A RECAP on ISSUE DISCUSSED ON TV

What is a language? This was the first question hurled at Dr. Patricia Schneider-Zioga, a linguistics professor at California State University-Fullerton, and me, when Jannelle So invited us to guest in her TV program, Kababayan L.A., on Channel 18 two days ago, June 8th.

Dr. Schneider-Zioga responded that there's no clear-cut definition what language really is among linguists. She supported her answer by citing a case in Europe. Unfortunately, some viewers, particularly my friends, were not satisfied with her answer. ( I knew...with mine, as well.) A few sent me email that she should have given an example on the Philippine languages, because Kababayan L.A. is a Filipino program. Since her answer is true, I didn't react against it. Instead, I reinforced it by saying that mutual intelligibility is a criterion that linguists uses to determine whether a particular medium of communication is a language or simply a dialect. By mentioning a technical terminology, I made the answer murkier to lay people. I should have given a Filipino example to satisfy the Filipino community. I'm sorry, I didn't. It is tough to think on your toes, especially if there's time constraint.

Anyway, allow me to use this blog to address it now.

It is a fact; a linguist would consider a medium of communication a dialect of another language on the basis of mutual intelligibility, even if the speakers of that "dialect" would consider it differently. A case in point is the Batad Ifugao and the Mayoyao Ifugao. For an outsider or a linguist, he or she may immediately say that these two cultural groups are identifiably speaking the same language. The reason is: mutual intelligibility is high. Ethnologue (1984) mentioned that the intelligibility is at least 86%. It's too high to be considered as two separate languages.

Certainly, the language scientist may come up with his or her decision on how the two language groups understand each other (i.e. mutual intelligibility). Hence, if there is high percentage of cognate or identical words with similar meaning and no big differences in affixation and word formation (i.e. morphology), that other language group may be treated as a mere dialect of the other.

I mentioned in the program that the Laguna Tagalog is a dialect (i.e. language variation) of Tarlac Tagalog, or vice versa. Most Filipinos know that Laguna is south of Manila, while Tarlac is north. It's true, they have disparity, which is more than accent (i.e. pronunciation or intonation); however, both could perfectly understand each other.

The same thing with Binisaya of Cebu and Mindanao; the obvious difference is just the /l/. Cebuano will never say the /l/ in between vowels, while the Binisaya in Mindanao will always have it. (e.g. waa vs. wala (nothing), baay vs. balay (house).) The meanings are the same; hence, the Binisaya in Mindanao is just a dialect of that of Cebu.

Nevertheless, if we'd compare Binisaya of Cebu or the Binisaya in Mindanao to the Bisaya of Ilo-ilo, there are words (i.e. lexicon) that may be said or spelled without any difference at all; however, the meaning may be 100% not the same. (e.g. sabut is a word found in both Binisaya in Cebu, Mindanao, and in Ilo-ilo. However, sabut in Cebu and Mindanao means 'to understand', while in Ilo-ilo it means "pubic hair". Besides different meaning in some words, affixation or affixes also has considerable differences. Hence, the Bisaya of Cebu and Mindanao is one language, and the Bisaya of Ilo-ilo is another. We, Filipinos, all know it as Hiligaynon. Well, with regular contact, speakers of Hiligaynon and Binisaya do understand each other. We just have to be careful on our word usage so as not to offend someone.

Definitely, mutual intelligibility is not a perfect criterion to distinguish a language from the other. The reason is that language is strongly interrelated to the speaker's thought process and behavior. How one conveys meaning is affected by how he thinks of the person (or a people group) and how he behaves around that person.

Historically, a feud existed between the Batad Ifugao and the Mayoyao Ifugaos. Socially, interaction between the two language groups might be reserved and minimized. Competition as to who might be speaking the high or the low standard language might be existing. So, when a translation of literature had started for the Batad, the Mayoyao speakers did not accept it as theirs. (But the language difference is very minimal!) Mayoyao speakers wanted to be recognized that theirs is a distinct language. As a result, in Philippine linguistics, Batad and Mayoyao Ifugaos are recognized as two different languages; two of the 175 languages in the Philippines.

Therefore, what is a language? Let me now put it this way. It is a set of symbols of sounds that is structured using a set of rules to express a meaning to a thought process or behavior and is transmitted from one generation to another.


(NOTE:

1) In celebration of the Philippine Independence (June 12th), I plan to blog about the Philippine language and culture for the whole month of June.

2) Those who have checked out my poetry reading on You Tube, please accept my sincere thanks. I apologize of the poor synchronization of my voice and my mouth in Part 1. Part 2 and 3 are better. Check them out.

