A MARTIAL LAW ON LANGUAGES - Languages - http://maxpages.com/defender/martial

The non-tagalog languages already incurred a toll when put on the shelf with their replacement in schools by Pilipino as language of instruction. Too many years of martial law on our languages - which is still ongoing - have made them unable to keep up with Pilipino on a competetive basis. This disadvantage placed on them is making them somewhat stagnant in literary development and its speakers less articulate in their speeches. Yet they are still alive, which is the important thing today. At least they are not moribund, or worse, dead like the dodo bird that died in
the 1600's. So the lack of advancement or progress of the languages in question
could be compared to the bananas lost by the turtle. The life they still have today,
though not as healthy and wholesome as they should be had they been given the tender care similar to what Tagalog is receiving from the government and society, is something we can still celebrate! Despite the promotion given them by our vernacular writers, they would be among the 3,000 languages predicted to die
(mostly due to government policy) unless we act soon enough to avert their eventual demise.

Cabalern

In a message dated 9/22/2004 2:00:32 PM Pacific Standard Time, eiturla@aol.com writes:

Too many years of martial law on our languages - which is still ongoing - have made them unable to keep up with Pilipino on a competetive basis. This disadvantage placed on them is making them somewhat stagnant in literary development and its speakers less articulate in their speeches.

When I say that the language becomes stagnant, I don't mean to imply that our
writers are just doing their work in vain, for they really are giving a lot of contributions
towards the promotion of their language. But this is something which in an article I once wrote, I compared the situation with one pumping water into a can with a lot of holes at the bottom. While one tries to promote the language with his literary works,
the language is at the same time being held back from its would-be advancement
on account of its marginalization. Languages are not put on equal footing with the national one. Why do we, for instance, have a national language week or month?
Why not "indigenous languages week, or month"? Why do we promote only one
when we can promote all? Isn't this nationalistic attitude discriminatory?

When I say that the speakers of a language have become less articulate, I actually intend to say that they are not able to express themselves as well as they should.
And this is because of lack of training. Their training is all in English and Pilipino,
that's why!

To remedy this situation, let's call on Congress and the President to lift this martial law imposed on our languages. This martial law on languages should be put to an end to make all indigenous languages equal and free.

Cabalern

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The Music of One's Life

Supposing you and your siblings live in a home that you inherited from your late father who had bought you Elvis Presley and Beatles records which you enjoyed so much, and you consider their contents the music of your life. Supposing also your mother has remarried and you got to have a step-father who is so strict, he would not let you play any music in the house except classical music and his Bing Crosby record collection. Supposing, your step father also prohibits you from talking about Bill Halley, Elvis or the Beatles and lets you talk only about the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, about Mozart, Beethoven and the like. Wouldn't you consider this family policy dictatorial, tyranical, and like being subjected to martial law? (The 32nd anniversary of the proclamation of martial law in the Philippines, by the way, is on September 21. Such martial law was lifted on Jan. 17, 1981 - after a little over 8 years.)

Do you know that our local, regional languages have been under martial law for a much longer time than our republic under Marcos. Those children described above who lost their right and privilege to play the music of their life are like citizens that have lost their basic freedom. Even more so, such children denied to play the music of their life can be compared to the languages now languishing in the provinces where they are indigenous.

Let us write those letters to our law-makers now before they amend the Constitution. Let us make them know how we feel about our neglected languages. The local languages of communities should replace Filipino as medium of instruction. The national language, if they want to keep one, should just be taught in Manila, the capital. Tagalog for Tagalog-speaking people. Ilocano for Ilocano-speaking people. Kapampangan for Kapampangan-speaking people. Cebuano for
Cebuano-speaking people, etc. Isn't that just fair? Or do we hear people say we lack unity because of our diversity? I think what we Filipinos need is better attitude
and better understanding of the importance of cultural diversity. For if the continuance of cultural diversity is not really important, why do we have folk dances
during events?

Having a national language amounts to unanimously promoting just one language on a nation-wide range. Its adverse side effect is the neglect and marginalization of the lesser languages which also have the right to live and get promoted in their indigenous regions. These minority languages (or their speakers and advocates) don't have any ambition to spread themselves beyond the borders of their respective territories. All they care for is their continued existence in their "little corner of the world". If they die, it should be in a natural way - not the way they are being washed away. As I see it, the most possible reason for their decline and for their eventual disappearance (heaven, forbid!) is the presence of a national language that either overshadows them or outshine them to the point of their appearing useless to their own speakers. When their own speakers start shifting to Tagalog in their everyday speech right in their own home with family members, you can be sure that the language is on its way to being replaced eventually. Yes, you can be sure that it has lost the speakers of one household. Multiply that by the number of turncoats that may follow suit, and you've got a region converted into Tagalog overnight.

Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch who won an anonymous Best Actor award for his performance in the Oscar-winning movie, "Network") said, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."

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Page Updated Sat Oct 9, 2004 12:29am EDT