Why is it that many Filipinos fear the English language? Students are intimidated by it. Graduates feel that they have to be perfect at it in order to be considered smart and educated.

We fear it, thus we elevate it. It has become a status symbol. Filipino beauty queens are expected to be able to speak perfect English to be considered worthy of their crowns. The children of the rich learn English as their first language. There is a linguistic divide between the have’s and have-nots. But why should this be?

Isabel Pefianco Martin, president of the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, said that none of us should fear English. She says:

* Linguistically, all languages are equally perfect and complete.

* The English language is not owned by one country or one race.

* It is only one language among the 150 that exist today.

This means that Tagalog is every bit as valid and valuable as English. So is Cebuano, Ilocano and so forth. English is the global language, but it is by no means the mark of an intelligent mind. Filipinos who speak less than perfect English have succeeded, and wildly so, in their chosen fields. Examples are Manny Pacquiao and Melanie Marquez. They may speak Carabao English, but so what?

Go ahead and learn English, but do not be ashamed of your native tongue. And do not, for crying out loud, speak Tagalog with an American/British accent just to show that somehow you have forgotten the language you have spoken for 20+ years!

Sabi nga ni Jose Rizal:

Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa ang amoy sa mabahong isda. (He who doesn’t know how to love his own language has a worse odor than a smelly fish.)

為什么許多菲律賓人害怕英文？學(xué)生認(rèn)為英文很恐怖。畢業(yè)生認(rèn)為他們有必要掌握好英文從而讓人覺得他們很聰慧，受過良好的教育。

我們害怕英文，然而我們拔高了英文。它變成了學(xué)生的標(biāo)志。菲律賓選美女王要求英語口語流利，這樣才能被認(rèn)為配得上這個皇冠。富家孩子把英語作為第一語言。富人和窮人之間有一道語言分界。但是為什么會這樣呢？

菲律賓語言主席說，我們中的任何人都不應(yīng)該懼怕英語。她說：

* 從語言學(xué)來說，所有語言都是完美和完整的。

* 英語并不專屬于一個國家或一個民族。

* 它僅是現(xiàn)存的150種語言中的一種。

這意味著他加祿語和英語一樣有價值一樣令人信服。宿務(wù)島的語言和一諾卡諾語等等也是一樣。英語是國際語言，但這并不表示是智慧的象征。說著并不流利的英語的菲律賓人在他們選擇的領(lǐng)域里很成功。例子是Manny Pacquiao和Melanie Marquez.他們說著蹩腳英語，可是又怎樣呢？

放手去學(xué)英語吧，不過不要對自己的本地口音感到不好意思。不過不要大聲哭喊著用英美口音說著塔加路族語，表現(xiàn)出你幾乎忘記了說了20多年的語言。

不知道熱愛自己語言的人比死臭的魚更難聞。