Larry Javier Ambion Dr. Beatriz Lorente
ELL 312 April 22, 2012
First Homework: A Reflection
Identifying the problem is the very first step towards its resolution. Denying the existence of a problem serves no purpose. The papers written on Language by Hymes (1996) and Tollefson (1991, 2006) have only cemented the fact that there exists in the Philippines a pervading problem that has plagued not only the educational system but the country’s culture as well.
A majority of Filipinos believe that one who is fluent in the English language is one who will go places. This could be because his/her parents are well-off, he/she was able to study in a prestigious school, he/she is intelligent, or all of the above. Speaking English fluently has become synonymous with success and wealth; the more fluent you are, the higher your intelligence and position in society seem to be. This is a notion that started since the American occupation; anything Western is considered better than what we have been accustomed to. This is also a notion that has not been without support from the government. To date, the Constitution recognizes the importance of the English language as a medium of instruction, having been unable mandate Filipino as the only language used for teaching. As an English professor, I should not complain since the high premium placed by Filipinos on the English language is my source of income. As a Filipino, however, I have to agree that there is struggle that has long existed between two of the most commonly-used languages in the country. Reading the materials by Hymes (1996) and Tollefson (1991, 2006) has helped me understand further my own experience with language as one who teaches it. There were several ideas that struck me while reading. First is the pragmatic quality of language. So many rules are made on how to write, how to speak, and how a word is used yet the reality is that language depends a lot on how it is solely used. This is why teachers such as myself, have to go about understanding each student’s background and the class’ collective history since there are times that non-standardized words or practices make way into their speeches. It is in being pragmatic that I also understand another key point that rose in the readings: “speech communities cannot be equated with common language”. Just because every person inside the class is speaking English does not mean they are all “speaking the same language”. One person’s usage of a certain word may be different from another person’s. Like the use of the word flash drive among IT students and for the other students not taking IT program they call it USB, both are considered correct but the latter is more correct as far as information technology field is concerned. Again, a person’s background has to be taken into consideration. Social structure may also be factored in at this point.
As it is now, there is a power play between two parties, those who remain steadfast in their belief that English is the language of the educated and those who argue against these, firmly asserting that the mother tongue should be the standard language. Oftentimes, the English speakers are seen as gaining the upper hand when plotting the struggle against a Marxist framework. In the readings though, those who fight for the mother tongue are the ones deemed exerting power over the English learners and instructors. Whichever way it goes, it is already apparent that hegemony has taken hold over the members of the two factions and a radical method of education as well as delving into the culture are the only means to achieve a semblance of resolution in this ongoing conflict. That is why my work as an English teacher is more complex and goes beyond traditional lesson-planning.
References
Hymes, D.H. (1996). Speech and language: on the origins and foundations of inequality among
speakers. The MIT Press on behalf of American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Tollefson, James W. (1991). Revolutionary language policy. Planning language, planning
inequality. Harlow: Longman. Chapter 6, pp. 136-166.
Tollefson, James W. (2006). Critical Theory in Language Policy. Oxford: Blackwells, pp.42-59.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Larry. I have a couple of points or questions below. These are not meant as criticism but rather as encouragement, a way of hopefully pushing forward the good ideas you already have:
ReplyDelete1. You put English and Filipino in a sort of opposition to each other, with you talking about your identity as an English teacher (I really liked your comment BTW, i.e. "I should not complain since the high premium placed by Filipinos on the English language is my source of income." So true!) and your identity as a Filipino. What about if you put these two identities 'together'. After all, you are a Filipino English teacher, i.e. an English teacher who is also a Filipino. How does your being a Filipino English teacher impact how you teach? how you think about your use of language/s in your classroom?
2. You said this in your last paragraph: "Whichever way it goes, it is already apparent that hegemony has taken hold over the members of the two factions and a radical method of education as well as delving into the culture are the only means to achieve a semblance of resolution in this ongoing conflict". Could you elaborate what you mean?
1. I am an English teacher yet I grew up speaking Filipino as my first language. Though I had an affinity for the English language, the first words that I would blurt when surprised, angered, or hurt are in Filipino. Aside from this, there are words and expressions in my native Batangas that I have become used to which can be difficult to translate in English. It is my role not only to educate students but also to be sensitive to their struggles and confusion. If I were an American who was imported to teach English to students, it would be easy to dismiss their mistakes and go about thinking a longer review on grammar and usage will set their errors straight. However, I am a Filipino and I know how it is like to be used to a certain way a sentence is structured or how I should mention an adjective twice to make it comparative (major major, anyone?). As a fellow Filipino, I am built with the compassion to understand them and to be more patient in showing them how it is done, as an English teacher, I am tasked to ascertain that their lessons are being built upon a priori knowledge.
Delete2. The two factions I refer to are those who believe that English is the more superior language, ergo more worthy to be taught to Filipinos and those who radically perceive Filipino as a means of championing the culture and the country. I used the term hegemony because this power play is not just a matter of what will aide students more in learning, it has its roots in the old question of what makes language superior. I for one do not believe in totally forgoing one for the other; I think there is merit in both languages and one would benefit from the other when it comes to actually teaching it and growing it.