It was the Department of Linguistics’ turn to deliver the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy’s (CSSP) Rafael Palma Centennial Lecture, with Dr. Jonathan C. Malicsi as featured lecturer. Malicsi’s “Pinoy English: A Case of Language Drift” delivered on August 8, 2008 at the Palma Hall AVR presented the results of his long research on one of the “Englishes” flourishing in the world today.
The phenomenon of several “Englishes” in the world today manifests cases of “language drift.” According to Malicsi, Pinoy English has deviated from International English partly as a result of “diffusion,” a process of propagation in language. English usage in a community geographically and socially isolated from the original users is particularly prone to the diffusion of errors and outdated or mutated use of the language. To begin with, meanings are embedded in culture, which differs from community to community.
Malicsi said it is important to study Pinoy English not only to satisfy linguistic curiosity but also to establish its identity among the other Englishes in the world, to articulate the contrasts so that teaching of International English to Filipinos can be better directed, and to advise foreigners on the peculiarities of Pinoy English.
Knowledge of the “drift hypothesis” in language may also help assess the effectivity of the communicative approach in teaching language, “systemize” the teaching of International English, and highlight the importance of International English proficiency for students majoring in the English language, call center agents, and teachers most especially of basic education. Knowledge of language drift may also keep language users and diffusers on their toes and help them overcome resistance to change.
Based on his studies, the Philippines’ top diffusers are teachers, priests and ministers, media practitioners, copywriters, and administrators. For example, teachers were responsible for the common use of “routinary” in the Philippines; priests and ministers, for the mispronunciation of “covet” and “Catholicism”; media practitioners, for phrases such as “at par with”; copywriters, for spelling the non-adjective “every day” as one word; and administrators, for the use of “enjoin” to mean “invite.” Citing this powerful means of propagating and perpetuating meanings, Malicsi concluded that diffusion should be considered a means of teaching.
Prof. Malicsi cites teachers as leading “diffusers.”
Malicsi presented quaint examples of Pinoy English in government speeches and Department of Education press releases and memorandums. He also presented the result of a survey of more than a hundred English teachers from several colleges and universities on their knowledge of International English, which turned out to be poor. These will be part of his book which will be launched in late August.
The Rafael Palma Centennial Lectures is a project of the CSSP under Dean Zosimo Lee. It aims to set directions for the College’s various disciplines.
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