Unfortunately, the archiving technology as we now know it arrive much later than the 60s.

The articles should make us (especially Ilocanos) pause and ponder. I used to think (quite to my shame) that a language is just a commodity that we can use, replace or dispose of. It was actually not too long ago that I came to realize that my language is a major part of my soul and identity. And so when I let go of my language, a part of me dies too. This is the other side of MTBMLE which is not simply an instrumental view of language as something that mediates learning, but something that defines who we are.

Unaentay man pay ti BILINGUAL EDUCATION

The bilingual policy our educational system has adopted is one of the root causes ti panangipangpangruna ti dadduma a nagannak ken school administrators iti Tagalog, especially English. This policy did not give emphasis in the teaching and use of the mother tongue in school. In fact, it viewed the mother tongue as a hindrance in the learning of these “preferred” languages — and even in the learning of content. Hence, the discriminatory policy of many schools in provinces to fine students speaking in their native languages.

This also gave rise to the “prestige” that is accorded to Tagalog/Filipino — the national language, the language that “unites” the nation, the only Philippine language perceived to be intellectualized enough to teach content to our children.

This in turn, gave rise to the notion that to be “in”, to be able to go up, you must speak Tagalog/Filipino fluently… sans the accent of your native tongue. [The funny thing is that, when you are in Manila, the more refined your Tagalog, the more it is obvious that you are not from the city… as the city-folks speak a different variety of Tagalog/Filipino… the one that is embedded with so many borrowings].

This bilingual policy has ikewise prompted many parents to use Tagalog or English as the language in the home — in preparation for their children’s schooling, thinking that by starting their children early, the kids will not have a hard time in school, learning two foreign languages (Tagalog and English) at the same time while also learning content subjects.

Dakkel a biddut ti Bilingual Education policy, and it is such a relief that many seem to be learning this. Nabayagen daytoy nga issue… ket nasayaat la unay no ma-addressan, by giving chance to the mother-tongue-based MLE.

Nagadu ti puntos ni McEarchern, ket nasayaat no saggaysaen nga agapaden.

PANANGUSAR DAGITI NAGANNAK ITI TAGALOG
KAS LENGGUAHE ITI BALAY

Isursuro dagiti nagannak dagiti annakda iti Tagalog. Pudno a mapaspasamak daytoy. Even dagiti kakabsatko, isu met ti inaramidda. Ket binay-ak laeng, uray no I would have preferred nga Ilocano ti pannakisaritada kadagiti ubbing. Basta ti kunak, isuroda latta ti Ilocano kadagiti ubbing.

Ania ti rationale-da? Tapno saanton a marigatan dagiti ubbing iti pagadalan nga agadal iti dua a foreign languages : Tagalog ken English ta agbalinen ti Tagalog a maysa kadagiti first languages ti ubing.

Apay a binay-ak laeng? Wen, ta adda met dagiti kaanakak idiay probinsiya, where the main language is Ilocano. Uray no Tagalog ti pannakitungtong dagiti kakabsatko kadagiti annakda, expose latta dagiti ubbing iti Ilocano, ket ngarud, saan a karkardayo a masursuroda latta ti bukodda a dila.

Let’s take diay kaso ti in-inauna kadagiti kaanakak (ta ubing pay unay diay in-inaudi to evaluate his bilingual exposure): no katungtungem iti Ilocano, sungbatannaka iti Ilocano. No katungtungem iti Tagalog, sungbatannaka iti Tagalog.

Let’s also take another case: ti kaklasek idi iti elementaria. English ti pannakitungtongda kenkuana iti balayda. Ngem nagsayud met ti Ilocano-na, ta amin met a kaay-ayamna, Ilocano ti pagsaaoda.

Iti eksperiansak, ken kadagiti language theory a nabasbasak, kasla narigat a patien nga adda ubing iti tengnga iti Kailokuan a saan pulos a makaawat iti Ilocano, kas iti inagapad ni McEarchern. Apay, in-isolate kadi met dagiti nagannak ti ubingda, tapno Tagalog laengen ti mangmangngeg ken masursurona? Iti kaso nga inagapad ni McEarchern, panagkunak either saan a naawatan ti ubing ti panangibalikas ni McEarchern, iti Ilocano-na (ammotayo met no kasano a ‘ngalngalen’ dagiti puraw dagiti balikasda), managbabain ti ubing, wenno ti pangkitak nga ad-adda a makagapu ket ti kina-Puraw ni McEarchern.

Naobserbarko ngamin kadagiti ubbing a no adda makitungtong kadakuada a dida am-ammo, saanda a basta sumungbat. Nakarkaro manen no sabali ti langa ti makitungtong kadakuada. Couldn’t it be a nagmulengleng lattan ti ubing idi katungtungen ni McEarchern, thinking to himself: apay sabali ti langa daytoy?

Connie Benemerito