ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 1

Advantages and Disadvantages of English as a Second Language in the Philippines

Abrigo, Maria Katrina

Caamaque, Reena Mae

University of Santo Tomas

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 2

I. Introduction

Background

English has always been regarded as the international or the universal language. It has been

used by many people and races all over the world. Nowadays, English is mainly considered as the

second language of the Filipinos, and for most Filipinos, English is not seen as a foreign language;

rather as a second language, being able to use it in their everyday communication. For some, it is

their first language. Filipino children from the middle and upper class, English language begins in

their home with adults who use snatches of English words and phrases heard from other people

and or over the radio, television or videos in social media. Getting from the fact that the Americans

were once our colonizers and continue to influence our everyday lives in many ways, the

department of education decreed the utilization and implementation of English as a medium of

instruction in teaching mathematics, science, and other subjects in the curriculum (De Viana,

2001). Through this, the popularity of English language amplified as it uses English as a medium

of instruction from elementary to collegiate level for decades. It is a tool for learning and a medium

of communication (Candlin, 2001). It is highly as functional and practical, but the use of English

language gives too much influence to Filipinos that it washes over our culture continually;

nonetheless, it is a skill that can be used to increase one's position, respectability and marketability.

For instance, English is important for Filipinos seeking employment here and abroad. The more

knowledge and skills you have with respect to the language itself, the greater chances for you to

have a job and level up with your current position. On the other hand, great love for our own

language will or can be diminished by the fact that we may prefer using English in every means

there is, and it is really noticeable with the prominence of our society today; as to how the English
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 3

language dominates the general public, even the youths at the present time. Certainly, English

language poses threat to the countrys native languages.

We have chosen this topic to determine the factors that may affect our society good or bad.

Considering the abovementioned principles and ideals, we can regard that seeing English as the

second language in the Philippines, there would always be benefits and gains but of course, we

cannot forgo the fact that there would also be disadvantages affecting people and as an individual

to him or herself as well.

Research Aims

The Proponent aims to:

1. determine the external factors that concern the Filipino students considering English as

their second language in the Philippines;

2. enumerate the positive and negative effects of implementing English as a second

language in the academe; and

3. Identify some of the implications of enforcing English as a second language to the

Filipinos

Research Questions

This paper attempts to answer the following questions.

1. Does the use of English language in the Philippines slacken the Filipino students

patriotism?

2. How come there is really a need for Filipinos to adopt English as a second language?

3. In what way does English language affect the lives of Filipinos?

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 4

II. Review of Related Literature

English has become one of the principal languages of the Philippines. The country in fact

became the third largest English speaking country in the world (De Viana, 2001). English language

was acknowledged to be the medium of instruction in the educational ladder of the countrys

system of education then and as well as at present. For that reason, English language continues to

develop along with the development of Filipino people and of the Philippines. Filipinos acquired

and adopt the language as their own language (Gonzales, 1988).

Development of English language in the Philippines

The development of the English language in the Philippines happens gradually. In the worst

case scenario, English will become a foreign language in the Philippines, considering that the

choice will be in the proper milieu and about possessing the resources to be able to learn it.

Whereas the best case scenario, is that it will continue as a second language in the Philippines

(Gonzales, 1988).

Effects of English as a second language in the Philippines

The development and popularity of English language has given a good rise for the country,

but it also imply to posts some effects in the lives of people. English language greatly affects our

government, educational system, our languages, and the Filipino people as a whole. English

language posts a threat to the native languages of the country and most especially to our national

language. With the strict implementation of using English as a medium of instruction, native

languages become threaten to extinction. The use of native languages becomes lesser (Gonzales,

1980).
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 5

Educational system

English has set an objective to train students to acquire knowledge and information that

will give insights, for developing faculties toward individual fulfillment and fuller participation in

the society, for building a broad base of experiences from different cultures, for understanding

relationships with other people, and for gaining experiences in establishing a set of values, ideals,

and standards in the midst of a changing environment (Pascasio, 1977).

The medium of instruction in the educational system of the country must be given careful

analysis especially in the implementation of policies as well as for the process of educating the

youths as well. Educational programs in the Communication Arts both in English and Filipino aim

to develop among Filipino learners the ability to think critically, and communicate and interact

with other human beings competently (Bago, 2008). This will also give a meaningful grasp to the

learners to become effective learners and enable them to lifelong learning.

