Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • We Must Have A National Language

    Uploaded by

    The Anti-Clutterist Blog
    17 views4 pages

    Original Title

    We Must Have a National Language

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    17 views4 pages

    We Must Have A National Language

    Uploaded by

    The Anti-Clutterist Blog

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 4
    2 2 ¥ WE MUST HAVE A NATIONAL LANGUAGE By President Manuel L. Quezon I DON'T belong to this group. Not very long ago, a weiter v came to my office in connection with a ng to ‘in the Philippines, I have novdoubt gio literature. After » remark that-I made, this person asked, J teated. “What do you know about literature?” Hence my statement + 4 how this provision of the Constitution happen- that I don't belong to this group. Iam very happy t» be here, |g 9? The members of the Constitutional Conveston however, if only to give public testimony to my determination { Fusing it as ono of their political issues, had beea ti give eveiy support to the purposes for which the Philippine log language as the offical national language | ¥ Writers’ League has been organized 5 Many of the members of the Constitutional © > T have not been “a friend of the writers,” despite the state- testo the National Assembly and were ment to the contrary of my friend, Mr. Mangahae, for I have > ‘Tagalog writers, and they knew that they were gone Rothing to thank them for. I think I am one of the few publle RY avoating that plan, ‘The National Asseasly ten in the Philippines who have achieved suecess in apite of Ppine Legislature never took seriously the nse writers] arte public fe fighting e nevopoper etn, ade by thego candidates in Manila, but it happened thet sin ave been libeled time and again. 'A book whieh was published {ho Constitutional Convention was’ called, the deleguisg Senn recently by two members of the Philippine Writers? Leayua, anil ras Who had been making Tage Goseepeion and Cabsllero, contains a chapter for which these ‘Wo men should have beer in jail long ago. I sent for them as wall as for the publisher of the book after it camo out, and Ssked them a few pointed questions concerning the facts’ upon 7 which they had arrived at some of their conclusions. One of ‘them simply told me that Ke thought he was presenting me in tho best possible light he knew. ‘They had no facts to substantiate what they had said about ue. ‘They heard rumors, and Jou; know that the rumors atout me, published and unpublished, ‘Would constitute excellent biographies of three different and con- : ve we should have this national |~ Hradictory personalities, 1 bare iene iy intrest fo fhe soe Sunt made by Doctor Romulo on the subject: "Will Fils re in 1M Bogiah Eoduref” and I ret say that bettas, to ibe me engaged ri years now ad whew cn tonight that he is truly a literary man. What he sald about t; / rs woul the future of English literature in the Philippines is very well emptte favorably with English writara in Ameren or in Bag taken and worth considering, It is true that, as he said, the English the langente of tee Hite Progress, as far as making answer to that question will depend greatly upon how the Gov- gl ds spokes eoce fee, gommen an is concerned. When erament of the Philippines carries out the policy of giving our s in our barrie, itis almost aa bad as my own people national langvege I am going, therefore, to tell you ‘wnigh: what, as far as 1 em concerned, T intend to do in this Fespect. Before I do that, however, 1 would like to tell you how the Constitution of the Philippines happened to have a provision ‘on the national language. . 1 dare say that very few, if any, among the members of the Constitutional Convention actually believed, at the time they. ‘Yoted for thet provision in the Constitution regarding the na- tional languge, that the Government would take {t seriously, jthe committee which finally drafted ichndg brent abs otha Brion Meare Constitstional Convention that Tagalog tbe io the “Pro” leaders in the Convention, 4b, did not dare go against them. ‘would have fought that Proposition tooth and nal, for Osias believed in making engi fhe language of the Philippines. 