LANGUAGES ARE NOT EQUAL: WHY STANDARD PHILIPPINE ENGLISH

SHOULD BE UNDEMOCRATIC AND ELITIST

By Blesilda Adlaon

INTRODUCTION

In “The Politics of Philippine English,” Tupas (2004, 54) points out a need to

“democratize” the study of English in the Philippines and “expand the coverage of Philippine

English to include „uneducated‟ Englishes,” asserting that doing so “will broaden the range of

possibilities that Filipinos can make an impact on the English language.”

This paper begs to differ, and proposes instead that as Standard American English and

Standard British English are based on the English spoken by intellectuals and the most proficient

English speakers in the countries where those varieties of English originate, so too should

Standard Philippine English be based on the English of the Philippine intellectuals and elite if it

is to gain any recognition and respect in the global community – and even within the Philippines

itself.

THE INEQUALITY OF LANGUAGES

Languages are not equal. Hymes (1985) and other linguists may say they are, asserting

“the functional equality of all languages,” but that is simply not true in the real world. The

equality of languages is as romanticized and inaccurate a world view as the equality of men.

For as we all know, all men are not equal – much less men and women. Men receive

higher pay than their female colleagues for doing the same jobs.1 Rich men and intelligent ones

get the best education, the best opportunities. Men in power get better treatment and much more

attention and respect than the regular Joes or Josés.

In short, while the American Declaration of Independence may assert that “all men are

created equal,”2 the equality does not last very long after the creation. By the time the creation is
born, he finds himself either at a private suite or a charity ward; with a silver spoon in his mouth

or a rusty one. He may have equal rights as any other man, but he certainly does not have equal

privileges.

The same goes for languages: They may all have started the same way, on equal footing,

and they may all have equal merits; but they do not have equal power, and that makes them

functionally unequal.

And which language has the greatest power in our current era? English.

Consider these facts. While English has only 340 million native speakers and ranks below

Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish in a list of world languages with the most number of

native speakers, it ranks second in a list of languages with the most number of total speakers. It

is also an official language in 63 countries, followed by France, which is an official language in

just 40 countries or states.3 In addition:

 Three-quarters of the world's mail, telexes and cables are in English.

 More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English.
 English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world's
computers.
 English is the language of navigation, aviation, and Christianity; it is the
ecumenical language of the World Council of Churches.
 Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC
and CBC) transmit in English, reaching millions and millions of people all over
the world.4

A quick glance at these numbers will reveal that the world acknowledges the superiority

of English, at least, for practical use. Why else would so many non-native speakers use it instead

of their own mother tongues?

However, not all Englishes are equal either.

VARIETIES OF STANDARDIZED ENGLISH

As far as the modern world is concerned, first there was British English.

Then in 1620, a group of British men and women left the British territories and set sail

for North America, to the land we now know as the USA. They colonized the land and taught

their language to the natives.

Because the British settlers in North America were isolated from their British roots, their

language evolved in a separate direction from the English spoken in the UK. Thus, American

English was born.5 Compared to British English, it had a similar but distinct lexicon, rules of

syntax, spelling, punctuation, and even phonetics.6

But although American English deviated from British English standards, the deviations

were not called “errors.” They were simply “differences.”

ENGLISH IN THE PHILIPPINES

In 1898, the Americans came to Philippine shores, colonized the land, and taught their

language to the Filipinos as they had done to the Indians nearly two centuries earlier.

Then the Philippines gained its political independence, the Americans left – well, most of

them did, physically, at least – and in the same way that American English was able to develop

because the speakers of the language were no longer in Britain, Philippine English as a separate

entity was able to develop once the Americans were no longer in the Philippines.

But what does Philippine English look – or sound – like?

As of now, without a formally standardized Philippine English, it really depends on who

you ask.
WHAT IS PHILIPPINE ENGLISH?

Ask the man on the street about “Philippine English” and he will illustrate by speaking in

broken English with a heavy Visayan accent. Ironically, this is the type of “class-based,

regionally marked” English that Tupas describes in “The Politics of Philippine English” as being

starkly silenced (2004, 49).

