LANGUAGE DIVERSITY

AND ENGLISH IN THE

PHILIPPINES
 Professor of English and Linguistics
at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Author, compiler
CURTIS D.
12 works, 55 publications, 3
MCFARLAND languages, 231 library holdings
Maps, dictionaries, vocabularies,
academic theses, atlases
 LING
UISTI
DIVE C
100+ languages in RSITY
the Philippines

Not only are they 14 representative

closely related but languages from North
they are remarkably to South of country
different
 IVATAN Taytu madngey ku du qatngeh naw nu kayuq.

KAPAMPANGAN Qa:tin kung dindam king tanaman.

TAGALOG May narinig qako diyan sa pu:nungka:hoy.

BIKOL May nabatiqan qaku didaq hit ka:huy.

CEBUANO Du:na kuy nadunggan dihaq sa ka:huy.

MARANAO Qana miyanug qakun sangkanan a kayu.

 8 largest language groups
Ilokano

Pangasinan
85% of total
Kapampangan Tagalog population
Bikol

Hiligaynon Samar-Leyte
Lowland areas

Cebuano
Single culture
 Next largest language group

spoken
predominantly by
Muslims in
Mindanao
Maranao

Maguindanao
 Remaining 100+ languages
Ivatan

Ibanag

Ilongot mountainous Luzon

Mangyan
Masbateño

Aklanon less developed in

Kinaray-a
Manobo
Mindanao
Tausug Maguindanao
Tinuray Blaan
Sama Sangil
Due to … Language of …
No language public education
outside own area
government
No lingua franca English
business

media
Only 2% speak
Spanish upper-class society
 Thomasites
arrived

pi ne
l ip
Phi lish By 1921,

E n g 91% were Filipino

teachers
Filipinos
learning from
Filipinos
‘based on existing
‘Pilipino’ to
language’
‘Filipino’
CONSTITUTIONS
1935 1973 1987

‘Pilipino’, based
on Tagalog
 Taglish
not a speech variety but
label of mixing Tagalog
and English
different, depending on
speaker’s competence
I'm sorry ngayon lang ako naka email ...
kasi po naubusan ng Internet card then
nang nakabili na hindi namin alam kung
paano i-install kasi nag-change sila ng
ways kung paano.
Philippine English
no single variety of Phil.
English/ Standard Phil. English
however …
idiom varies on 1st language
how well they know English
English in all-Filipino setting
English in mixed setting
McFarland, 1998

50 Tagalog 1, 000, 000

mini-vowels words

1, 500
at least 3 times in
words or
Tagalog contexts
phrases

Borrowing from
English
Code-switching Borrowing

dialogues narrative

English orthography in
Tagalog orthography Tagalog context

use two separate one primary language but

language back-to-back mixing words from the
other
 gusto instead of ‘ibig/ nais’
Cultural when linguistic society
another culture dominates
replace or compete w/
products, ideas Borrowing words already in use
any intercultural Intimate
contact
computer, hamburger, sushi
 English origin is
Transliterated into
obvious because of
Tagalog orthography
spelling
bag, boss, daddy, sorry
1 2 bingo > binggo
candy > kendi
Types of
borrowing Meaning has shifted
(with or without
Revised spelling 3 4 change in spelling)
competes with original
English spelling gun > baril (barrel)
believe > bilib (impressed)
driver/drayber village > exclusive residential
television/ telebisyon area
 Borrowed items are
Original English has
likely to acquire new
range of meanings but
syntactic feature to
borrowed with one or few
adapt to Tagalog
grammar 5 6 meanings
Tutal, feel ko naman na talagang crush – infatuation
mahal niya ako. Break – end of relationship
Types of
Anyway, I feel that he really borrowing
loves me.

‘made in the Philippines’ 7 8 Cannot easily identify

if English or Spanish
abbreviation
vacation > bakasyon
air conditioning > aircon
overacting > OA destination > destinasyon
 Tagalog Affixation in Borrowing

Mag- & -um- Ma- Maka(pag)-

intransitive and actor-
focus transitive verbs
mag-apply, mag-enjoy
gumradweyt, kumontak
both intransitive and ability to do something
object-focus verbs
maka-receive
ma-develop, ma-in-love makapag-concentrate

Naka- Maki(pag)- I- -in

searing, in a state of sharing of an activity basic verb form such as
present and past verbs
commands
naka-shades, naka-display maki-share targetin, isnabin
makipag-boyfriend i-diliber, i-submit
Both single compound
and two-word phrases Consistent two words

bestfriend/best friend,
dancefloor/dance floor 1 2 Boarding house, ice cream

Borrowed Phrases
Not observed in
Tagalog environment
3 4 but appeared in context
with Tagalog affixes
first year high school,
mag-cutting classes,
in the first place
naka-long sleeves
 high frequency but phrases used in Tagalog
cannot compete ‘silid’ & context
‘kwarto’ 5 6
I’m sorry kung napaiyak kita.
emergency room,
Kung may mangyari sa akin,
room for rent Borrowed Phrases at least kasama kita.

short greetings as
independent utterances
7 8 titles attached to
names
Good morning, Reverend, boulevard
Happy birthday
 ur r ent
C
Data
crust, video

‘Silangan’ Educational TV Shows

programs

caregiver, remittance aplikante (Hispanicized),

warningan, i-deport maka- comply
 softening more opportunities
language for cross-linguistic
boundaries connections 

using multicultural
translaguaging education in
pedagogies diversified society
 m a t Sal os jes Mabbalo’
Sala ama D i a
kaa
Tha
n r aj aw jo t m am
a t a
very k you ka aming

Di abal ran
b a l y
Agy b

os os
m suk
muc ar ama m a l e g
h M at unay nac a
b at
m l
sala la B m a
a
sa l a
h a s i t
Muc as ad mat
Daghang ra ci M la o
g sa niy

Sa ngk
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