Articles On English
Five days ago, this article by William M. Esposo was published in his As I Wreck This Chair column:
The Extensive Damage A Foreign Medium Of Instruction Unleashes
One reason why Filipinos were left behind in Asia by countries we once led during the early 1960s is because we are too parochial in our thinking. We fail to see the big picture and miss the lessons of the successes and failures of other countries.
Now, this parochial thinking is about to set the country into chasing what is called fools gold by re-imposing English as medium of instruction. It is fools gold because it does not really deliver the imagined benefits. On the contrary, it will inflict severe damage to generations of Filipinos.
The legislators who are pushing for the re-imposition of English as medium of instruction obviously did not do their homework. If they bothered to research the experiences of other countries with the use of English as their medium of instruction, they will not even think twice about pushing their bill. That is unless their real agenda is to perpetuate the idiocy (failure to learn and know the truth) that allows the exploitation of the ignorant in this country.
He goes on to detail both the Indian experience and the Hong Kong experience in his article. Click here to read the rest of it.
Yesterday, he continued his argument that the use of English as the medium of instruction will not be for the good of the Philippines in this article:
English As The Big Filipino Hang Up
Whenever your Chair Wrecker writes about the issue of re-imposing English as the medium of instruction here, spirited responses are generated.
Many of those who support the view that English should be taught only as subjects but not imposed as the medium of instruction are from the academe. They understand the impact of language in the learning process. They know that a people will learn more when taught in the language they are most familiar with.
They know that what is important is that we produce world-class farmers, technicians, craftsmen, engineers, doctors, nurses, scientists, laborers and so forth who can compete with the best in the world. English to world-class workers is at best an added advantage. But what is essential is the core competence in the real task or service that they provide.
A physicist who speaks the Queen’s English but cannot put together the most basic of elements is useless and will likely land in a call center.
Also, among those who support that view are the nationalists who know only too well that a country cannot possibly internalize its full sense of nationhood when a foreign language is imposed on its people as the medium of instruction.
Don’t be surprised that many Filipinos still entertain the illusion that they are Americans. The pretense with the language allows the maintenance of this illusion in the Filipino colonial mentality. If you want to talk like a Yank, soon you’ll think that you’re a Yank.
In a Youth Study in 2001, an abnormally high number of our young people openly wished that they were Americans or British. This mindset is easily reflected in a lot of the advertising materials that are directed towards young people.
Many of those who oppose the view — in other words they are for imposing English as medium of instruction — do so for all the wrong reasons.
Some of them think that without English proficiency, Filipinos cannot land jobs here and overseas. They fail to see that the language is secondary to the job competence.
Some of them mistake the current efforts of the Chinese, South Koreans and other Asian nationals to learn English as the key to acquiring the competitive edge. They think that if we learn English ahead of the Chinese, South Koreans and other Asian nationals - then we will beat them. This is fallacious thinking that mistakes the cart for the horse.
How can you beat them when you don’t even have their level of job competence — something which they acquired by learning their skills in the language they are most familiar with? Can a Filipino speaking the Queen’s English be considered better than the Chinese who makes double the quantity of products that the Filipino makes in an hour?
Click here to read the rest of his piece.
I find myself in agreement. If it's competence and learning--in math, the sciences, engineering, business, and the arts--that matters, best to do it in the language that those learning are comfortable with. English, as an international language, can be learned secondarily; ditto for any other widely spoken international language. It's a rather utilitarian view, granted, but it's the learning that counts. I'm fairly sure that the Japanese, for example, teach their students in Nihongo, and the Taiwanese in Mandarin. Courses in those subjects can also be taught in English for those who prefer that language. Of course, this would be the ideal, but we know that the world is far from perfect. The irony that I'm writing this post in English and not Tagalog--and that the same applies to Mr. Esposo--doesn't escape me, by the way.
As a slightly related aside, there is this article that just came out today:
Nashville Voters reject "English First" Proposal
Nashville voters rejected a proposal on Thursday that would have made it the largest U.S. city to require that all government business be done in English.
The Extensive Damage A Foreign Medium Of Instruction Unleashes
One reason why Filipinos were left behind in Asia by countries we once led during the early 1960s is because we are too parochial in our thinking. We fail to see the big picture and miss the lessons of the successes and failures of other countries.