Mention to this same man on the street that there is a Philippine English “which educated

Filipinos speak and which is acceptable in educated Filipino circles (Llamzon, 1969),” and you

will most likely be met with a surprised stare that says: “We have that?”

Yes, we do, but we don‟t know about it, because the type of English that is given so

much attention and airtime is the type that we call “carabao English,” the English of the illiterate

and the partly literate, the non-educated variety of English that sounds comical even to the very

people who speak it. This, in effect, is how our country‟s English is branded. No wonder the men

on the street, Filipino and foreigner alike, smirk and laugh when they talk about “Philippine

English.”

We speak about linguistic imperialism and neocolonialism: how our country is still

linguistically colonized by the United States because we still impose American English on our

citizens. But how can we break free from this linguistic imperialism if carabao English is the

only Philippine English that we know about? What shall we replace American English in our

schools with?

To not teach English at all is not an option. We are at a point in history where English has

become inevitable. The whole world is learning it and using it. Even France, which has very

emotionally resisted it for so long, is now spending its euros on English lessons.
 So since it is not realistic to resist linguistic imperialism by removing English from our

curriculum altogether, the most feasible means of resistance that is available for us is to teach

English, but not the language of the imperialists. Instead, we should teach our own, localized

variety.

For sure, when we speak about teaching our localized variety of English in school, we

cannot be talking about carabao English. At the very least, English that is taught in school must

be rule bound. Otherwise, without consistent rules, how can it be taught in the first place?

It is this “rule bound” criteria that primarily disqualifies the variety of English spoken by

the marginalized groups from being part of Standard Philippine English. How can they become

standard when they have no standards to speak of in themselves? There is no system in their

variation.

This, I would propose, is where the line is drawn between which is an error and which is

a localization: when the variation is systemized and consistent, that is, found regularly among

speakers of the language in that locality and is being passed on to the next generation, then it is a

localization. If the variation is found irregularly in a handful of individuals who would not dare

to teach it as correct usage to their children, then it is merely an error.

There is another important criteria that is given for a language to be considered standard:

It must be used in high-prestige situations, such as in court, at schools, and in the country‟s

literature.7 It must be dignified and educated.

After all, when one speaks of Standard American English, one does not talk about the

English of the marginalized American communities; Standard American English is based on the

English of professors and scholars, the sort of English that you would expect to be used by the
President of the United States in his speeches. When one speaks of Standard British English, one

does not talk about anything other than the Queen‟s English.

Why, then, should Standard Philippine English be an exception? Why should Standard

Philippine English strive to be “democratic” when other Standard Englishes are unapologetically

elitist?

Standard Philippine English should, of course, be elitist as well. In fact, if anything, it

should strive to be even more elitist than either American or British English, because it has so

much to compensate for: a dire lack of economic and political power which, in the real world,

are major factors for giving status to a language.

This reality, that the status of a language depends on the status of its country of origin, is

proved by the fact that English is so widely used. Why, of all languages, would the world choose

to adopt English as a second language? As Crystal (1999) observes, “there is nothing

intrinsically wonderful about the English language.” It does not sound particularly more pleasing

than other languages. Its grammar and spelling are neither simpler nor more elegant; a good

number of its words, in fact, such as rough, through, though, and plough, are rule bound by

convention only, not by any other explicit rule. Its alphabet is not half as systematic as Korea‟s

Han gul.

Crystal hit the nail on the head when he stated that English became a world language for

one reason only: the power of its native speakers. It is the status of the speaker that gives status

to the language. That is why languages can never be equal – because speakers are never equal

either.

Therefore, if Standard Philippine English is to gain any status or respect at all, it must be

the kind of English spoken by the most powerful, most educated, most elite Filipinos we can
find. Only then will Philippine English have the chance to gain some respect when it stands side

by side with the English of the rich and powerful nations such as America and the UK.

Is there really such a variety of English spoken by our most educated, most powerful

people, that is not American English?

