Philippine National Language? Why not KISS?

This article was originally posted at http://scopemix.wordpress.com

Photo credit:  http://bilingualpen.com/

Okay, okay. I am a bit inspired to write now regarding good governance.

This topic I am going to touch now may seem controversial but this could be a step that can contribute towards a better social system for a better Philippines.

This is the abolition of Filipino as our national language. Or simply put, we really don’t need a national language.
I can bet that 99% of Filipino readers are saying at this point a very big “WHAT”?

Let me ask you . . . do we really have a language called “Filipino”? None, isn’t it? The so-called Filipino language is basically Tagalog. Despite of the efforts of our linguists they have not come up with a working distinct national language until now. Why do we have to put so much salad dressings . . . why not just simply declare Tagalog as our national language? We are just complicating matters by doing what we are doing now.

But then, do we really need a national language? If Tagalog is the national language do we really need it? For the Tagalogs this maybe difficult to comprehend. But for non-Tagalogs who comprise at least 70% of Filipinos, it is so inconvenient to have a national language that they do not even speak every day.

If we abolish Tagalog (Filipino) as national language, it means we stop using this language as a medium of instruction in our schools. This would be a big improvement in our educational system as this would ease the unnecessary burdens on our students. A good educational system can lead to a good social system.

So how does one Filipino ethnic group communicate with another ethnic group? This is a no brainer. We are already doing it but not using the Filipino/Tagalog national language. For example, in the Visayas and most parts of Mindanao and even some parts of Bicol, Cebuano is the common medium. In the north of the Philippines like Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and some parts of Central Luzon, Ilokano is the common dialect. Of course Tagalog is used when Kapampangans and some Bicolanos in the northern portion of Bicol speak to their neighbouring provinces. English is of course understood and spoken all over the country. It is our medium of instruction in our schools, aided by our respective dialects (majority not Tagalog).

We don’t need a national language though we can designate some as official languages like English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano and a few others.

Don’t you know that Switzerland does not have a national language? There is no such thing as a Swiss language. Since their ethnicity is a mixture of German, French, Italian and Romansh, they simply use their four respective languages as official. They did not invent a national language like we did. In case you don’t know, Switzerland is one of the most developed and advanced countries in the world. The lack of a “national language” has not been an impediment.

To summarize, what I am trying to point out is we don’t need to impose something that can complicate rather than simplify matters. One of the key words we have to take note in good governance is the word KISS. Keep it short and simple. This is the connection between this topic and good governance. The reason why I am advocating the abolishment of our present national language is because of KISS.More topics to come on good governance . . .