That would be 'yes' AND 'no'.
It is true that the Americans practically educated the Filipinos. Historically speaking, they established the existing educational system. Given that, one would think that Filipinos should be great at speaking their language.
There are many who can speak English well, especially among those who have the financial capacity to afford the expensive schools. There is a vast majority, however, who find it difficult to speak English.
Case in point, go to any public school and choose any student not endorsed by his/her teacher and conduct an interview in English. Even those in the higher sections, even Section 1, would be too shy to participate in the said interview. Why they simply have no confidence in themselves.
While it is true that English has been taught to Filipinos from their very first formal lessons, many do not practice the language. How come? There are English movies shown in the Philippines. There are many books in English. English lyrics fill the airwaves. How then can these people not be exposed enough?
There are many reasons. Some say English is the language of the rich. Those who speak English well must've been able to afford the big expensive schools. Those who dare to speak English well in public places get to be stared at with increduility. Some say "we are in the Philippines. Speak the local language." What that "local language" is -- well, that still depends on where you are physically since there are several languages spoken in the country. Tagalog is popularly acknowldged as the national language but the Visayans will have a lot to say about that issue.
In response, I'd say, "how about going global?"
From my experience as a teacher, one reason I see is sheer laziness. Kids see studying as a chore to be done -- a kind of work that is more often too tedious or sometimes even difficult. Since English is a subject in school, they don't want to learn it because they already have a language. It doesn't matter that they will eventually use English to find a good job. Immature shortsightedness just tells them that having to learn English is not a fun thing to do. And it boils down to the lack of the love for learning. If you love to learn, it would be fun. To these kids, learning isn't fun so having to learn English another things they'd have to suffer through.
Another apparent reason that I see in my students is the sheer lack of support from home. Their parents grew up not wanting to speak English, so no one encouraged them to speak the language. They believe they can get by with the English they learn from local TV shows, music and the movies they watch. Yet they do not watch enough English shows or movies nor do they appreciate enough English songs. No home support, little exposure -- a detrimental combination for learners of a new language.
Personally, I am not a rich person. My family is not rich. But I grew up in a household that valued education. As a child, I was exposed to Mary Poppins, Little House on the Prairie and Star Trek. We had books in volumes, of which I especially like the Reader's Digest collection, including the condensed books anthologies. In school, I wasn't a popular girl because I'd rather spend time in the library reading rather than playing. I never really appreciated Tagalog songs because I found English ballads more relatable. I got into good schools because we were able to get scholarships.
So here we are with me, the English major who isn't rich. How did it all happen? I never really liked stereotypes. I'm hardly the conventional Filipina. I worked around the conventions. Can you?
Pinoys who don't speak English often look down on those who do speak it in public perceiving them as mayabang or show-offs. They don't know that many of these people use English more often in their daily lives, usually due to work than the local dialect and forget to switch back especially if they are chatting with peple who also speak English fluently.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. In my classes, students often laugh at a classmate who tries to speak proper English. This I would often ask, "Why do you laugh at someone who is actually doing it well?"
ReplyDeleteIt still amuses me when people pinch their nose and say "nose bleed" when th y run out of English. :D
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