There is – particularly in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary (see appendix), and

punctuation. Philippine English is rhotic and pronounces “r” as either an alveolar tap or alveolar

approximant. The [æ] and [ə] sounds are hardly ever used. Instead, [æ] is often replaced with [ɐ],

while [ə] is replaced with either [ɐ], [ɞ], [e], [ɪ], or [œ].8 In punctuation, we teach in our schools that one

should not use the serial comma, a rule that is contradictory to standard American practice. We have also

assigned our own meanings and nuances to a number of English words, and coined our own words as

well, using perfectly correct English rules of morphology (e.g. presidentiable [president+able]: a person

who could become president; a presidential candidate).

The abovementioned variety of Philippine English is rule bound: It can be taught uniformly in

Philippine schools. It is also compatible with natural Filipino enunciation: No longer will we need to twist

and turn our tongues futilely to say [æpəl] – and still come up with [epœl] – when [ɐpœl] is so much

easier for us to say and is easily understandable as “apple” by any English speaker in the world.

And though our pronunciation and collocations deviate from Standard American or British

English, the abovementioned variety of Philippine English is not labeled as erroneous. It is correct and

respectable because it is used by the most respected or powerful people in the country.

No, all languages are not equal. Some languages are more powerful and, therefore, more

important than others, and the power of a language is determined by the power of the people who

use it. This is how a meritocratic world works.

It is about time, therefore, that the “elitist” variety of Philippine English be formalized as

our country‟s representative in the world map of Englishes. That way, it can be given its due
place in our society, claim its rightful dignity as a valid variety of English, and secure our

country‟s position in the linguistic heirarchy of the world.

APPENDIX

This is an updated list of terms that are peculiar to Philippine English.9 Some of these terms exist
in other varieties of English but are used in different ways. Other terms are coined in the
Philippines and are used only in the country‟s own English system.

aggrupation: group

accomplish: to fill out (a form)

already: used when a task has been completed, even if the completion happens after the deadline

apartelle: an apartment that you can rent by the day

armalite: a US M16A1 rifle, regardless of brand

baby armalite: a short-barrel M16A1 rifle

banana cue/camote cue: bananas or yam that are sliced, sugared, skewered, and grilled

banca: a canoe

barbecue: slices of pork that are marinated, skewered, and grilled

bedspace: a bed in a private home rented out to people who need a place to stay. Several
“bedspaces” can be rented out in a single room. If you rent the whole room, you are termed a
“boarder” instead.

biodata: a form that you fill out with information normally included in a résumé

blue seal: an imported version of a locally produced cigarette

bold movie: an adult film

boodle fight: a gathering where food is served in one pile, usually on banana leaves, and people
eat with their hands, taking their food from the common pile

boundary: an amount of money that a professional driver pays to the owner of a public utility
vehicle so that the driver may be allowed to drive the vehicle, collect fares, and thus, earn his
living

cabinet: a closet
cadette: a female cadet

call card: a phone card

calling card: a business card

comfort room: a lavatory; a rest room

carabao: a water buffalo

carnap: car theft

call boy: a male prostitute

commute: to travel via public transportation

commuter: one who travels via public transportation

dine in: eat in

take out: to go

dormer: a person who stays at a dormitory

duster: a housedress

eat all you can: all you can eat

find your height: arrange yourselves in a line from the shortest to the tallest

exclusive school: a school where all enrollees belong to only one sex

fill up: fill out (a form)

fiscalize: to serve as check and balance

flyover: overpass

FX taxi: a share taxi

gimmick: a night out, usually to a dance club

green jokes: dirty jokes

hand carry: carry-on luggage

hard drink: alcoholic beverage that is distilled, not fermented

jeepney: small buses made from stretched military jeeps

jueteng: a numbers game

masterals: a master‟s degree; postgraduate studies leading towards a master‟s degree

motel: a hotel that charges by the hour, used primarily for sex

middle name: mother‟s maiden surname

nightclub: a strip club

officemate: a co-worker

polo shirt: a dress shirt

practicumer: an intern

presidentiable: a presidential candidate

racket: a sideline

revival: a cover version of an old song

rotunda: a rotary intersection

rubber shoes: sneakers or athletic shoes

rugby: rubber cement

sandals: slippers for going out

salvage: to conduct summary execution

scalawag: a rogue police or military man

sidecar: an adult-sized tricycle

slang: American accent; an unclear way of speaking

slippers: house slippers; flip-flops

subdivision: a gated community; a village

the other day: the day before yesterday

tricycle: a motorcycle with an attached sidecar

tuition fee: tuition; money you pay for receiving instruction

wash day: a day when office workers do not wear uniform because it‟s the day designated for