1, however, supported st becacon {believed in ft And when T supported it I already had the ies thet, Hf T ware elected President of the Pnilippines, I would that happened to 5 te In Baguio. I was having s fewr months’ rest there bosease 1 had tibereulosia, One day, while T'was taliag raya ‘ny nuree came In and fold mo, “Ifr, President the pros ners to seo you". T answered, “Tel the pros to go to hell” ‘Dnee expresied my the ‘press. ‘The nurse turned sTound and—Laupptso sho was too much of a lady to fenet |; ‘racy whab't had told her—-must have sed something wens é We Musp Have'A NATIONAL Lanouace’ SERS MANUEL L. Quizon fi “tthe University of Santo Tomas who had come t0\se0 m0, itor which indicated iat I did notywant to,seo the pi In’ the afternoon 1 discovered that it'was Father) Tamay ‘that what the nurse -meant to say when she mentions yet” was the "pries.” °F leave to\your imagination father Tamayo wculd have thought if this nurse ‘had not been « “wollcbred and had repeated my very words “Go to-hel!” to him: ? *"Pam convinced that the English lsnguage ean. never be our national language; if it could be, then {t would be some kind. ‘of English language. This is boind ¢o heppen, unless we ar ‘willing or able to spend mulions and millions of pesos. It we had American teachers in every school to teach English, and if. the children that went to school remained there for at least - seven years, certajaly we could make English the national langs! ‘bage, ‘They would learn it very easily because they would speak English in their own homes. But we eannot do that: We cannot pay. the salaries of American teachers_and we do} rot have enough Fiipibo teachers who can teach English well On‘the contrary, many of our teachers in the bsrrios-wall call the priest the “press.” We can have & good ides of. what wes) could do in the Philippines if we had Ameriean teachers as we, chai them during the first years of American occupation, by" Sistening to such English-speaking Filipinos as Doctor Romiilo,, “Doctor -Alzona, the Marquezes, etc. All those who weit ‘school during the first years of the American occupation learned English from American teachers speak hetter En, than these barrio teachors. But. since Filipinos who go 10:5: public schools today cannot learn English as well, we have to): 3% learn & language which we can teach to all our people without, +24 much difficulty. ie ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we must hi vi It is not because we cannot give expression to our emotions a foreign language. That is nonsense. A Filipino who has command of English, as Mr. Mangahas has, ean give expression to all and any kind'of emotion, As a matter of ‘fact, I have’: suffered just now from some of his emotional expressions, Time : and again I have heard Tegalos writers say, “Oh, we can only, express the Filipino soul through one of our native dialectal Nonsense, I repest, As a matter of fact, in some of our dia- Sects we cannot express the Filipino soul or any soul unless it ‘be one that is extremely limited in its-feelings and ideas, Language has no nationality. It is nationality that sived the name to the language when it adopts it. ‘We must have & national language, In the beginning qur. national langusge may not be able to express all our emo, tons as well as the English language’ could express the eme~’ wh a national Ianguage. 15 me We Must Have A NATIONAL LANGUAGE > make theit Own speeches, not mine. nd it is the same every’ whojcommands the languaze do that, He, Lape ie om who ant dor avery now feeling or every new thought “= very’ constructive mind, has finally given) % ch ‘would take Filipinos who 2ow believe they, an ‘Thepent maton language We ® national language — a language that'overy' Filipino can understand, and it males wo difference -whether that fangungo is English’ Spanish, Garman, Tagelog ‘or-leano, "We must have one language thet wo can all use “right ‘when ithe Americans were denying our ability to run fog wo shallitover huve a true spirit of solidarity until we can + ane another in any part of the Philippines, It was all ‘ug.oym government on tho grouna that we did not have a. | i, ‘common, Tt was all Tight then to that it was’ ane for a people to have a common language to be; ‘jpgpendent: Teas but thos to comin nt aston ‘vowalply aaying that in Switzerland there are three different langusges /Siwiss are independent, I did not add that in i “Switzerland ‘every man and woman speak those three different * Jonguagen, Clete tht unsaid. ‘But nove that independerce is coming, we must realize and admit that we need a common language — a comon national “Ianguage.' You do not realize how painful itis for the head of sthlg nati his own countrymen — those who have levited hint to the responsible position that ha is holding, to... ‘mulde them, fo counsel them and to listen to taeir wishes — in 1 language that they cannot understand. No one kmows as well | ag do how painful itis. When 1 visit the Neeano proviness, [sve to talk to the people there through an fterpretsr. Al- ough