Society

Equality between English language and Filipino language must be given importance. Even

though Filipinos have a national language, as time passes by and as neighboring countries develop,

Filipinos could not avoid neglecting the importance of national language especially nowadays that

American and other imperialist is facing the country (Bautista & Bolton, 2009).

The maintenance of English is not incompatible with a genuinely nationalistic bilingual

education in the Philippines (Espinosa, 1997). There is a need, therefore, to frame an appropriate

language policy which can materially assist in social and national integration and economic up

liftmen of Filipinos as members of Philippine society and maintaining a balance between internal

needs and external necessities in the modern world (Pascasio, 1977).

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 6

III. Discussion

English language plays an important role in the lives of every Filipino people.

At present, Philippines have developed through the use of the language of English as it is

taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino.

Filipino people cannot avoid the fact that English language is now part of their daily lives. They

are exposed to the language in every aspect of their life, everywhere they go English is there.

English language is part of our educational system in which we are equipped with the knowledge

that we can use to become a productive member of the society as a product of being a lifelong

learner (Andres & Francisco, 1989). English is also used in religious affairs, print and broadcast

media, and business, though the people who use it as a second language far outnumber those who

speak it as a first language. Still, for highly technical subjects such as nursing, medicine,

computing, and calculus, English is the preferred medium for textbooks, communication, and

among others. It is considered one of the effective medium of mass media or as well as the social

media for it enables us to obtain information about the Philippine issues plus the issues present

globally. These are just some of the reasons why Filipinos cannot deviate to the fact that English

language is a worthy tool for bridging the development of Philippine economy and eventually for

its national progress.

Filipinos need to learn the language to become more competitive in the society and to adapt

to the changes in their environment.

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English language enables Filipino people to become globally competitive in a fast changing

environment. Nowadays, we all know that English is the language of the world. (Pascasio, 1977).

Thus, if you know the language, you can communicate with other people straightforwardly and

confidently. Learning and mastering the language also gives an individual an edge in the local and

global realm because the hiring procedures in any job opportunities are highly dependent on the

English communication skills of the applicant. Not only that, this will also enable the person to

become aware and knowledgeable about the existing policies, rules and regulations, laws and

ordinances passed by the legislator, and that Philippine laws and court decisions, with extremely

rare exceptions, are written solely in English. Hence, it will be easy for him to adapt and adjust to

the sudden changes that may happen in the society.

The development of English language is based and depending on the environment of the

people.

Noticeably, most of the people who speak and use the English language came from or live

in the urban areas mostly from middle and upper classes. It is very seldom to see people coming

from rural areas to speak and use English language in normal conversation. This is because of the

differences in the customs and traditions and the way of living present amongst them. Filipino

people are governed by the existing norms present in their society. People coming from the rural

areas need not to speak English because the conversation or communication might be awkward or

unsuccessful. It is very evident that people who live in urban areas speak and use the English

language because they find comfort and ease as they use the language and majority of the people

speak and use it in their daily lives as well (Gonzales, 1988).

But of course, we can also foresee disadvantages through the excessive usage and dependence of

the English language.

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The government gives more importance to English language than Filipino language.

This is true with what is happening in our present time. English language is commonly

used in the congress, senate, court, and other agencies of the government. Laws, ordinances,

memoranda are most of the time written in English language. (Gonzales, 1980). The government

should set examples in giving importance to both English and Filipino language. Focusing on

giving balance between the use and development of both languages must be considered. By these,

there are some Filipino people who cannot cope up with what is happening to our country because

they find it difficult to understand the language of English. Government should not leave our own

language but rather prioritize its progress.

English language poses threat to the countrys native languages.

English language poses a threat to the native languages of the Philippines. As the number

of Filipino who speaks English language, native Filipino languages are becoming less important.

The use of English language is dominating over the native languages (Osias, 1963). In addition,

there is an existing conception that people who speak English language are more intellectual than

those who speak native Filipino language. This might lead to neglecting of our native languages

as well. Most of parents want their child to acquire skills in speaking English language. And if

majority of Filipinos will speak and use the English language and the influence of mass media in

their everyday life then native Filipino languages are at risk.

