ginamit at Pinanatili ang Orihinal na Baybay3. Mga salitang Hiram sa Espanyol4. Mga Salitang Hiram sa Ingles at Iba Pang Wika5. Mga Salitang Pantangi na Pinapanatili ang Orihinal na Baybay
The researcher used the rules given by the KWF in the Gabay sa Ortograpiyang Filipino. For example in Rule 1 which says, tumbasan ng kasalukuyang leksikon sa Filipino ang mga salitang hiram o banyaga, the researcher carefully list the words with the Filipino equivalent form for example the word flood which is written in the book as baha which is in the Lexicon of the Filipino language. In Rule 2, gamitin ang natatanging mga salita mula sa mga katutubong wika sa Pilipinas at panatilihin ang orihinal na baybay, the researcher identify and list the words for example the words Apitong, Ata-Manobo, and B'Laan which is a traditional or native word in the Philippines and used in the book with the original spelling. The Rule no. 3 which focus in the use of words barrowed mainly in Spanish, the researcher carefully analyzed the word is used and if it fallows the guidelines set by the KWF in terms of word barrowing. The researcher carefully analyzed the correctness of the usage of the word such as the usage of the letters o and e and the rules regarding to preserve the word in order to clearly understand the lessons in the book. In the rules of borrowing from English and other language, the researcher determined and lists all the words which are barrowed from these languages for example, the words Accounts, Affiliates, and Agency Hiring.
Results and Discussion
After identifying and listing the words, the researcher analyzed and carefully grouped the words according to their respective groups. She uses percentage in order to describe the results and findings.
All the words she listed totaled to 714 words which is judiciously divided into five groups. In group No. 1 which is the Mga Salitang Tinumbasan ng Kasalukuyang Leksikon sa Filipino, she found a total of 99 words which is equivalent to 13.87% of the total list of barrowed words. This group is categorized and analyzed under the first rule in word barrowing in the Filipino Orthography. The barrowed words in this group are listed in the table below.
Table 1. List of Barrowed Words with Equivalent form In the Filipino Lexicon
Mga Salitang Tinumbasan ng Kasalukuyang Leksikon sa FilipinoAmerikaBadyetBagyoBaha
KawaksiKawalanKawalan ng Seguridad sa TrabahoKawani
KitaKompyutKongressoKonstantKonsumerKontekstoKontrolKultura ng KonsumerismoLalawiganLikas na YamanLipunanLupaLuponMababang SahodMakabayanMakinaMaksimumMalayaManiMasaganaMasustiniMataasMilitarMinaMinahanMineroNomadikoPagkonsumoPagmamay-ari
PalayPalengkePalitanPamahalaanPangangailanganPangingisdaPanginoong MaylupaPangkalahatanPangkalahatang Serbisyong PampublikoPangkonsumoPatakaranPerlasPilakPintuan ng AsyaPresyoSalikSerbisyo sa utangSerbisyong Pag-ekonomyaSiyentipikong Ekonomyang PampulitikaSuplayTamaraTindahanTotoyTuboTunayYamanYamang MineralYamang TaoYamang Tubig
The group number two is the list of all words which is common in the Philippines and is categorized as the Mga Katutubong Wikang Ginamit at Pinanatili ang Orihinal na Baybay. This group of words answers the call of the second guideline given by the KWF in using native words in the Philippines. The words in this group are analyzed based on the nativeness of the words in the Philippines. It is words that are native to the ethnic tribes of the Philippines. They constitute a total of 9 words which is equal to 1.26% of the total number of words listed and analyzed. These words can be seen in the table below.
Table 2. List of the Words Native to the Philippines
Mga Katutubong Wikang Ginamit at Pinanatili ang Orihinal na BaybayApitongAta-ManoboB'Laan
CebuIlog BoacKamagong
T'BoliAyang-ayangLayag
The third group of words is words barrowed in the Spanish language and categorized as Mga Salitang Hiram sa Español. This group is the most complex among all the groups because it has sub-guidelines that must be followed in order to identify the correctness of the barrowed words. This words totaled to 144 words or 20.17% of the total barrowed words listed. In this group the researcher carefully analyzed the rightness of the words which she found out a total of 7 word errors which is equal to 4.86% of the total listed Spanish barrowed words. The errors in this group are the proper use of retaining the letter e and o in the Spanish words or the guideline number 3.b. Sa mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol na may e, panatilihin ang e and 3.c. Sa mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol na may o, panatilihin ang o. The words with errors are shown in table 3.2. It is also clearly identified that most of the words barrowed in Spanish are spelled using the ABAKADA. The words in this group are listed in the table 3.1.
