Comments on: Waiting for a Verdict

By: Forester

Forester — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:30:33 +0000

I was even frustrated in studying linguistics considering the fact that the men who spoke the language were usually the responsible for putting their language into disgrace.
Almost all of us forgot that man attained civilization because of language.

By: Engr. Dr.

Engr. Dr. — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:39:03 +0000

What’s more ironic is that I wrote this post in English. My Cebuano would not do justice to the sentiment I felt while writing it. Apparently, even my thoughts have been too anglicized such that I can not convey passion using my language.
Btw, I see nothing wrong about the imposition of a “national” language provided that the other languages are also kept clean.
I once attended a forum where the issue of creeping Anglicization was discussed. The discussions were not mostly about Filipinos who are now fluent in English to the exclusion of their own languages, but on the non-fluency of Filipinos of ALL LANGUAGES. They know at least 2(Tagalogs) or 3 languages, but rarely does anyone see any of them be actually fluent in these languages.
Those vocal in the forum blamed it on the Bilingual Education Program (BEP) introduced sometime in the 70s. The BEP abolished language mastery in the classroom. Teachers, and their students, were no longer required to speak in fluent Tagalog or English. When they couldn’t express a thought in those languages, they shifted to the vernacular. Thus no mastery was developed considering that there was always an easy way out of their predicament.
We are now reaping the failure that is the BEP.

By: akoyako

akoyako — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:59:06 +0000

Nindot! Ipaambit nako ni sa uban.

By: Vincent Isles

Vincent Isles — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:11:15 +0000

Dear Dr.,

This is a very good article on a subject which should concern us all Cebuanos. I don’t know how to describe the feeling that I got upon reading your piece, but I finished it with the understanding that we must do something for the current state our language is in.

There are two major ways, not mutually exclusive, which we can do in our own little way in order to promote our language. First and more important is of course for us to use it ourselves. There are a lot of sites on the Net where we can practice writing in straight Cebuano; I am recommending http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bisaya . But why am I commenting in English? Because this issue goes beyond our use of our own language; it is not only Cebuano which is being changed and transformed into nothing more than bastardized versions of the English language. Without genuine support from the state for the study, promotion, and teaching of each Philippine language and its use in schools, each Philippine language (not just Cebuano, but Ilonggo, Ilocano, Kapampangan, etc. as well) is bound to end up as nothing more than cheap versions of English. The concrete thing that our Republic can do is to change its unfair, illegal, immoral, and unnationalistic policy of imposing a “national” language.

I’m inviting you (and your readers too) to join us in our fight against this useless and anti-Filipino policy of imposing a “national” language. Please join The DILFED Forum.