their sets of uniform to get washed

NOTES

1. Betsy Stark, “The Myth of the Pipeline: Inequality Still Plagues Working Women,
Study Finds,” ABC News, Feb. 18, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/myth-pipeline-
inequality-plagues-working-women-study-finds/story?id=9868961 (accessed on March 24,
2010).

2. Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies,

http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html.

3. “Top 30 Languages Spoken in the World by Number of Speakers,” Vistawide,

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm (accessed on March 25, 2010).

4. "English Language Statistics," English Language Guide,

http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/facts/stats/ (accessed on March 25, 2010).

5. Senior Scribe [pseud.], "English and Its Historical Development, Part 22 (Modern
English Period)," Word Info, http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/4210/
?letter=E&spage=5 (accessed on March 25, 2010).

6. "American and British English differences," Wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences (accessed on March 24,
2010).

7. "Standard Language," Wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_language#Features (accessed on March 24, 2010).

8. Data gathered by listening to the following videos: “Ninoy Aquino's last recorded
phone call before returning to Manila!!!” (2008); "9th State of the Nation Address (SONA)
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 'July 27, 2009' Part 5" (2009); and “Mar Roxas Officially Supports
Noynoy Aquino as President of the Philippines” (2009).

9. These terms are based on the list posted in “Philippine English,” Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_English (accessed on March 24, 2010). The writer has
confirmed through online search that these terms are currently and widely being used by
educated Filipino speakers of English, and that the usages are particular to Philippine English
speakers.

DISCOGRAPHY

Molarbutchoy [pseud.]. "9th State of the Nation Address (SONA) Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 'July
27, 2009' Part 5." YouTube, July 28, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg6T33-
dy_g&feature=related (accessed on March 25, 2010).

NinoyAquinoTV [pseud.]. “Ninoy Aquino's last recorded phone call before returning to
Manila!!!” YouTube, November 15, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=2DMeZwC5oZY&feature=related (accessed on March 25, 2010).

Pinaswatcher [pseud.]. “Mar Roxas Officially Supports Noynoy Aquino as President of the
Philippines.” YouTube, September 1, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=OjM9--Idn-k&feature=related (accessed on March 25, 2010).

REFERENCES

"American and British English differences," Wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences (accessed on
March 24, 2010).

Crystal, David. “World English: Past, Present, Future.” Paper to the ASKO Europa-Stiftung
Symposium. 11-13 June 1999. http://www.davidcrystal.com/DC_articles/English28.pdf.

Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies.

http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html

"English Language Statistics." English Language Guide.

http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/facts/stats/ (accessed on March 25, 2010).

Hymes, Dell. Preface. In Language of Inequality, edited by Nessa Wolfson and Joan Manes.
Berlin, New York and Amsterdam: Mouton, 1985.

Llamzon, Teodoro A. Standard Filipino English. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University,
1969.

“Philippine English.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_English (accessed on

March 24, 2010).

Senior Scribe [pseud.]. "English and Its Historical Development, Part 22 (Modern English
Period)." Word Info. http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/4210/
?letter=E&spage=5 (accessed on March 25, 2010).
"Standard Language." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_language#Features
(accessed on March 24, 2010).

Stark, Betsy. “The Myth of the Pipeline: Inequality Still Plagues Working Women, Study Finds.”
ABC News, Feb. 18, 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/myth-pipeline-inequality-
plagues-working-women-study-finds/story?id=9868961 (accessed on March 25, 2010).

"Top 30 Languages Spoken in the World by Number of Speakers.” Vistawide.

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm (accessed on March 26,
2010).

Tupas, T. Ruanni F. “The Politics of Philippine English: Neocolonialism, Global Politics, and the
Problem of Postcolonialism.” World Englishes, 23:1. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. 47-58.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118783549/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY
=0