This makes foreigners' lives significantly easier as they no longer need to learn any of the Philippines' various local languages nor resort to awkward sign language to get their messages across.
But does this perception of Filipinos as a race fluent in English bear some truth, or is it just a myth?
In this week's edition of Q&A Tuesdays, we look at the English language as used by Filipinos.
Many times in Thailand, I feel guilty about not learning their language. I love Chiang Mai, but the language barrier gets in the way of even ordinary day-to-day affairs, such as trying to order for food at a restaurant. As someone on the brink of retirement, I think I'm no longer capable of learning a new language. So is it true that in the Philippines, English is widely used and spoken?
- Randy (Florida, USA)
English is one of the two medium of instruction in the Philippines; the other one is Filipino, which also happens to be the national language.
Most street signages in the Philippines are in English.
Official government documents and court decisions are in English, too.
Because of the perceived high English proficiency of Filipinos, many locals are currently employed as call center agents in the booming business processing outsourcing or BPO industry. Their work is to deal with American, British, and Australian customers, complete with the characteristic twang, inflection, intonation, and slang commonly identified with each racial group.
Know that even at an early age Filipinos are already exposed to English, thanks in part to the saturation of American pop culture in local media. Because of this, majority of them can understand and speak the language in casual conversation.
Pinoy English
Note, however, that the use of the English language in the Philippines has lent it a peculiar Pinoy-infused flavor.
Some English words, for example, have been appropriated and given new meanings. The word "salvage," which means "to save" in common American usage, means "to brutally kill" when applied in local Filipino conversations.
The emergence of Taglish is also interesting to look at. The combination of Tagalog and English words, Taglish is quite popular among young urban Filipinos who switch with ease between the two languages.
English proficiency on the decline?
It is said that English proficiency in the Philippines is on the wane.
The truth is, only a few can speak and write in grammatically correct English. Even college-educated people normally confuse basic grammatical rules, such as subject-verb agreement.
This butchering of the language often takes the form of the so-called Carabao English. This a pejorative term used to refer to Filipinos who, on account of poverty or lack of formal education or simply for laughs, butcher the language in the sense that grammatical rules are completely disregarded.
In Philippine pop culture, carabao English is often seen used by backwater hicks, blue-collar workers, and pretty but dumb women in gag shows.
All things considered
Despite the perceived decrease in English proficiency of many Filipinos, English remains widely used in the Philippines even though in most cases formal rules are dispensed with for the sake of being understood.
In any event, wouldn't it be great if foreign visitors exert effort on their own to learn the local language rather than demand that the locals speak a language other than their mother tongue?
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