Now, this parochial thinking is about to set the country into chasing what is called fools gold by re-imposing English as medium of instruction. It is fools gold because it does not really deliver the imagined benefits. On the contrary, it will inflict severe damage to generations of Filipinos.
The legislators who are pushing for the re-imposition of English as medium of instruction obviously did not do their homework. If they bothered to research the experiences of other countries with the use of English as their medium of instruction, they will not even think twice about pushing their bill. That is unless their real agenda is to perpetuate the idiocy (failure to learn and know the truth) that allows the exploitation of the ignorant in this country.
He goes on to detail both the Indian experience and the Hong Kong experience in his article. Click here to read the rest of it.
Yesterday, he continued his argument that the use of English as the medium of instruction will not be for the good of the Philippines in this article:
English As The Big Filipino Hang Up
Whenever your Chair Wrecker writes about the issue of re-imposing English as the medium of instruction here, spirited responses are generated.
Many of those who support the view that English should be taught only as subjects but not imposed as the medium of instruction are from the academe. They understand the impact of language in the learning process. They know that a people will learn more when taught in the language they are most familiar with.
They know that what is important is that we produce world-class farmers, technicians, craftsmen, engineers, doctors, nurses, scientists, laborers and so forth who can compete with the best in the world. English to world-class workers is at best an added advantage. But what is essential is the core competence in the real task or service that they provide.
A physicist who speaks the Queen’s English but cannot put together the most basic of elements is useless and will likely land in a call center.
Also, among those who support that view are the nationalists who know only too well that a country cannot possibly internalize its full sense of nationhood when a foreign language is imposed on its people as the medium of instruction.
Don’t be surprised that many Filipinos still entertain the illusion that they are Americans. The pretense with the language allows the maintenance of this illusion in the Filipino colonial mentality. If you want to talk like a Yank, soon you’ll think that you’re a Yank.
In a Youth Study in 2001, an abnormally high number of our young people openly wished that they were Americans or British. This mindset is easily reflected in a lot of the advertising materials that are directed towards young people.
Many of those who oppose the view — in other words they are for imposing English as medium of instruction — do so for all the wrong reasons.
Some of them think that without English proficiency, Filipinos cannot land jobs here and overseas. They fail to see that the language is secondary to the job competence.
Some of them mistake the current efforts of the Chinese, South Koreans and other Asian nationals to learn English as the key to acquiring the competitive edge. They think that if we learn English ahead of the Chinese, South Koreans and other Asian nationals - then we will beat them. This is fallacious thinking that mistakes the cart for the horse.
How can you beat them when you don’t even have their level of job competence — something which they acquired by learning their skills in the language they are most familiar with? Can a Filipino speaking the Queen’s English be considered better than the Chinese who makes double the quantity of products that the Filipino makes in an hour?
Click here to read the rest of his piece.
I find myself in agreement. If it's competence and learning--in math, the sciences, engineering, business, and the arts--that matters, best to do it in the language that those learning are comfortable with. English, as an international language, can be learned secondarily; ditto for any other widely spoken international language. It's a rather utilitarian view, granted, but it's the learning that counts. I'm fairly sure that the Japanese, for example, teach their students in Nihongo, and the Taiwanese in Mandarin. Courses in those subjects can also be taught in English for those who prefer that language. Of course, this would be the ideal, but we know that the world is far from perfect. The irony that I'm writing this post in English and not Tagalog--and that the same applies to Mr. Esposo--doesn't escape me, by the way.
As a slightly related aside, there is this article that just came out today:
Nashville Voters reject "English First" Proposal
Nashville voters rejected a proposal on Thursday that would have made it the largest U.S. city to require that all government business be done in English.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial results showed the "English First" proposal losing with about 57 percent of voters against it and 43 percent in favor. Proponents said using one language would have united the city and saved money, but business leaders, academics and the city's mayor worried it could give the city a bad reputation. Similar measures have passed elsewhere.
"The results of this special election reaffirms Nashville's identity as a welcoming and friendly city, and our ability to come together as a community," Mayor Karl Dean said in a news release.
Supporter Glenda Paul, 35, said as she exited a voting precinct Thursday that having one language is an important part of keeping government small.
"If I moved to France to start a business, I would be expected to speak French and that doesn't mean that I am not welcome there. It just means I need to respect the language."
But Claire King, 31, who lives in East Nashville, said Thursday that she voted against the amendment because "it sends a message of intolerance."
posted by pgenrestories at 9:46 AM
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