Intellectualizing a Language

Jun19
In a commentary, Intellectualizing a language, in the June 13, 2009 issue of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, associate professor of the UP Department of Linguistics
and adviser for multilingual education initiatives of the Foundation for Worldwide People
Power Inc., made the following statement:
we will never be able to develop our languages for higher thinking unless we begin basic
literacy and education in them. It isnt a matter of first intellectualizing a language before using
it. We can only intellectualize a language by using it.
The new mother tongue-based multilingual education initiative, courtesy of DepEds DO #60 s.
2008, is in the right direction toward providing the opportunity for our languagesat least,
realistically, the more vigorous ones in terms of population base, written literature,
documentation of the language such as a dictionary or grammar, etc. I cannot see how it is
practical to even expect all of those 170 or so Philippine languages to venture into this
direction, but who knows. Especially given the rigorous process of intellectualizing a language
that Bonifacio Sibayan described some 20 years ago in The Intellectualization of Filipino:
The process of intellectualizing a language, say Filipino, so that it may be used as the language
in the CDs (controlling domains) of language involves, among other processes, the building of (1)
various populations who possess different knowledges and skills in Filipino, who have a good
command of the registers needed in the domain and sub-domain, for example, agricultural
scientists, medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. The language used in medicine differs
from the language of law, that is, the two differ in registers so that even if both use English, the
medical doctor may not understand the register of law and vice versa. This is what is crucial in
the development of an intellectualized language: each domain, sub-domains and sub-sub-
domains (fields of specialization) have specific registers. The registers for practically all areas of
knowledge are available in intellectualized languages, but not in Filipino. The task of developing
the registers of the various areas of knowledge in Filipino and educating the populations who
can command and use these registers are formidable tasks in the intellectualization of Filipino.
A second task is the building of (2) support institutions and various structures such as colleges
and universities, hospitals; learned organizations that publish journals in Filipino; service
agencies such as publishing houses and other structures. The population of a CD, say the sub-
domain of medicine, consists of physicians, nurses, technicians, nurse aids, and others who
speak and write the language required in medicine, in the Philippine case, English, an
intellectualized language. One cannot learn medicine in the Philippines with the use of
Filipino. The principal support institutions in medicine are Colleges of Medicine, hospitals,
pharmaceutical labs, etc. The computer programs for CT scans, hospital records are in
English. The intellectualization of Filipino as the language of medicine and the medical
profession and other CDs of language is a giant undertaking. Medical doctors say that it is
impractical and impossible.
Consider the other CDs of language such as the sub- and sub-sub-domains of science and
technology, e.g., mathematics, physics, chemistry, the agricultural sciences, and other areas of
knowledge. The task of building the populations, support institutions and services using Filipino
to replace English is a task of the greatest magnitude.
This brings up the argument that it is probably more practical to just adopt English as our
national languagea language that has undergone centuries of intellectualizationand we dont
have a shortage of proponents for that. Even PGMA got in the act to improve our students
English skills with Exec. Order 210 s. 2003 requiring a whooping 70 percent of the instruction
time allotment for high school courses to be conducted using English as the medium of
instruction (MOI).
Sibayans claim that medical doctors say the intellectualization of Filipino as the language of
medicine and the medical profession and other CDs of language is a giant undertaking is
impractical and impossible is true for the short term, like a generation. This is even more true
in the case of the non-Tagalog or non-Filipino languages the use of which has been curtailed so
far under the current bilingual education program that promotes English and Filipino as the
MOI in our schools.
With DepEd Order No. 60 s.2008, the outlook for the use of the childs mother tongue, other
than Tagalog or Filipino, as MOI in the first few years of his education is a good start in the
direction of Nolascos argument that We can only intellectualize a language by using it. The
plan to use the mother tongue as a bridge to learn English and Filipino and other areas of
knowledge using English and Filipino as MOI later, however, falls short of the required process
to intellectualize any particular language, a process which any modern intellectualized language
of significance, English included, took generations to develop. Thats especially true if,
according to Sibayan, the use of the language to be intellectualized has to encompass various
language domains:
ones that have human populations and support institutions, structures, and services. There
are three classes of language domains, namely: non-controlling domains (NCDs) those of the
home and the lingua franca; semi-controlling domains (SCDs) which include religion, politics,
and entertainment; controlling domains (CDs) chief of which are (1) government with sub-
domains of executive, judiciary, and legislature, (2) education with sub-domains of elementary,
secondary, vocational-technical, and higher education; (3) the professions such as law,
medicine, accountancy, etc.; (4) science and technology; (5) business, commerce and industry;
(6) information technology which includes mass media, (7) literature and (8) international
relations.
It is thus ironic that DepEd, through DepEd Order 55 s.2009 and DepEd Memo 560 s. 2008 finds
it even more important to allow schools under the Bureau of Secondary Education to offer
elective courses in Spanish (initially), French and Nihongo aimed to:
a) develop students skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking, and viewing as fundamental to
acquiring communicative competence in a second foreign language;
b) prepare students for meaningful interaction in a linguistically diverse global workplace; and
c) develop understanding and appreciation of other peoples culture.
Well now, thats a lot of bull given that most of our young students have difficulty writing and
speaking fluently in their own mother tongue! Or English, for that matter.
The knowledge of Spanish, French, and/or Nihongo may be good for the street vendors or the
tourism industry people. But common, how often do you hear someone say Como esta?
instead of komusta? Maybe it would help the many who swear Pueta! quite a lot
without even knowing what the word actually means.
If anyone is really serious about learning another foreign language, let him do so at his own
time and expense by immersing in the free self-paced language courses which abound in the
Internet.
Nolasco is absolutely right: We can only intellectualize a language by using it. Lets start with
the mother tonguesand NOT JUST AS A BRIDGE.

