"Language, Learning, Identity, Privilege" (this is a borrowed title)

last night after class, the foodie gang went to the usual eating place for supper. my chinese classmate ordered food, in chinese, to a chinese food server but ironically, they couldn't understand what each other was saying. we just laughed about it. then the conversation went to how some locals of chinese origin prefer talking in english. they say younger generations of singaporeans dont know how to speak in chinese anymore, they converse mainly in english, and the choice of language has a social class aspect to it. i thought, parang sa atin lang din pala, when you want to show that you're sosyal or that you're a professional, you speak in english. that's why when we're insulted or pissed at someone, the usual recourse is "englishin mo nga". or kung gustong magyabang about winning an argument over someone, the usual line goes "inenglish ko nga, eh di natahimik sya".

then i saw this posted on fb "Language, Learning, Identity, Privilege"


people felt insulted. maraming nainis. i don't agree with the author's argument and i think he is not as "learned" as what he claims to be. i want to drag him to up and let him sit in a room where classes are taught in filipino, maybe he hasnt been to one. or let him read academic books, theses, journal articles written in filipino, maybe he hasn't seen any. (i heard that some theses are even written in other philippine dialects.)

but i think there's some value to the article. it shows how a number of "privileged" people such as the author view their status in the society. that they're "privileged". that they're different. that they're better. and that their ability to speak in english is just but one proof.

and just now i saw another post in fb from an orgamate:

"Sa kasalukuyan sa Kongreso, may nakahaing mga panukalang batas na naglalayong pag-igtingin ang paggamit ng Ingles sa paraan ng pagtuturo sa mga silid-aralan. TUTULAN!

HB 66 ni Rep. Luis Villafuerte (3rd District, Camarines Sur)
HB 93 ni Rep. Eduardo Gullas (1st District, Cebu)
HB 191 ni Rep. Rachel del Mar (1st District, Cebu City)
HB 1245 ni Rep. Mark Villar (Lone District, Las Piñas City)"


im not trashing the use of the english language. it is good that we learn how to communicate in a second language but we should do so not at the expense of our mother tongue. for if we do, im afraid we would inadvertently perpetuate a kind of elitism which the article is reeking of.

pilipino tayo. let's not degrade our own language.
baka multuhin tayo ng ating mga ninuno.