A minority language close to my heart is Binukid. This is one of the minor languages in the province of Bukidnon in southern Philippines. Other minor languages in the province are the Western Bukidnon Manobo, Tigwa Manobo, and Matigsalug. The lingua franca (major or trade language) in the region is Cebuano or Binisaya.
Even though there are only four minor languages in Bukidnon, several dialects exist. Let me give Binukid, which is my mother tongue, as a case in point.
Growing up, we, the Bukidnons in Barrio Casisang, always distinguished ourselves from other Binukid speakers. Distinctions were based on accent and some unintelligible words that were seldom used in Casisang. We distinguished ourselves from other Binukid speakers by not having a "sing-song" or rough speech pattern. The used of archaic Binukid words by other villages further contributed to our differences. Matter of fact those archaic words were the main barrier in communicating with those Bukidnons from outlying barrios.
Dr. Richard Elkins, my thesis mentor in early 80s and a linguistic anthropologist who interconnected several Philippine minor languages in a Proto-Manobo Theory (1964), told me that those from Casisang, Kalasungay, Sumpong,Impasug-ong, etc. are speaking the "asphalt" Binukid. This is a variation of a language (dialect) based on sociolect. It was well-said. These barrios are located along Sayre highway and many are highly literate.
Based on Morris Swadish word list there was no big difference of Casisang Binukid to the Binukid in outlying barrios. Nevertheless, the indifference amongst Binukid speakers created, more or less, a social divide. Interaction was affected.
Then came the PANAMIN, the Presidential Assistant for National Minorities, in the late 70s. This quasi-government agency was supposed to continue on with the program of the defunct Commission on National Integration (CNI). However, instead of integrating or unifying the Bukidnons, PANAMIN contributed to a permanent divide amongst Binukid speakers. Based on the geographical location (topolect/regiolect), PANAMIN sub-divided the Binukid speakers into the Higa-onon, Tala-andig and Bukidnon tribes.
Currently, we have these three recognized tribes. Their language is Binukid. Based on Binukid language, either one has the right to say that the languages used by the other tribes are dialects of their language. However, Binukid is NOT a dialect of Cebuano or Bisaya.
NOTE: So, what is an "artificial" language? Patricia mentioned, when we were guests on Channel 18, that Filipino is an artificial language. I will talk about that in my next blog.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
I'm a native speaker of English, but I see a need for a neutral relatively easy international language. I suggest Esperanto, the only example of an "artificial language" to take on a life of its own.
Take a look at www.esperanto.net
Let me know what you think!
2009 Juni
Welcome to my blogspot, Bill.
I was reading an Esperanto this morning and my grandson (10) told me that he saw a movie where Esperanto was used as a language. I explained to him that Esperanto is not a language by any specific country or ethnic group. It was formulated by L.L. Zamenhof to avoid prejudice, hostility, etc. when communicating to people from other countries.
He told me it is a "neutral" language. I responded that this could be the best way to go when global people keep on making a "fuss" as to whose language is the best.
English have borrowed so many words from other languages (French, Latin, Greek, etc. for root words, affixation, etc.)
Esperanto, likewise, have "collected" root words from Spanish, English, and from other European languages. To make it simplier and easier to remember, morphology had been simplified. Singular nouns only have a suffix /o/ as opposed to Spanish /o/ and /a/ for masculine and feminine.
Comparatively, Esperanto, like any other language, takes some time to master. The affixes may be simple, but the root words may not be. What root word should I use: English, Spanish, etc.? I cannot just use "bigo" for big, because Esperanto uses "grando" from "grande". As an English speaker, who also is literate in Spanish, I could have an option to be understood by Esperanto speakers. However, many people are still monolingual. For them, it would still be painful to learn.
Dr. Patricia Schneider-Zioga of California State Univ.-Fullerton has a reason why she considers Filipino as an artificial language. I will be explaining her response to Jannelle So, host of Kababayan LA of KSCI-TV (Ch. 18), in my next blog.
Hope you'll check it out next week.
Again, thank you very much for the comment.
Edmund
Dr. Patricia Schneider-Zioga of California State Univ.-Fullerton has a reason why she considers Filipino as an artificial language. I will be explaining her response to Jannelle So, host of Kababayan LA of KSCI-TV (Ch. 18), in my next blog.
Hope you'll check it out next week.
Again, thank you very much for the comment.
Edmund
----------------------------------
{{{{ 'Dr. Patricia Schneider-Zioga of California State Univ. -Fullerton has a reason why she considers Filipino as an artificial language.}}}}
PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY FILIPINO LANGUAGES ARE ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE??? BY THIS Dr. Patricia
Scheider-Zioga = this sounds like
EDUCAATED AND BIGOTED TRIBAL RACIAL SLUR, AN INSULT TO THE Ancient Austronesian /Malayo-Polynesian ANCESTRY OF THE IGOROT/LAPULAPU NATION. Erudition and getting a PhD is queationable because anyone can write a thesis about anything superfluous about anything ANCIENT WHICH THEY DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AND SO SAD THEY ARE RESPECTED AS AUTHORITIES based on SCHOLARLY ACADEMIC SHAM.
Plesase Don't tell me that the Civil Engineering Marvel of the Rice Terraces in Banaue in the CORDILLERAS MOUNTAINS are ARTIFICIAL TO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
Your Ph.D Scholar Erudition is just a bunch of GARGAGE!!!!!!!!
Hello Sir Ed, this is Dickson Pagente, an English Instructor from San Agustin Institute of Technology, Valencia City. I'm studying PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Mindanao and my dissertation is "Genetic Relationship among the Binukid Language Varieties: A Lexicostatistical Study? Do you know some studies that are the same with mine
Post a Comment