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BONIFACIO P. SIBAYAN

Language has domains, ones that have human populations and support institutions,
structures, and services. There are three classes of language domains, namely: non-
controlling domains (NCDs) those of the home and the lingua franca; semi-
controlling domains (SCDs) which include religion, politics, and
entertainment; controlling domains (CDs) chief of which are (1) government with sub-
domains of executive, judiciary, and legislature, (2) education with sub-domains of
elementary, secondary, vocational-technical, and higher education; (3) the professions
such as law, medicine, accountancy, etc.; (4) science and technology; (5) business,
commerce and industry; (6) information technology which includes mass media, (7)
literature and (8) international relations (Sibayan 1991, 1994a).

The language(s) and language varieties used in the NCDs, SCDs, and CDs differ in
many significant respects. In the NCDs of the home and the lingua franca, there is no
restriction on what language or language variety that may be spoken or written although
reading and writing are optional. Any language, for example, English, Filipino, Ilocano or
any mixture may be used in the NCDs. The lingua franca of the Philippines before 1940
was English. Today it is Filipino or a mix-mix, what is technically called code-switching
variety popularly called Taglish. The rules of acceptability and correctness are very liberal.
A fractured variety may be acceptable. One does not need to go to school to learn the
language of the home and the lingua franca.

The language(s) and language varieties used and the rules that apply in the SCDs
of religion, entertainment, and politics are more strict than those in the NCDs of the home
and the lingua franca. The population in religion, for example, consists of various
categories of persons and different levels of education such as the well-educated priests,
nuns and ministers who have to learn an intellectualized language required in their
denomination for their education. On the other hand, many of the participants in religious
services may be passive as to the language used. Many participants may not be able to
read and write.

The main language used in the CDs of language is always an intellectualized

language. An intellectualized language is that language that can be used for giving and
obtaining a complete education in any field of knowledge from kindergarten to the
university and beyond. An intellectualized language is written, thus making reading and
writing necessary skills. Knowledge and information on any subject are stored in and
retrieved from various written sources and information storage such as books and CD-
ROMs and most recently, with some languages, the internet. New knowledge and
information as a result of research are reported in an intellectualized language. By this
definition, English, Russian, German, French, Japanese, to name just five, are
intellectualized languages. By the same definition, Filipino is not (yet) an
intellectualized language. The only CD of language where Filipino is intellectualized is
literature. There is a respectable body of literature in Filipino, there are substantial writers
in Filipino literature and there are support organizations and publications for the
development of Filipino literature. However, one cannot acquire a college or university
degree with the use of Filipino only; the needed subjects to fulfill the requirements of a B.
S. in Filipino such as math and social science subjects are not available in Filipino.

