Measures of Intellectualization of Filipino

Is Filipino the main language used in the controlling domains of language?

The Philippines Education emphasizes the need to develop literacy in Filipino as a

linguistic symbol of national unity and identity and in English as a language of wider
communication. However, many Filipino children begin their education in a language they do
not speak or understand as well as their first language. Having this kind of mindset will
undermine the growth of intellectualizing our main language—Filipino, where in many of us
patronize the use of English as a basis of written and oral communication and form of teaching
in Philippine education.

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. By this definition, English, Russian, German, French, Japanese, to
name just five, are intellectualized languages. By the same definition, Filipino is not (yet) an
intellectualized language. The only CD of language where Filipino is intellectualized is
literature. There is a respectable body of literature in Filipino, there are substantial writers in
Filipino literature and there are support organizations and publications for the development of
Filipino literature. However, one cannot acquire a college or university degree with the use of
Filipino only; the needed subjects to fulfill the requirements of a B. S. in Filipino such as math
and social science subjects are not available in Filipino.

The process of intellectualizing a language, say Filipino, so that it may be used as the
language in the CDs of language involves, among other processes, the building up of (1) various
populations who possess different knowledges and skills in Filipino, who have a good command
of the registers needed in the domain and sub-domain, for example, agricultural scientists,
medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. The language used in medicine differs from the
language of law, that is, the two differ in registers so that even if both use English, the medical
doctor may not understand the register of law and vice versa. This is what is crucial in the
development of an intellectualized language: each domain, sub-domains and sub-sub-domains
(fields of specialization) have specific registers. The registers for practically all areas of
knowledge are available in intellectualized languages, but not in Filipino. The task of developing
the registers of the various areas of knowledge in Filipino and educating the populations who
can command and use these registers are formidable tasks in the intellectualization of Filipino.

 A second task is the building of (2) support institutions and various structures such as
colleges and universities, hospitals; learned organizations that publish journals in Filipino;
service agencies such as publishing houses and other structures. The population of a CD, say the
sub-domain of medicine, consists of physicians, nurses, technicians, nurse aids, and others who
speak and write the language required in medicine, in the Philippine case, English, an
intellectualized language. One cannot learn medicine in the Philippines with the use of Filipino.
The principal support institutions in medicine are Colleges of Medicine, hospitals,
pharmaceutical labs, etc. The computer programs for CT scans, hospital records are in English.
The intellectualization of Filipino as the language of medicine and the medical profession and
other CDs of language is a giant undertaking. Medical doctors say that it is impractical and
impossible.

       Consider the other CDs of language such as the sub- and sub-sub domains of science and
technology, e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry, the agricultural sciences, and other areas of
knowledge. The task of building the populations, support institutions and services using Filipino
to replace English is a task of the greatest magnitude.

The replacement of English and the shift to Filipino as the national lingua franca was
easy because the variety of language, a mixture of Filipino, English, and the local language,
known as Taglish did/does not require schooling nor reading and writing; the rules of
acceptability are loose. On the other land, the replacement of English by Filipino in the CDs of
language require a high level of education, a mastery of the register or registers in the domains
and sub-domains (areas of specialization). The rules of acceptability in reading and writing and
mastery of both subject matter and register are strict; there are various “gatekeeping agencies”
and requirements for entry into the domains, e.g. College entrance examinations, the
Professional Regulation Commission, Civil Service examinations, etc. In addition there is the
matter of attitude by the people on the replacement of English with Filipino. At present, English
is the perceived language for socio-economic advancement and is the language of aspiration in
the CDs of language.

       In order that Filipino may be intellectualized it must be used in the CDs of language which
means it must replace English. But for Filipino to replace English, it should be intellectualized.
Therein lies the dilemma in the intellectualization of Filipino.