#Philippines society caught in a time freeze as national #language fails to keep up globally #ASEAN

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I'm sure everyone will agree that, as any society evolves, languages and dialects go hand-in-hand. If language and dialects don't evolve, they go the natural way…they die. The vernacular dies if it can't keep up.

The 30-word challenge is misleading in the sense that Tagalog and the rest of the languages and dialects have not kept toe-to-toe with the rest of the world. From thereon, you can simply show the preeminence of one language (and dialect) over the other (English, in this case). Filipino and the languages and dialects all suffer from this maladaptation.

But, truly, how much of the English language is truly English? Just (is this English?) because (?) molecular (?) irregularities (?) cause a ballbearing's (I concede, but breaking this compound tells me something else) radius (?) to vary (?) by nanometers (? – break it up and these aren't English) along its surface (?) does not stop us from attributing (?) a spherical (?) quality (?) to it at a macro (?) level (?).

There is also the burden of purists (much like the French) who insist on literal translations when idiomatics, for example, can very well convey the same idea (and probably, just probably (I don't have the numbers), more efficiently).

In non-English speaking countries, there is a core group that will convert new terms into the vernacular; this core group will make it a point that this conversion follows the rules that they have established; and that this core group will ensure that this conversion is thoroughly conveyed to the populace with its use explained within context.

But then again, maybe this isn't a time-warp; more likely, it's a time-freeze.

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This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion!
http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2011/04/tagalog-vs-english-take-the-30-word-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-547275

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  1. UnknownJune 20, 2014 at 10:25 AM

    english should be our natl. language........its neutral........like switzerland.......no conflict........no war. then the tagalogs will shout, IT SHOULD BE OUR LANGUAGE.......the cebuanos et al will shout......FUCK YOU.......there goes the peace.

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