Process of Intellectualization

The process of intellectualizing a language, say Filipino, so that it may be used as

the language in the CDs of language involves, among other processes, the building up of
(1) various populations who possess different knowledges and skills in Filipino, who have
a good command of the registers needed in the domain and sub-domain, for example,
agricultural scientists, medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. The language used in
medicine differs from the language of law, that is, the two differ in registers so that even
if both use English, the medical doctor may not understand the register of law and vice
versa. This is what is crucial in the development of an intellectualized language: each
domain, sub-domains and sub-sub-domains (fields of specialization) have specific
registers. The registers for practically all areas of knowledge are available in
intellectualized languages, but not in Filipino. The task of developing the registers of the
various areas of knowledge in Filipino and educating the populations who can command
and use these registers are formidable tasks in the intellectualization of Filipino.

A second task is the building of (2) support institutions and various structures such
as colleges and universities, hospitals; learned organizations that publish journals in
Filipino; service agencies such as publishing houses and other structures. The population
of a CD, say the sub-domain of medicine, consists of physicians, nurses, technicians,
nurse aids, and others who speak and write the language required in medicine, in the
Philippine case, English, an intellectualized language. One cannot learn medicine in the
Philippines with the use of Filipino. The principal support institutions in medicine are
Colleges of Medicine, hospitals, pharmaceutical labs, etc. The computer programs for CT
scans, hospital records are in English. The intellectualization of Filipino as the language
of medicine and the medical profession and other CDs of language is a giant undertaking.
Medical doctors say that it is impractical and impossible.

Consider the other CDs of language such as the sub- and sub-sub domains of
science and technology, e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry, the agricultural sciences,
and other areas of knowledge. The task of building the populations, support institutions
and services using Filipino to replace English is a task of the greatest magnitude.
Source Language(s) for Intellectualization

A developing language needs a source language for intellectualization (SLI). The

source languages in the intellectualization of English were Greek, Latin, Old French,
Arabic, among others (see etymological entries in large dictionaries of English). The SLI
of Tagalog during the 16th to the 19th centuries was Spanish (Hispanismos 1972;
Gonzalez 1985). The SLI of Filipino in the 20th century and beyond is mainly English. One
cant read modern and intellectualized Filipino (nee Tagalog) without encountering
borrowings from English. Those who have a good command of written and spoken
English and other intellectualized languages may fully contribute to the intellectualization
of Filipino; monolingual speakers of Filipino can hardly do so.

Language Replacement and Language Shift

The replacement of English and the shift to Filipino as the national lingua franca was
easy because the variety of language, a mixture of Filipino, English, and the local
language, known as Taglish did/does not require schooling nor reading and writing; the
rules of acceptability are loose. On the other land, the replacement of English by Filipino
in the CDs of language require a high level of education, a mastery of the register or
registers in the domains and sub-domains (areas of specialization). The rules of
acceptability in reading and writing and mastery of both subject matter and register are
strict; there are various gatekeeping agencies and requirements for entry into the
domains, e.g. College entrance examinations, the Professional Regulation Commission,
Civil Service examinations, etc. In addition there is the matter of attitude by the people on
the replacement of English with Filipino. At present, English is the perceived language for
socio-economic advancement and is the language of aspiration in the CDs of language.

In order that Filipino may be intellectualized it must be used in the CDs of language
which means it must replace English. But for Filipino to replace English, it should be
intellectualized. Therein lies the dilemma in the intellectualization of Filipino.