thetejare wonderful orators in the provinces like rm trig Solivgn, here who can translate my: Speches, the fact renbalns make thelr own translations, not mine, ‘They ‘where, Perhaps when they translato they are delivering much” better spesdtiog than mine, but the fect remains that the people are not listening to me; they are listening to my interpreter. | ‘You know how difiuit i is to translate from one language to ‘another, even'if'you have a dictionary at hand. Tmagine, there. ‘fore, the difficulty of translating offhand on the spot the speech of the Presidgnt from one language to another. It is impossible |. for anybodylto'do it and, rather than say nothing, my inter~ preter is compelled to aay what he wants to say. Sometimes ‘when I happen to notice that my interpreter is saying something ‘that T did nop‘say, I tell him, “Hoy, Idid not say that.” ‘Mavuey L. QuEz0N ‘We must have our own national language: It is on jagy’ subjects, and people who read } see Filipinos together who are unablovo tae bo ene - fil i mportance | a oe a oe We 2 ® rte, ‘Will realize the importar i 0 make this cifore Tt completly Sat you to know that 1am going io do away, if not im- uty he io ot clh as te dite of se schools otha: nder tho pent fo eannot do tha: under ts ‘Ast prodlbts Se but wo ius tecome independent language such grominenco as to show our people thet there eas gy ed of cating ie Sage aod Sea fn. guages, T will merely make Tage common means expression; that is all. Let the Tagelog writers give to this Incye lityuage ct our iis"own literature : ‘The responsiblity for making English Uterature inthe Philippines endure rests upon this generation—the members | of fhe present Writers’ League, who now consider themasives ‘writers in the English Language. ‘Theirs is the responsibilior- Doctor Romulo, again, was right when he said that you have ‘the subject matter at hand by which you can perpetuate Euge lish iteratare in ippines. One of the most romantic pages .of Philippine history is the chapter on the American oecusaton Groibset abe laands, Any Pilipino who has te self weet (Gisaigetbat period ean make permanent the contribution of the Philip: Seams pines to English literature. I want to aay now that 1 realize to ESET nicht after listening to Doctar Romulo, more than 1 did. whes Feo: AIF. Manganas and his friends came to soe inp and talent me to FF lend them my’ cooperation, the importance of the work thay thle ‘League is trying ‘to undertake and is already undertaking, bee pase shed os aon English erature any more tiep dite beter ogi * ‘Thus, such Boel a wo ad should ppesests {nthe Pilipinas wil bo eh rig king, 2 SHOU PF in the bo “As instruction i concern r so amateur tee eto Bah mst sebools m money ne promaey - ‘Taguog’ through which te bey, ie ro than ser ess be fa ‘ho rudiments of writing, reading and anne he kee V2 mii some other language in the Philippines bo- Spanish iteratoremo diseppetr from to Phllpolne ses Magatog, Nok derstand "us the. aieuio. wo EPP praca hesiage diate have mewied tobe ees So leava tho Pafippioes 1 weap ee and Atveriea snd we should preserve Te Tela your beets Boe Bet ane aoe who ae Upding oss tials, fo proctce Baglsh itertare wosth vending, Tredies fpitteg Gat sete yor ate Se ea edie hse ; “You are in an edvantageous postion today as compared with Tazslog woiters, ‘The Tegelog. waiters amy have more , people tread iat they profuse than tae write (v Bugis Bis tho kindof erature that she renders of Tagalog ote ot forb fs aot the Kid that the renders of Doli eos abuarh 4 they want tobe read not by a few but by many, the weet {3 Tatalog have fo eit en sabjeie whieh, wiege for thle Aatrauc value, canot have pernatent interedt forthe crushes considering the people whe vl read ets But one ase 201 som tee by cures ae 2 solng to lve withthe world, andthe world can only take note re oar cultural advancement if we express ourselves in langoese ster than have to waite in English or in Spanish 29 inate Ord may take notice of the advance we ure mag srt, Jn lotiers, and in science, in tho its inipattant to preserve the Spanish language too. It}: te late of tho Phllpine to have emma cdtar! cons | | eri outh Umeria. Pam act going to irate ay? farthnon-thlegpent tonight, but 1 went you te tees oe undarsiand Gt ts of great importance ty Ws Bat ha eon ‘of TAU ASR as wel woot Spun lok open tos ee PRR Latin culture, That is oF great masorees ‘Somngounteest 10 We Must HAVE A NATIONAL LaxouAce n Tom not going to discuss any question ing lteratute’ for, T'epaat, T know nolking thot te Al Taam tay tae under iy administration, aris and lttere wil feces due en |,

    You might also like