Seminar - Komperensyang Pangwika 2013 at UA&P

Dear PCU-Dasma students, especially the English majors: 

Here are some of my notes when I attended a conference at the University of Asia and the Pacific in celebration to the Buwan ng Wika. I hope that this will give you insights on the some of the current issues regarding the Filipino language.

Sir G

Last August 14 (Wednesday), I attended a seminar sponsored by the Linguistic Society of the Philippines (LSP) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) called “Komperensyang Pangwika”. It has the theme “Wika ng Nakaraan, Wika ng Kasalukuyan: Mga Isyu at Diskursong Pangwika”. It was organized by UA&P’s College of Arts and Sciences in Celebration of the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa 2013.

Dr. Dungo (left, standing) responding to the presentation of Dr. Salonga (seated, back to camera)

I missed the first lecture, that by Dr. Aileen Salonga; but from what I have heard from her from other seminars in the past, the topic was about Filipinos serving as call center agents. I arrived as Dr. Nanette Dungo of UA&P was giving her response to Dr. Salonga's presentation. Dr. Dungo  valiantly tried to deliver her talk in Filipino--I later found out that she is an English professor.

Dr. Vibar speaking on historical linguistics. Pretty heavy stuff.

The next lecturer was Dr. Arwin Vibar, also from the UA&P and a board member of the LSP. His topic was about the description of 17^th century Tagalog according to the Arte y Reglas de la Lengua Tagala, the first published grammar of Tagalog, written by a Spanish priest, Blancas de San Jose in 1610. It’s a very complicated topic, involving 17^th century Tagalog and Spanish (he even showed pictures of the ancient manuscript)—which is pretty hard going for non-linguists. 

I met Dr. Vibar during an LSP two years ago when he gave a presentation on "missionary linguistics" using the same material. That time I asked him a question about the new translation of the Roman Missal.) 

During a break in the seminar, Dr. Vibar and I talked about a point in Tagalog grammar called “case grammar” which Father San Jose amazingly was able to detect. (Case grammar is a paper in itself. Let’s just say it’s the difference between forms of Tagalog verb; for example, nagbigay, binigyan, ibinigay, etc.—all of which can be rendered ‘gave’ in English, depending on the noun. We Filipinos know when to use each form without knowing the terms agentive, causative, locative, etc. There are as much as twenty-one cases!)

After the break, Dr. Leodivico C. Lacsamana (who also talked with me briefly during the break) of the UA&P gave a response to Dr. Vibar’s lecture. He talked about a few points on Tagalog grammar that Father San Jose missed in his scholarly tome.

Prof. Talegon, who spoke on J3j3m0n, is also the seminar director.

The final topic was about “Jejemon”, the convoluted texting style of Filipino youth today, by Vivencio Talegon, Jr. of UA&P. When he asked the audience if anybody knows about 1337 (pronounced “Leet”)  I answered that is a way of typing used in within the hacking community. The lecture was responded by Moreal Camba, also of UA&P, who said that Jejemon is a form of resistance and solidarity of young people.

Prof. Camba responding to the presentation of Prof. Talegon.

At the last open forum, I raised a question on the lecture of Dr. Vibar and “missionary linguistics”. Since MTB-MLE (Mother Tongue-Based Multilinguial Education) is upon us, children will be taught in their “mother tongue” until they’re in Grade 3, when Filipino and English will be introduced. (That is another paper in itself. All I can say now is that MTB-MLE is a Good Thing.) Since we are just beginning in this venture, I reasoned that writing materials in other Philippine languages is a “missionary” effort. Dr. Lacsamana answered that even as we speak, a group of “experts” are ensconced a hotel in Manila (he won’t say which) who are writing textbooks for other Philippine languages.

I went away from the seminar with a handsome certificate and richer in the knowledge of our National Language.