[lg policy] bibitem: Language policy and local literature in the Philippines

[Harold Schiffman]

Language policy and local literature in the Philippines
Victor N. Sugbo

University of the Philippines in the Visayas
Philippines

Abstract

Multilingualism is a complex phenomenon and is sometimes considered a
problem to national unity and
ultimately, political control. A language carries with it a culture,
social knowledge, and a community. The
presence of many languages in a single country obviously implies many
cultures, many loyalties, and many
communities. Multilingualism may invite not only ethnic animosities
but also ethnic wars. The political
survival of a multiethnic nation clearly depends on the creation of
social coherence among its peoples. In
these situations, a good language policy should generate such
coherence. However, a multilingual nation’s
desire for national coherence becomes complicated when its colonial
experiences pervade the national
consciousness. Long after they have left the country, the colonizers’
cultural attitudes, traditions and
loyalties may remain among the formerly colonized. In some cases, the
colonized legitimize the colonizers’
language as the national language and in the process, subordinate
their more dominant local languages.
Language policies, which by their nature affect both educational and
administrative systems, may give rise
to a gamut of social, economic and political inequalities. Speakers of
local languages become marginalized
from political participation. Since they do not speak the colonizer’s
language, work opportunities for them
are limited to manual and menial tasks. The colonizer’s language
creates a political and economic divide
between the privileged and marginalized classes. Local culture is
devalued; local literatures may be lost.
This paper examines the influence of Philippine language policy on
local literatures, particularly literature
written in Waray, a language spoken in the eastern region of the
Visayas. It will first provide an overview
of Philippine language policy and look into the effects of the policy
on Waray literature, language loyalty,
Waray writers’ responses, and literary production. Data for this paper
were gathered from existing
literature, surveys, and personal experiences.

http://www.pdflibrary.info/download/ebook/Language%20policy%20and%20local%20literature%20in%20the%20Philippines1/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zaWwub3JnL2FzaWEvbGRjL3BhcmFsbGVsX3BhcGVycy92aWN0b3Jfbl9zdWdiby5wZGY

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