PLURALITY OF ENGLISH PART II

Philippine English
Multilingualism
Language, Culture, and Society
Eng Ed 112

NORQUEZ MANGANSAKAN – MANGINDRA, EdD

Subject Professor / Compiler
Philippine English

Philippine English, one of the very few American – transplanted Englishes, refers
to statements and expressions that are akin to the Philippines. These are words or
phrases that mean differently when in the Philippines. It is used by around 42 million or
72% of the Filipino Population.
Filipino English and American English are often compared due to their similarities
in pronunciation and spelling. Due to this influence, the Filipino English accent is almost
the same as the American English accent except for the fact that it's a little strong
compared to the latter.
However, the Kachruvian theory situates Philippine English in the outer circle along
with other English as second language varieties such as Singapore and Indian English
(Kachru, 1982, 1985).
Bautista (1996) presents three sub-varieties of Philippine English: Yaya English,
bargirl English, and Colegiala English.

Occupation-based Englishes

1. Yaya English or nanny English would refer to the ‘unschooled’ English variety
spoken by a usually young female maid taking care of either children or elderly
people (Bautista, 1982, p. 378, 1996).
2. Bargirl English points to the English of female employees in red-light district bars
precisely situated in the periphery of Clark and Subic airbases, as opposed to bars
in general.
3. Colegiala (or college girl) English concerns the English of female girls educated
in convent schools; this English sub-variety appears to be indicative of social class
rather than a reflection of a desire to receive religious training.

Hybrid Englishes

a. Taglish

A mixed language involving Tagalog and English, has received

considerable scholarly attention in recent years; it has been enriched by the
influential works of scholars such as Bautista (2004b) and Thompson (2003).
Taglish occurs widely in both oral and written forms in media, sports commentary,
commercials, tabloids, as well as informal talk and classrooms, among many
others (Schneider, 2016). Moreover, Taglish can also be utilized in electronic
platforms such as text and app messaging apart from blogs and other chats. What
follows is from one of Bautista’s (2004b)

Taglish examples:
A: Has anybody ever tried to, you know, bribe you into silence?
 B: Bribery is such a ticklish subject. Pag nagsalita ka [when you talk about it], they’d
say ‘Ay naku [Oh gosh], she’s trying to be holier than thou.’ But the network is
very strict about it.
A: What about partiality, you know …?

b. Conyo English

One of the more recent Philippine Englishes is Conyo English, as coined by

Borlongan (2015). During the period of Spanish colonization in the Philippines, the
term conyo has two meanings: cunt from the Spanish word coño; and an
interjection referring to a Spaniard (Garvida, 2012). Through the years, the
Filipinos began to associate this term with upperclass people of fair skin living in
an exclusive neighborhood; eventually, they began to identify the term conyo with
the language spoken by these privileged fair-skinned people, attaching it to anyone
who speaks a corrupted English with Tagalog or Spanish words

Example
Can you make tusok – tusok to the fishball?
Can you make skewer – skewer to the fishball?
‘Can you skewer the fishball?’

c. Hokaglish

Another hybrid X-English is Hokaglish, which is also popularly known as

Salamtsamoe (loosely translated from Hokkien as ‘mix-mix’). Hokaglish is
considered a mixed language that essentially involves three 12 W. D. W.
GONZALES languages – Hokkien, Tagalog, and English. It is also likely that
Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese play a part in the formation of Hokaglish, as
observed in the history of the Philippine language ecology (Chu, 2010; Tan, 1993).
Gonzales (2016a, 2016b) notes that Hokaglish is used in five primary domains:
restaurants, houses, academic institutions, religious institutions, and telephone
calls. However, it is likely that the use of the language would depend more on the
interlocutor rather than the domain. An example from Gonzales’ data bank is
shown as follows:
A: A ni ba? [Like that?]
B: Di u hoat thang boe [You can buy] fifty percent
a. From the soya milk you can earn fifty percent per bottle.
Than siami a? [How much would you earn?]
B: You sell it for twenty pesos

Philippine English Expressions Filipinos Say

 “High Blood” When a Pinoy says he's getting 'high blood', don't panic and call for
an ambulance. ...
 “Slang” ...
  “Nosebleed” ...
 “Secret!!!” ...
 “Appear!” ...
 “CR” or “Comfort Room” ...
 “Maids' Quarters”, “Dirty Kitchen”, “Sala” ...
 “Tomboy”, “Cowboy”, “Maniac”

Task
Read more about Philippine English (PE) and supply information on the following:
1. Description (Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary Idioms)
2. Examples of Philippine English Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary Idioms

Multilingualism

A person who can communicate effectively in writing, speaking, and even singing
using three or more languages is considered a multilingual or polyglot. Multilingualism
is the ability of an individual speaker or a community of speakers to communicate
effectively in three or more languages. Contrast with monolingualism, the ability to use
only one language.
Most Filipinos speak 3 languages: their mother tongue, Tagalog, and English. It
is not uncommon for a Filipino to know even more than 3 languages. For example, many
Waray people can speak Waray, Cebuano, Tagalog, and English

Maximal Multilingual. These are speakers who are equally proficient in two or more
languages.

Minimal Multilingual. These are speakers who can successfully cut across their
message even if they are not fluent in the second or third language.

Types of Multilingualism

1. Additive. Learning of the second language does not interfere with first language.
English speakers in QUEBEC often learn French to upgrade business skills.
2. Subtractive. Learning of second language does interfere (replaces) with first
language.
Successive US immigrant generations eventually become monolingual
English speakers.

Importance of Multilingualism

1. Personal growth
2. Tolerance & respect towards other cultures
 3. Job Mobility
4. Abroad Study
5. Broadens employment opportunities
6. Increases vocabulary & effectiveness of speech

Ways of Acquisition

1. Successive Bilingualism Learning one language after already knowing another.

2. Simultaneous Bilingualism: Learning two languages as “first language”.
3. Receptive Bilingualism: Having the ability to understand a second language but
not speaking it or not being able to speak it due to psychological barriers. 27-06-
2014 7 Ways of Acquisition

Causes of multilingualism

1. Globalization
2. Cultural exchange
3. Migration of people
4. Intermarriages

Benefits of being multilingual

1. Knowledge of more than two languages allows us to communicate with many

people in both personal and professional contexts.
2. Multilingualism opens doors for quicker and easy communication.
3. Multilingualism practices enhance intellectual flexibility and creativity.
4. Multilingualism provides an insight into the understanding of different cultures and
experiences hence a multilingual becomes multicultural in nature.
5. Multilingualism provides a competitive edge in today’s job market.

Task
1. Read articles about the Effects of Multilingualism.
2. Create a 10-item questionnaire based on the articles you have read. Do
not forget to include your reference at the end of your paper.

References:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2016.1274574
https://doi.org/10.1075/veaw.g42.09day
https://www.google.com/search?q=unique+expressions+from+philippine+english&rlz=1
C1CHBD_enPH904PH904&oq=expressions+philippine+e&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j
0i22i30l3j0i390l3.13429j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309634484_Benefits_of_Multilingualism_in_E
ducation
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/multilingualism
Wilkinson Daniel Wong Gonzales (2017): Philippine Englishes, Asian Englishes, DOI:
10.1080/13488678.2016.1274574