Table 3.1. List of Barrowed Words in Spanish
Mga Salitang hiram sa EspañolAbsolutong BentaheAger culturaAgraryoAgrikulturaAlokasyonArgumentoAspetoBalanseBalidasyonBangkong RuralBangkong TransnasyunalDe-LataDepenidoDepenisyonDeregulasyonDistribusyonDramatikoEkilibriyo sa PresyoEkonomyang AgraryoEkonomyang PampulitikaEkonomyang underground
IndustriyalisasyonIndustriyalismoIrigasyonIspekulatiboIspesyalIspesyalisadong BangkoIspesyalisasyonIstabilisasyonKalamidadKapitalKapitalismoKartelKlasikalklasikal na Ekonomyang PampulitikaKlasipikasyonKomersyalKomersyal na BangkoKomparatiboKomparatibong BentaheKompetisyonKompyutasyon
Patakarang ProtesyonismoPerpektoPinansyaPiskalPiskalyaPolisiyaPolisiyang PiskalPorsyentoPositiboPribadoPribatisasyonPrimitibo KomunalProduksyonProduksyong AgrikulturalProduktibidadProduktoProgresiboProsesoProteksyonProteksyonismoPwersaPwersa ng Pamilihan
EksaktoEksternal na SektorEl NiñoElementoEpektoEpisyenteng Sistema ng IrigasyonEstadistikaEstadoEstados UnidosEuropaGawaing Pang-EkonomyaGawaing Pang-Ekonomya AgrikulturaGawaing Pang-Ekonomya IndustriyalGawaing Pang-Ekonomya SerbisyoGintoGlobalisasyonGobernadorHasyendaHasyenderoHilaw na MateryalesIbentaIdeyaImplasyonImpormalImpormal na SektorIndustriyaIndustriyal
The fourth group is the group of barrowed words categorized as Mga Salitang Hiram sa Ingles at Iba Pang Wika which constitute to the total of 427 words or 59.80% of the total listed
barrowed words. In this group the researcher clearly identified that the barrowed words in English and other language is written in its original form. The author of the book didn’t change its form into Filipino but retain its original spelling. The words in this group are the largest among all the groups of barrowed words used in the book. These words can be seen in the table number 4.
Table 4. List of Barrowed Words in English and other Languages
Mga Salitang Hiram sa Ingles at Iba Pang WikaAbsolute AdvantageAccounting TechniqueAccountsAffiliatesAgency HiringAgribusinessAlgaeAmbulant VendorsAmusement TaxAnimationAquacultureAsian Tiger EconomiesAssembly LineAssembly TypeAutomated Debit MechanismAutomated Teller MachineBackwardBacteriaBalance of PaymentsBalance of TradeBank LiberalizationBanksBarkerBarterBarter TradeBase YearBase Year PricesBiological DiversityBiologically DeadBond CertificatesBondsBorderless tradeBrain drainBrain waste
Mine TailingsMonetization of GoldMoney MarketMutual interestNarrow MoneyNationalNet FactorNet Food ImporterNet International ReservesNewNominalNon-merchandise tradeNon-Tax RevenuesNoodlesOfficialOfficial Development AssistanceOldOpen Market OperationsOperationsOrganizationsPeople Power Economic Recovery ProgramPeople Power Revolution
UtilityVacationValueVariableVerticalVirusVolatileVolatilityWageWarehouseWarehouse clubsWastesWatershedsWealthWealth of NationsWelfare StateWorkersWorking AgeWorking Age PopulationWorld Capitalist SystemWorld Trade OrganizationXerox
The last group categorized by the researcher is the group Mga Salitang Pantangi na Pinapanatili ang Orihinal na Baybay. It is the group under the guideline number 6. It totaled to a number of 35 words or 4.90% of the total number of listed barrowed words. These words are proper noun of places and things which retain its original form and spelling these words can be seen in table number 5.
