By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Some people are averse at using some local terms when speaking English. They therefore disapprove of people inserting such local terms as they speak the King’s language. They may be called purists, although they themselves oftentimes mangle the language.
If one examines closer our legislators in Congress, our national executives or even our LGU authorities, their English statements are interspersed with local words. And they get away with it. I mean, they are understood. They even invent words. Of course, we can always invent new, acceptable words to communicate better. Remember the word, “shabulized” uttered by President Duterte just recently? It is not an English word but it may soon become part of the Oxford English Dictionary(OED).
It is perfect now to say, “Let’s eat puto or pancit or halo-halo or leche flan “. The purists should no longer find that inappropriate. Why? Those local words have just been added to the OED this year thus, internationalized. Don’t be surprised then if foreigners will utter words in casual conversations or even in formal gathering, that are so familiar with our ears. Chances are, the additions will first be used by writers in their novels or any article as was done to much earlier additions like boondocks (bundok)
Yes, Philippine English, a Filipino variety of the king’s language, is now recognized in the English-speaking world. This is inevitable since we are acknownledged as the third largest English-speaking country in the world with more than 89 million speakers . Only the United States (more than 190 million) and India (more than 126 million) had larger number of speakers. Obviously, the Philippine variant is not being trivialized but is now given an importance in the evolution of the English language. That is why, local words of wide usage are being added every year to the dictionary.
The presence of our OFWs and immigrants worldwide will make additions of new Filipino words in the dictionary easier. This is one upside of sending our countrymen for greener pastures elsewhere.
Years ago, there were 40 Philippine English words added to OED (said to be the largest batch of Filipino words added to it in a single year). Some of the Filipino words now in the OED are: balikbayan, carnap, high-blood, presidentiable, gimmick, kkb (kani-kaniyang bayad), utang-na-loob, halo-halo, despidida, baon (food or money one brings to work or school); barkada (friends one hangs out with); estafa (fraud); kikay (vain girl); kuya (older brother); mabuhay (long live); pasalubong (souvenirs brought back home from another country or place); suki (regular customer or seller).
Kilig, lolo, lola, tito, tita, kare-kare and balut are some of the newest additions this year. I guess we will soon be better understood by English-speaking people anywhere.
Our words are now becoming a fixture in the evolution of the English language. That’s something to be proud about. A live language really is like that. It borrows from elsewhere. One reason why some dialects in the country are now almost extinct is not only because of the dwindling number of speakers but also because of refusal to snatch some words elsewhere to enrich them. Am afraid, even some of our languages are slowly moving towards that almost dreaded word, extinction.
No language in the world stands alone or has all the words that can describe everything, especially in relation to new developments such as the word internet. Let us enrich lavishly our own native tongues to make them live forever.
**
