EL 104

UNIT 1: MULTILINGUALISM AND LANGUAGE POLICY

LESSON 2: Linguistic Rights and the Philippines Language Situation

Learning Goals

1. Explain the concept of linguistic rights and its significance to society and individuals;
2. Familiarize yourself with the language situation in the Philippines; and
3. Rationalize the preferred languages in the different domains of the country.

Such inevitability presupposes that one of us has the right and cultivate our own
language. This is also known as one’s linguistic rights. Phillipson and Skutnabb-kangas
(2017) listed several international covenants that cover one’s linguistic rights.

 The Charter of the United Nations (1945) commits its member nations in its general
articles to promoting “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”
(paragraph 6.11, 55)
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, paragraph 2: “Everyone is entitled to all
the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other status.”
 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966, Article 27) states: “In
those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic S exist, persons belonging to such
minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their
group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use
their own language.”
 The UN Convention on the Right of the Child (1989) stresses the maintenance of
identity, including “nationality” and “name”.
 The UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic,
Religious, and Linguistic Minorities: “that the promotion and protection of the
rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
contribute to the political and social stability of states in which they live” (Preamble)