Pinoy language and identity: An afterword

Buwan ng Wika may be over, but the Internet is still abuzz with talk about language. In English, Filipino, Taglish and even bekimon, Pinoys have been devoting their attention to the mysteries of language and identity, perhaps because of a certain article that earned its writer more than fifteen minutes of online fame, or maybe infamy. When Manila Bulletin columnist James Soriano wrote his essay on language, privilege, identity, and learning, he made some interesting points. He drew attention to the reality of many middle-class, private-schooled young Filipinos who prefer English to Filipino as a means of communication because the former is perceived to be "the language of the learned." "Totoo ang ilang sinabi ni James Soriano. Yun nga lang, namulat na siya, pinipili pa rin niya ang dating kaayusan," was one reaction on Twitter. However, more than interesting points, Soriano made enemies. His essay was shot down, torn apart, and set on fire by offended individuals, several of whom went on to write their own thoughts on the matter of language. Some were content with short, sweet rebuttals, like RockEd founder Gang Badoy, who said "The language of the learned is clarity - regardless of tongue" on Twitter. Others saw the opportunity to write lengthy pieces on language, and many were against Soriano's sentiments. Kat Nisperos, for one, decided to write her own version of Soriano's essay - in bekimon. Her Facebook note titled "Dear James Soriano: Bekimon is the True Language of Learning" was a refreshing break from all the negative reactions to Soriano's essay, and spread quickly all over the Internet. "One of my main purposes was to put a lighter note on the entire issue, because too many personal attacks were being made against James, and I felt that we were missing the opportunity to take the discussion to a higher plane. Rather than make assumptions about his character or incite hate against him for what he believes in (no matter how offensive people might find his views), shouldn't we be more concerned about the bigger, underlying issues his article reflects?" explained Nisperos in another note, where she thanked everyone who shared her bekimon version of Soriano's article. Still others went as far as attacking Soriano himself, saying they would punch him in the face should they see him. One blogger posted an edited version of Soriano's essay, with several harshly-worded comments. But there were also a few who defended Soriano, like Ron Capinding who was his high school Filipino teacher. "Baka experiment ito, baka stimulus ng isang debateng gusto niyang palutangin ... baka gusto niyang patamaan ang ilang tao sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga pangangatwiran nila sa artikulo niya, atbp. Basta. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt," Capinding said. Others suggested that perhaps a close reading was in order to better understand the essay. “I'm becoming more and more convinced that he is not an elitist, matapobre bastard. Do close reading. Look at the way he begins and ends his article. Look at the way he suddenly switches to konyo in the middle of the article," said Ateneo de Manila University English Department assistant instructor Miguel Lizada in a Facebook post. But Soriano's essay, in which he writes that Filipino is the “language of the streets" – “how you spoke to the tindera when you went to the tindahan, what you used to tell your katulong that you had an utos, and how you texted manong when you needed sundo na," was generally taken to be insulting. While many netizens were quick to jump on the bandwagon of haters, some simply dismissed Soriano's piece, sharing instead other noteworthy pieces on language in the Philippines, like Isagani Cruz's piece delivered at the closing of the two-day language and literature seminar on "Re-thinking and Re-directing Paradigm ad Pedagogy in the Teaching of Language and Literature" held early this year. In a response posted on Facebook, Aileen Salonga writes that although the article raises a lot of valid concerns, Soriano's construction of an identity that speaks of privilege and affluence without any self-awareness that such an identity can be taken negatively in the larger Philippine society, angered her. "The thing is, I don’t see any real struggle here where there is a sincere attempt at reflecting on and fleshing out one’s relationship with language/s. I think there was an attempt to do that but it fell flat, because the author already knew his position from the very beginning. In the end, I just didn’t like the arrogance of the article. It was just too full of itself. I’d told myself before I’d never pay any serious attention to anything that couldn’t distinguish between a language and a dialect. Obviously, I never learn," she writes. Quite a few others couldn't help but pay attention, as well. In "How my sons lost their Tagalog, Sulat kay James Soriano," Benjamin Pimentel thanks Soriano for writing his essay. "Mabigat ang dating ng sinulat mo. At alam kong bugbog ka ngayon sa mga puna at batikos. Pero dahil sa iyo, nagkaroon ng debate. Dahil sa ‘yo, pinag-uusapan, pinag-iisipan ang papel ng wika sa buhay natin, sa bayan natin, lalo na ng mga kabataang tulad mo," said Pimentel, who goes on to address several points in Soriano's essay. In "How do you make dabog in English?" Carla Montemayor writes that there is no need to think in binary terms. "English is a global language; there is no escaping that. We need it. But we also need to embrace and master the languages of our instincts, whatever they may be. Don’t worry, it won’t fracture us any further, we’re wired for this! The more, the manier," she writes. In "The Filipino is Multilingual," Mila D. Aguilar writes about the Sta. Barbara Language Experiment, which was conducted in the 1940s by her father Jose V. Aguilar. She points out that English is not necessarily the language of connection, since a full three-quarters of the world don’t speak it anyway. "One does not have to connect using English; one connects by communicating with the eyes using one’s Filipino smile. The language, whatever language that is, comes after," she writes. She also says that although the Sta. Barbara experiment shows that the mother tongue is a better medium of instruction for efficient learning in Grades 1 and 2, her father's findings were twisted statistically to show that English was really the better medium of instruction on all levels. On FilipinoWriter.com, Dino Manrique analyzed and deconstructed Soriano's essay, and made a few discoveries. "I won’t reveal it at the outset, but let you find out for yourself," he says, then proceeds to do a close reading of the controversial essay. In Soriano's follow-up essay "Wika Bilang Gunita," he said that he did not mean to condescend, and merely intended to share how the Filipino language is viewed by those who, like him, consider themselves to be "split-level Filipinos." He said that the discourse on language is held mainly inside the classroom, and is buried in the subconscious of many. His essay, he claims, meant to discuss the issue in the context of his upbringing. "Mahirap sabihing isinasabuhay nang nakararami ang wika bilang tanda ng pagiging Filipino. Mahirap, sapagkat, sa kongkreto, Ingles ang wikang binibigyang pribilehiyo sa ating opisyal na mga gawain. Mahirap, sapagkat maraming katulad kong pinalaki sa wikang Ingles — na nag-aral, natuto, at nag-iisip sa wikang Ingles — na itinuturing bilang suliranin ang kanilang pagiging 'split-level Filipino,'" he wrote. He said he had hoped his audience would read between the lines, and the essay was a challenge to the reader's understanding of the condition of Filipino language and identity. It cannot be determined if those who read his earlier essay will read the second, in which Soriano also defends himself. But it seems the fact that people are discussing language is already enough for Soriano. "Wala akong inambisyon kundi maisulat ang totoong nadarama nang walang takot. Ngayong napag-uusapan ang isyu ng wikang pambansa sa internet at media, naghahanap ako ng masusing tugon mula sa madla; sapagkat, sa palagay ko, walang mas mainam na paraan upang suriin ang gunitang pambansa kundi sa pagdiskurso tungkol sa Filipino bilang bansa sa Buwan ng Wika," he writes. — TJD/YA, GMA News