by Connie C. Triggiano
For three weeks over the Lenten season in the Philippines last month, I was witness to the many ways that I thought Tagalog, the national language and cornerstone of the country’s culture and history, was indeed being mangled, bastardized, spliced or replaced, riding out the mandate of its magistral constitution, the Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa.
From my vantage point, the Tagalog of Francisco Baltazar and Lope K. Santos, esteemed author of Balarila, appears to need a serious rescue mission lest it is allowed to sunset and eventually die.
News-wise, last month’s religious observance in the Philippines was an extremely busy one. Nonstop TV and radio newscasts of the death of Pope Francis and the anticipated launching of the Papal Conclave dominated the broadcasts in Tagalog and English. Remote coverage of the Vatican ceremonies and liturgies was transmitted by Filipino reporters steeped in the solemn and dignified manner of broadcasting but many of the words and phrases used did not reflect the essential Tagalog that is the bedrock of Filipino identity and culture. “Ito’y pag-alang-alang sa legacy ng Santo Papa na pinag-iwanan niya sa mundong ito,” so went one report.
Sustained public interest in the news was fueled by the death and corresponding memorial services for Nora Aunor, superstar and the country’s national artist for the arts, who died on April 16. Nora’s legion of fans alone that trooped to her wake provided an interesting trove of Tagalog expressions and vocabulary that could posed a potential threat against the continued use of Tagalog per Balarila’s prescription. Expectedly, the language of Noranians in the wake was stock-entertainment, no less: “Sobra-sobra, talagang sobra ang love namin kay Nora – super huge!” claimed one, waving magazine covers that carried Nora’s portrait. “No way na alis kami here. “Stay put lang,” said another. “Pero, it’s very hot here,” someone complained. “Sus, sobra init talaga. Init, wow, very hot, gid!”
Holy Week rites in the Philippines traditionally hug national media focus nationwide. But this time the religious observance competed for airtime with reports of violence and fracas over the impending local elections of May 12. Elections are always occasions for excitement and chaos in the country. Breaking news and emergencies were called out (yelled was more like it) in mixed Tagalog and English, followed by a sprinkling of uncouth terms in local dialect for good measure.
Tagalog’s grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary have all suffered both in written and oral formats. Recalling Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to the Philippines, an on-air coverage relayed “sariwain ang “pinagpalang idinala’ niya sa Pilipinas.” And consider this very common mistake ”Sila Nanay ang dadating mamaya (“sina” and “darating” are the correct terms.). One more; “Malaking pagbago ang dinulot ng internet sa araw araw na pamuhay sa Pinas.”
Through all this slew of events, media presence was sustained by a regular supply of breaking news, analyses, anecdotes, and riveting drama in a myriad of reporting styles. This is when Tagalog, meant to bridge kababayans everywhere, is seen to evolve – it spawned critical shifts in nuances and permitted an open flow of words that easily sidled into the familiar general lexicon of the Filipinos.
Resulting expressions can trigger an uneasy feeling for academics and scholars of Tagalog bent on preserving the purity of the language. Many decades later following President Quezon’s promulgation of Balarila, globalization sparked the blending of Tagalog with English (now Taglish) and Taglish with anyone of the country’s more than 120 dialects, not to mention some remnants of Spanish which remain at the core of Tagalog fundamentals.
Social media has inflicted worse wreckage on what used to be pure Tagalog, oftentimes in the interest of speed (or plain laziness) required of SMS’s frantic prompting for immediate response. Abbreviation, once the go-to relief from lengthy words, has been beefed up by Tagalog users in a uniquely Pinoy fashion – by dropping vowels from words in text messages. Examples: “Tlg bng kw yn?” and “wt lng ttwgn kt mmy.” Called “jejemon,” this phenomenon enjoys widespread use among Filipino communities threaded by SMS portals around the globe.
In addition to enabling instantaneous connection, “jejemon” infused clusters of fun and novelty in the process. And following the internet jargon of a similar nature, it has gone viral many times over.
Dubbed as “Aklat ng Bayan,” Balarila was proclaimed in 1937 by then President Manuel L. Quezon as the official foundation of the lexical structure of Tagalog. It then became the pioneering source for the teaching of grammar in public and private schools. Balarila stuck to strict grammar structures in an effort to claim its target position over the then-dominant Spanish and later, English languages brought about by the respective colonizing regimes of Spain and the United States.
Dubbed as “Aklat ng Bayan,” Balarila was proclaimed in 1937 by then President Manuel L. Quezon as the official foundation of the lexical structure of Tagalog. It then became the pioneering source for the teaching of grammar in public and private schools. Balarila stuck to strict grammar structures in an effort to claim its target position over the then-dominant Spanish and later, English languages brought about by the respective colonizing regimes of Spain and the United States.
As a major language, Tagalog needs to be rescued. Its survival is crucial to preserving the nation’s repository of history, culture, traditions, and values. The language is now facing challenges of colossal proportions – the greatest threat being the potential loss of an important cultural tool for future generations of Filipinos to connect with their heritage. This cannot and must not be allowed to happen.
Connie Triggiano is currently Board Secretary of Circa-Pintig, a Chicago community theater organization. She works as Academic and English tutor assisting foreign students to pass IELTS, TOEFL, Celpic, ESL and other English exams to gain admission to universities in English speaking countries. She also trains greencard holders to pass US citizenship exams and interview. She worked for many years as Vice-President of Chicago-based Leo Burnett Advertising in its Manila office where she managed the advertising accounts of the country’s biggest brands: Procter & Gamble, Pepsi Cola International, BPI, Vicks, Wyeth and Cathay Pacific. She edited a travel newspaper in Singapore and taught college freshmen in a local university. Connie graduated with a BA degree, major in English, from the University of San Francisco in California while working as an information officer for a United Way agency. She took up MS in Advertising at the Asian Institute for the Development of Advertising, UST Graduate School.
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