Table 5. List of Proper Nouns which retain its Original Form and Spelling
Mga Salitang Pantangi na Pinapanatili ang Orihinal na BaybayAir PhilippinesAsian SpiritASEAN Free Trade AgreementAsia Pacific Economic CooperationBureau of Animal IndustryBureau of Plant IndustryChromiteCommon Effective Preferential TreatmentComprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
Agriculture and Fisheries ModernizationAutonomous Region of Muslim MindanaoPasigPilandokLuzonVisayasMindanaoCagayanMarikina
CopperCordilleraCotabato
Agreement on Textile and ClothingAgreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property RightsAgreement on Trade Related Investments Measure
Metro ManilaNational Capital Region
This list of words is carefully analyzed and categorized by the researcher in accordance to the rules set by the KWF in the Filipino Orthography. The categorization of the words is based on the barrowed words listed form the subject book.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Based on the results above, we can say that Filipino intellectualization needs more time to be fully established. It is not an easy task to change what we are used to do. In this study, the researcher found out that the scholarly discourse that we are using today is not yet fully following the aims of Filipino intellectualization. The book that the researcher used in order to find out the language of a higher discourse in the Philippines only suggests that even a Filipino book uses more of a barrowed words rather than Filipino. It uses foreign words instead of using our own language. The authors and the publisher of the book did not fully follow the rules given by the KWF. More words that can be translated into Filipino were not changed instead they use foreign language. For example the word minahan can be used instead of mine, the word manggagawa can be used instead of workers. It suggests that the authors do not fully establish the use of Filipino in writing the book. Also they are greatly dependent in the use of Spanish as a word to be used like agrikultura instead of pagsasaka. They also neglect to follow rules on Spanish usage as a barrowed word. The rules on retaining the letters o and e are not used in the by the authors thus establishing errors in the book based on the guidelines given by the KWF.
The researcher finds out in the study that the authors and the publisher of the book prefer to use foreign words. They prefer to use English, Spanish and other foreign words instead of Filipino. Based on this, the researcher concludes that English and Spanish are the language of scholarly discourse in the Philippine setting. It also suggests that retaining the English spelling and using the ABAKADA to spell Spanish is the preferred spelling preference in the higher discourse. The guidelines in word barrowing issued by the KWF as Gabay Sa Ortograpiyang Filipino are followed based mainly on three rules which are the (1) Mga salitang hiram sa Espanyol at Ingles: Kung hindi tiyak ang pagtutumbas, hiramin ang orihinal na Espanyol at Ingles (2) Panghihiram sa Wikang Ingles: Kung wikang Ingles at iba pang wikang dayuhan ang pinanghihiraman, panatilihin ang orihinal na ispeling kung makakalito ang pagsasa-Filipino ng baybay and (3) Sa mga salitang hiram sa Español, baybayin ang mga ito gamit ang ABAKADA. These three rules are the most common rule used in the book by the authors and the publisher.
With these results and conclusion, the researcher suggests that in order to more effectively intellectualize the Filipino language, we must have our own collection of words in a particular area of higher discourse. For example in the field of medicine, mathematics, and
science the Philippines must have professionals that can make a standard set of words that are unique and classified as Filipino that will serve as the controlling domain of the higher discourse in these fields. Without this kind of move, Filipino intellectualization will not be fully established because if we will continue using other language in higher discourse, we will not be able to maintain the standardization and intellectualization of our own language.
References:
Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1974. Language standardization as a component of language planning: A suggested typology. Proceedings of the conference on The Standardization of Asian Languages. Compiled by A. Q. Perez and A. O. Santiago. Manila: Pambansang Samahan sa Linggwistikang Filipino, Ink
Amio, Rey Carlo L. 2000. The Intellectualization of Filipino Through English: Spanish as an Intermediary Language. Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature. Vol. 6 No. 1. January-March 2000.
Gonzales, Andrew 2003. Language planning in multilingual countries: The case of the Philippines. De La Salle University Manila, Philippines
Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino. Gabay sa Ortogrpaiyang Filipino. Ikatlong Edisyon Sangay ng Lingguwistika 2009.
Nuevo, Shirley et. al. 2007. Ekonomiks Para sa Filipino Edisyong 2007. IBON Foundation, Inc. IBON Books, IBON Center, 114 Timog Ave. Quezon City. 2007.
