The Multilingual Situation in the Philippines - Essay Example

Thus, policymakers on education stress that switching from one language to another may affect the proficiency of the speaker as code-switching limits the language development of the speaker or learner (Berko-Gleason 1993).

The multilingual situation in the Philippines, for instance, presents an interesting case as the country is an archipelago and is made up of many islands. English is a second language in the Philippines and about 50 per cent of the population comprehend and speak English but 87 languages and dialects also exist in different islands. Some of these languages do not seem to be related to each other. Although a national language exists, government policies on the use of national language, the Filipino - an amalgamation of languages composed of both Tagalog and English - confuses the population rather than help the public become proficient in the learning of the language required in school. Tagalog is used in some subjects such as history but science subjects are mainly taught in English.

The consequences of this policy are quite detrimental to those whose first language is neither Tagalog nor English. A majority of Filipinos who live in the provinces and underlying islands had to learn three languages in order to survive school and be able to find work. Many of those whose first language is not Tagalog or English are usually discriminated against in workplaces because of their ‘accents.’ Marked cultural differences also exist in terms of food, way of life, religious beliefs and many other aspects of culture.
Furthermore, like other multilingual countries, the Philippine government faces challenges because of its language-learning program on multilingualism. As two languages – Tagalog and English – are used, educators are concerned that learners may not learn any of the languages with greater proficiency as code-switching is seen as a hindrance to achieving high-level language proficiency. Language experts argue that bilinguals and multilingual cannot achieve similar language proficiency similar to those of monolingual speakers.

Code-switching is defined as the ‘utilization of two languages simultaneously or interchangeably’ (Valdes-Fallis, 1977). Most experts view that speakers use two languages if ‘bilingual fluency is not yet stable’ (Valdes-Fallis, 1977). Speakers employ this method in order to attain two things: one is for the speaker to fill a linguistic or conceptual gap and secondly, it is for the attainment of multiple communicative functions (Gysels, 1992). In many countries and territories, code-switching is avoided, but in the majority of multilingual and bilingual areas of the world, it is viewed as the ‘norm’ (Swigart, 1992; Goyvaerts & Zembele, 1992). This is true in the Philippines, Singapore, India and Nepal where speakers usually move from one language to another to communicate. In Singapore and the Philippines (Chinese or Malay and English in Singapore, and Tagalog and English in the Philippines), the use of two languages or the mixing of both in communication and even in literature has become the norm.

Views on code-switching vary from one multilingual country to another, even though for some experts, code-switching serves significant communicative and cognitive purposes. However, in societies many linguists studied, social stigma has been affixed to this system of speaking. Gibbons (1983) has done research on language behaviour and code-switching in Hong Kong between Cantonese and English languages. The study shows that when Chinese speakers utilize English among their peers, they give a feeling and impression of a higher status and ‘westernization.’ However when speakers utilize Cantonese, the impression is of humility and solidarity. A mixture of these two languages has made an impression that the speaker is ignorant and is viewed with disdain.

Chana (1984) likewise studied the listeners' responses to code-switched communication by a speaker who used perfect Punjabi and also a flawless English speaker. When the speaker used the code-switched speech and system of speaking, he was considered lowly, inane, and of little value than when he employed only Punjabi or only English in speaking.

Many years have passed since code-switching research clarified this norm in the world of linguistics and society in general. However, many speakers and non-users of this norm refuse to admit or permit it as acceptable and proper as the conclusion by language experts about the linguistic and communicative reliability of this language structure have not been extensively understood or established yet. Although many experts also contend that code-switching is not a linguistic aberration but ‘systematic and logical’ (Heller 1992). In addition, linguists assert that if code-switching in multilingual nations exists, it must provide essential purposes for the language user. The function of code-switching is viewed as against the conventional behaviour about the definition of a "good language" and consequently, it is not welcomed or sustained. But for many multilingual speakers and language experts alike, code-switching exists because it has a valuable purpose.