Linguistic Diversity in the Philippines

Abstract

The article is focused on the linguistic situation in the Philippines, shaped historically both from outside (colonization by Spain and the USA which brought about Spanish and English as the state languages), and from inside (bringing Tagalog out of 170 local languages to the fore and renaming it into Pilipino and later Filipino). Being the language only of the fourth part of the population, it was, nevertheless, conceived of as the only state language of the Philippines. The policy of its “intellectualization”, elevating the language to a high state status, has encountered a number of obstacles, among which is the lack of the governmental support and interest among the population in reading books only in Filipino, the absence of translation centers which could popularize local literature, the shortage of professional translators and insufficient fees for their work. The process is slowed down by the influence of the English language supported on the level of the government and remaining the main official language in state structures and organizations, legal system and universities. The University of the Philippines is the most powerful institution in enhancing the role of Filipino. The study of mass media in the Philippines has brought to light the variety of languages used in newspapers: all broadsheets are printed in English, whereas tabloids are released in local languages, Tagalog primarily, but also in Bikol, Ilocano, Cebuano, Waray and Hiligaynon. There are also newspapers issued in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The same linguistic kaleidoscope is reflected in TV and radio programs, which maintains cultural identity, emotionality and unique storytelling of the Filipinos.