A Language We All Must Learn
The theme for this year’s Buwan ng Wika is a celebration of the Philippine’s rich culture, indicated by the many different languages the country has. It also associates these languages with nation building. As to what role they play, it is up to whoever ponders it. The connection is for writers, bloggers for that matter, to establish and for readers to appreciate and do something about.
No, I will not bore you with nose-bleeding in-depth analysis of the role of language in building a strong nation because I know for sure that most online readers, me included, have short attention span. Er, we do not have the luxury of time to intently read long articles.
Let me begin, however, by saying that language, particularly verbal language, is only a medium for getting a particular message across. The manner by which the message is sent and the channel through which it is delivered, and some other factors, are just but a structure of support. The large chunk of significance in communication rests on the message itself.
Linking language with nation building is no new an idea. In fact, that has been the subject of two separate studies, including one conducted in Africa. The first is on the importance of one language while the other is on multilingualism and nation building. Long time ago in the Philippines, the idea of a national language advanced by the late President Manuel L. Quezon stirred up debates among language groups in the country. All of these point to the fact that there exist diverse views on the impact of language in shaping a nation.
A country with a gift of tongues—and with a national language already in place–why does the Philippines continue to drift further down the list of progressive nations?
Maybe, the language we need is more than just verbal—something, which would prod us to do worthy things other than merely talking.
In a Mass I have once attended, the priest read a letter (“in simple, imperfect English”) a Korean national wrote for the Filipinos. The letter asked the same question: Why, despite of the country’s rich resources, do we still wallow in poverty? It also detailed how Korea was able to rise up to its current economic status.
From there, I realized that the goal of building a strong nation would be at hand if every Filipino learns a very important language—the Language of Nationalism.
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