English language becomes a tool in identifying social classes.

With the conception of speaking English language is for intellectual people, English

language was used to identify social classes in the society. Most of the time speaking English

language will define ones status in the society. People who speak the language fluently are
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 9

regarded as the elite class while people who speak the language poorly came from the lower class

(Gonzales, 1988).

The English language covers a wide range of universality. As a matter of fact, English

should be the medium used by an author if he wants the majority of the people from different

places to understand his piece. As long as there are people who continuously speak the language,

its scope gets bigger and its life gets longer. The constant use of English across the world makes

it better and more powerful. But it is regarded that some Filipinos are not so fluent with English

and only few of our people know how to use and speak it.

More discussions of advantages and disadvantages with the use of English language among

Filipinos are as follows. Firstly, if every Filipino is equipped with the knowledge to speak English,

we might be more proud of ourselves. Whether we admit it or deny it, a person who is fluent in

English appears to have an edge to a person who speaks in Filipino fluently. There is a

misconception that if one knows how to use a foreign language so well, then that person has a very

high intellectual capacity (Catalan & Durban, 2013). Secondly, it will now be easier for us to keep

up with the developments in film making and songwriting in foreign countries. Imagine every

Filipino will now appreciate watching Hollywood films just because they now understand it. Songs

will be felt by heart by the mass because they can now fully-understand its lyrics. Thirdly, Filipinos

will have a better understanding of the world before them. Since most of the news, speeches and

announcements given by the government to the public are stated in English, if English is better

understood by each and every one including those who were not able to get a good education it

will now be easier to react and have a stand on these matters. Having considered all these, English

may be an instrument to our countrys progress (Bautista, 2001).

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 10

On the other hand, if all these happen, there will be a bigger question attached to our

nationalism. Our love for our own language will or can be diminished by the fact that we may

prefer using English in every means there is. At a certain point, if such illustrations happen, it is

not impossible to completely abolish Filipino and replace it with English. Thus, Filipino will be

highly inferior to English or worse, we will no longer have a language of our own. (Bautista &

Bolton, 2009).

The power of the English language may be strong but our native tongue is much powerful

because we grew up speaking the language we know best. It is actually safe to say that our language

will stay for long. However, we have to love it and never think of abandoning it, because as long

as there are people using it and fighting for its existence, it will stay for as long as we want it to.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 11

IV. Reference List

Andres, T.Q, and Francisco, F. (1989).Curriculum Development in the Philippine Setting.

Mandaluyong City: National Book Store.

Bago, A. (2008). Curriculum Development: The Philippine Experience. Quezon City: C&E

Publishing Inc.

Bautista, ML. (2001). Journal of Southeast Asian Education. Studies of Philippine English:

Implications for English Language Teaching in the Philippines, 2(2), 271-295. Retrieved

from http://www.seameo-journal.com/journal/index.php/education/article/download/22/21.

Bautista, ML. & Bolton, K. (Eds.) (2009).Philippine English: Linguistic and literacy

Perspectives. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

Candlin, C.N. (2001). English as a Second Language in the Mainstream: Teaching, Learning,

and Identity Bernard Mohan, Constant Heung, and Chris Davison. England: Pearson

Education Limited.

Catalan, R., & Durban, J. Journal of society and communication. Bilingualism in Philippine

Education: Bane or Boon, 2013(2200-6591), 110-121. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/3444379/Bilingualism_in_Philippine_Education_Bane_or_Boon/

De Viana, A. (2001). Apples and Ampalaya: Bittersweet Glimpses of the Amercian Period in the

Philippines. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

Espinosa, D. (1997). English in the Philippines. Global Issues in Language Education, (26), 9-9.

Retrieved from www.jalt.org/global/26Phil.htm

Gonzales , A. (1980). Language and Nationalism: The Philippine Experience thus Far. Quezon

City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Gonzales , A. (Eds.)(1988). The Role of English and its Maintenance in the Philippines. Manila:
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVATAGES OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES 12

Solidaridad Publishing House.

Osias, C. (1963). Meeting the National Language Problem: Speeches on the National Language.

Manila.

Pascasio, E. (Eds.)(1977). The Filipino Bilingual: Studies on Philippine Bilingualism and

Bilingual Education. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.