Thanks again, guys.

Edmund Industan

Filipino Language & Other Philippine Languages on Channel 18

A PHOTO W/ MY WIFE, ANGIE, & JANNELLE SO (May 27,2009)

What is a Filipino language? This was one of the questions that Jannelle So, the beautiful host of Channel 18's Kababayan L.A., asked in her email couple of days ago, and she wanted it discuss in one of her Pre-Independence Day programs.

Apparently, some of our kababayans here in the U.S. has been suggesting that they would like her to speak in Filipino, since her program is specifically catering to the Filipino community. But is there really a Filipino language? If she would speak plain Tagalog (Filipino (?)) in the program, would she not alienate some Filipinos or Filipino-Americans who are non-native Tagalog speakers?

I was Jannelle's guest on May 27th to promote my two published books, KOILAWAN and PRAISING ALL SEASONS LONG, and my experimental performance poetry, Hey-Dasang. I probably have done pretty well that day, despite my thick Tagalog accent, that she expressed, after the show, her plan to invite me again. And I wasn't surprised when I received her email inviting me to guest on June 8th.

So, I would like to invite you all to watch Channel 18's Kababayan L.A. from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. on June 8th. Besides me, Jannelle also has invited a linguist. Well, I am not a linguist. I am a sociologist with a modest research experiences in ethnology and linguistics.

I believe this discussion on Filipino, as a language, is a "first" without the presence of Filipino language planners, academicians, and politicians. Hence, I can assure you all that we will be taking up the language issue head-on and free of bias.

Communicating What is True; Ignoring What is Not!

Communication is one of the three functional requisites of societies. It can be verbal or nonverbal. It can be intrapersonal or interpersonal. It is the sine qua non of every social organization, whether animal or human.

Sad to say that communication can be positive or negative contributor to the development of man and society. As a means to transmit ideas, communication can either break or make an interpersonal relationship. It also can be deleterious to a nation.

Just recently, I received a chain letter, so hurtful to the Filipino people, that my initial impulse was to hurl brimstone and fire at the person, who allegedly wrote the hate letter. I have to shelve this week's blog topic, which I actually was about to post when I received the email, to respond to the disturbing message.

Being a sociologist, with lots of academic and research training in cultural anthropology, I have to first find a balm from this surgit amari aliquid (the iron entering the soul), before I write something in response to the letter. I have to breathe and address the issue systematically by doing some investigation. I just don't want to jump the gun indiscriminately.

The hate letter allegedly was sent by a radio talk-show host, Art Bell of Pahrump, Nevada. The title, "The Filipinos Make me Puke". It talked about how Filipinos has infested the USA like a disease, how their trashy quality of life has manifested through their extensive involvement in the US Armed Forces, how Filipinos try to assimilate with their Asian counterparts, but the only successful Filipinos are the prostitutes living in Japan. Then, it concluded with the message for the Filipinos to create an identity by not associating themselves with highly developed Asian countries, by recognizing that they are from a disgusting and filthy place, and by acknowledging that their technological acumen are not at par with that of Japan, Korea, and China.

My research on the web had resulted with the following: 1) Art Bell, as a radio personality, is incomparably good at entertaining UFOlogists, psychics, and conspiracy theorists, hence, his program on KNYE-FM specializes in tales of the supernatural, the paranormal, and the 'not-yet-categorized' weird. However, he is not a well-respected host. 2) His activities in radio broadcasting has been off-and on, affected by the victimization of his son by a pedophile substitute teacher and the death of his first wife from an asthma attack. 3) His second wife is half Filipino, and, the most significant information is that, 4) He did not make a broadcast calling the Philippines "a disgusting and filthy place", and that HE WAS NOT THE SOURCE OF THE HATE LETTER. The letter has been circulating online since the 90s. In fact, Mr. Bell sued the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2001 for its outright treatment of the letter as fact when they published it. Philippine Daily Inquirer posted a retraction, however, the damage was done already. Sometime later, it was learned that the letter originated from a library computer at the Univ. of California-San Diego, posted by either a conspiracy theorist or weirdo. Ms. Valerie Polchari, the postmistress at UCSD library sent an apology to Mr. Bell. (Pls. check the ff. sites: Art Bell: A Who 2 Profile, Art Bell and Filipinos, etc.)

See how important communication is to a society? Besides promoting harmony and understanding, it also can be a "spark plug" of misunderstanding and chaos. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that before we circulate information, we really need to consider doing some research on its veracity. Harmony and progress in the world depend on us. Let us all do our part by communicating what is true and ignoring what is not.