Reference/s:
Bautista, Ma. Lourdes S. 1988. The parameters of intellectualization Applications to
Filipino. Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 19.2. 35-44Gonzalez, Andrew. 1985. The
sixteenth century Tagalog of the Doctrina Cristiana (1593): A first step in
intellectualization. Likha. 8.2. 1-36Gonzalez, Andrew. 1988. The intellectualization of
Filipino: Agenda for the twenty-first century. Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 19.2. 3-
6Hispanismos en el Tagalo. 1972. Madrid: Oficina de Education
IberoamericanaSibayan, Bonifacio P. 1974. Language standardization as a component
of language planning: A suggested typology. Proceedings of the conference on The
Standardization of Asian Languages. Compiled by A. Q. Perez and A. O. Santiago.
Manila: Pambansang Samahan sa Linggwistikang Filipino, Ink

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1988. Terms and points of reference in intellectualization with

particular reference to Filipino. Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 19.2. 7-12
Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1991. The intellectualization of Filipino. International Journal of.
The Sociology of Language. No. 88. 69-82

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1994a. The role and status of English vis-a-vis Filipino and other
languages in the Philippines. English and language planning: A Southeast Asian
contribution. Thiru Kandiah and John Kwan-Terry, eds. Singapore: Times Academic
Press. 218-241

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1994b. The teaching of the technical disciplines in Filipino.

Unitas. Quarterly for the Arts and Science, UST. 67.1. 88-99
About the Author:
Bonifacio P. Sibayan is internationally recognized as one of the worlds pioneer
scholars in sociolinguistics. He is a recipient of the Social Science Achievement Award
Sociolinguistics (1986) from the National Research Council of the Philippines and
National Social Scientist Award (1990) from the Philippine Social Science Council. He
is the acknowledged doyen of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics in the country.

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and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filipino/

..

National Language Week is celebrated in the month of August in honor of the late
Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon, (acknowledged father of the then national
language based on Tagalog) whose birthday falls in August.
In 1935 when the national language was conceived, the main purpose was to have Filipinos
speak a common national language. The goal that the national language should be used as a
language of instruction in various subjects in the schools and the university is much later
development. In 1935, Filipinos who spoke different ethnic languages (commonly but
incorrectly referred to as dialects) spoke to each other in English. Today, seventy nine years
later, English has been replaced by Filipino as the national lingua franca. There is hardly any
Filipino today who does not speak Filipino.

Filipino will not only be the national language franca; it will become the chief language in
many homes other than Tagalog-speaking regions. The goal that Filipino should become the
main language of instruction in the schools and of government is correct. But it will take a
great deal of knowledge, time, effort, and patience before this goal may be achieved. To
achieve this, Filipino must make available fund of knowledge in the written form or other
forms of storing knowledge such as computer databanks. This kind of storage is now
available in English but not in Filipino in the domains of language called the controlling
domains of language. These controlling domains are the domains that dictate what language,
especially the written form of that language, is to be used. At present the language used as
the working language in the controlling domains of language in the Philippines is English.
The controlling domains of language are (1) government administration (the bureaucracy),
(2) legislation, (3) the judiciary, (4) education especially higher education, (5) the
professions, (6) science and technology, (7) commerce and industry, (8) much of mass
communication especially the newspapers and international communication. The newest
domain of language is that of the computer.

It is the hope that eventually written Filipino will be used in the foregoing domains of
language. In order that this may happen, Filipino must be intellectualized. To intellectualize
the Filipino language, the written form of Filipino must be made available in the controlling
domains (CDs) of language enumerated above. Filipino (or any language for that matter)
cannot be intellectualized and used as the working language in the CDs unless the fund of
knowledge in these CDs are available in written form. This means that there should be
writers in the various controlling domains who will write the knowledge in those domains in
Filipino. There should also be users.
There is much work to be done in the intellectualization of Filipino so that the language may
be used as the working language in the controlling domains of language.

Source:
Bonifacio P. Sibayan is internationally recognized as one of the worlds pioneer scholars in
sociolinguistics. He is a recipient of the Social Science Achievement Award
Sociolinguistics (1986) from the National Research Council of the Philippines and National
Social Scientist Award (1990) from the Philippine Social Science Council. He is the
acknowledged doyen of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics in the country.

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