Francis B. Tatel Dr.
Maria Corazon Castro
MA English Studies (Language) English 299
Tentative Research Problem
Kachru (1992) stated that with the universalization and consequent diversification of
English, the question of norms and models has become a major concern. The dimensions of this
issue includes not only linguistic but also attitudinal and even pedagogical. In general judgment,
the different paradigms of World Englishes have democratized attitudes towards different
varieties of English all around the world. For instance, Bhatia (2209) asserted:
“Asian attitudes toward English are very positive overall. English is no longer viewed as
a ‘colonial’ or ‘oppressor’ language but has become the integral part of the Asian
linguistic heritage. Survey after survey come to the same conclusion that Asia desires to
learn English.”
Responding to the question of which variety to learn, Bhatia, by citing a few authors,
asserted that although there is no unanimous agreement over the issue, there is a strong
preference among Asians to study the variety specific to their own countries. However, it appears
that such is not the case in the Philippines. In an article written by Tupas (2010) about the
attitude of seven Filipino English teachers who took a semester-long module in Second
Language Teaching (SLT) as part of their postgraduate course with a university in the
Philippines, he revealed that they had an ambivalent attitude towards teaching Philippine English
to their students. Despite their admittance that global acknowledgment of Philippine English as a
legitimate English variety is empowering, they recognized the economic imperative of teaching
and learning American English.
This proves what Pefianco Martin (2010) said: that the existence of a Philippine variety
does not necessarily translate into acceptance of that variety. She reported that in a survey of 185
public elementary and high school teachers of English, 47 per cent reported that their target
model for ELT is American English. This sociolinguistic phenomenon is interesting to study
because as early as 1983, it has been anticipated by Brother Andrew Gonzales when he
expressed his recognition of the existence of a Philippine English but disapproved of its
legitimization on a par with American, British, Australian, Canadian and other varieties of
English in formerly colonized countries. Thus, he recommended adherence to American English
for language teaching.
It is therefore apparent that there is a prevalent silencing of Philippine English in the
academia. Silencing is originally a term used in critical discourse analysis, which Thiesmeyer
(2003) defined as a way of using language to limit, remove or undermine the legitimacy of
another use of language. This silencing of Philippine English (PhilE) in the classrooms is most
probably one of the reasons why, according to Schneider (2007), Philippine English is not likely
to go beyond phase 3 of his Dynamic Model, which is the nativization stage. This might go hand
in hand with the fact that the promotion of Filipino ‘restricts the range of uses of English and,
more importantly, successfully bars it from the role of symbolizing identities, national or
otherwise’ (Wee, 2010).
GENERAL TOPIC
Philippine English
SPECIFIC TOPICS UNDER THE GENERAL TOPIC
Post-colonialism and Philippine English
Silencing and Philippine English
SELECTED TOPIC
Silencing and Philippine English
Silencing of Philippine English in Premier Philippine Universities
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Silencing: a way of using language to limit, remove or undermine the legitimacy
of another use of language (Thiesmeyer)
Philippine English: a nativized variety of English which has features that
differentiate it from Standard American English because of the influence of the
first language and the different cultures in which the language is embedded
(manifested in the pronunciation and lexicon) and because of a restructuring of
some of the grammar rules (manifested in the grammar).
RESEARCH QUESTION
Which between lexicon and grammar of Philippine English do English
professors consider more acceptable?
