August, as we all know, is the month of the year when we commemorate our native languages and other dialects that exist in the country.  As we celebrate our national language, let us be reminiscent of the significance of our languages that is part of our prosperous heritage and culture and why should d we develop and enrich them.

            Last 2002, Ethnology  recorded around 163 languages, and the latest counts presented  that in current year we have around 170 to 180 languages in the whole archipelago. “Endangered and threatened languages” includes in the count.  These two languages constantly boost due to closer personal connection between different ethnic communities causing the stronger language to be accepted and the weaker one to be use, instead, in communicating with one another.

            One of the reasons why some languages are inclined to fail is because members in the community turn out to be idle to talk their own language especially when they think that the existence of other languages is more socially acceptable compare to the spoken one. The numbers of people who use it for interaction determines the immensity of language.

            Some of us do not recognize the value of language especially the “lingua franca” or “mother tongue”, which is the vernacular spoken at home by each member of the family and the other people living in the same community. The continued existence of mother tongue is very important to us, because it will define the identity of being a Filipino. Without the language, we have no culture, no uniqueness and individuality, we are nothing!

            The advocacy of conserving the Philippine language is not just a matter of fight of defending our languages but also protecting our culture and the rights of the Filipino people.

 

By: Florinda L. Bantog | Teacher II | Limay Elementary School | Limay, Bataan