Youth own their language—leave them alone
It wasn't really about whether it's called AS or Palms. It was the eagerness to snatch away from the youth one of the few things they can truly claim as their own: the language they create for themselves.
View ArticleQueer expressions still matter
In a world still structured around binaries, queer expressions such as gender nonconforming remain significant
View ArticleWhy is our national language Tagalog-centric?
It is not far-fetched to think that even the formation of a national language based on Tagalog can be a symptom of this internal colonialism. However, accusing Manila is simplistic, writes Ateneo de...
View ArticleEnglish or Filipino? A family’s struggle with modern kids
MANILA, Philippines – In a home shaped by the discipline of the military and the creativity of media, three young siblings—Elijah, 10, a Grade 6 student; Ysha, 8, Grade3; and toddler Eliel, 2—are...
View ArticleLearning the lingua franca—‘lingua franca?!’
Explore how the Filipino language shapes our culture, identity, memory, and why we struggle to find one universal national language
View Article2024 is the year of ‘brain rot,’ according to Oxford Dictionary
More than 37,000 people voted for the term out of six shortlisted by Oxford The Word of the Year has finally been decided, and according to Oxford and the voting public, “brain rot” is the term that...
View ArticleNo subs required: QC Public Library is teaching Japanese for free
Most of us are picking up new skills this quarantine. So, the Quezon City Public Library (QCPL) dares to ask, why not add proficiency in Japanese to your current skill set? They’ll teach it to you with...
View ArticleOur Japanese Kansai Foundation made a site, so weabs can learn actual Kanji...
Anime fans who’ve mastered the art of reading subs will know what I’m talking about: sometimes you pick up a phrase or a few words, and you can piece together what may be going on in a scene. Based on...
View ArticleMultidisciplinary team from DLSU develops Hanunuo e-dictionary app
The collaboration of different faculty members and students of De La Salle University (DLSU) has resulted in the development of a mobile app and a website that features the first Hanunoo Mangyan mobile...
View ArticleThese apps let you meet a friendly stranger from around the world
Ah, networking: a necessary evil in a society heading towards globalization. When handshakes and small talk are always done with an ulterior motive in mind, trying to make real and genuine connections...
View ArticleHow ready is DepEd to introduce foreign language classes?
Following last week’s tirade of the non-mandatory inclusion of Filipino subjects in the university level, the Department of Education (DepEd) has drawn ire for the proposal to offer Korean language...
View ArticleFilipino Sign Language Act is now a law. Here’s what we should expect
Almost three months after the Senate passed the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Bill in a bid to “promote the rights of the deaf to identity, expression, and communication,” President Rodrigo Duterte...
View ArticleWriting a nation: Should we start using Baybayin again?
Last April, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture approved a proposal to make Baybayin the country’s national writing system. This means that, once the proposal is enacted, Baybayin...
View ArticleAdd some calamansi to your bihon at the panciteria: new Filipino words in the...
Language is an ever-evolving thing. That’s why dictionaries are always adding new words to keep up with the changing times. The Oxford English Dictionary, the mammoth of a dictionary that aims to...
View ArticleBilingual author Yoko Tawada shares her experience writing in two languages
There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between language, culture, and history— each with their own amalgam of nuances that may not easily be grasped by an outsider. Simultaneously, an outsider’s...
View ArticleWorld’s oldest Spanish-Chinese dictionary found in UST
The thick medallion-colored book was sitting on the bookshelf of the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) archives library when two researchers grabbed it. It was labeled vale poco or “of little value” due...
View ArticleAll the right words: Overcoming my stutter
My fondness for words began at a young age, around the same time I developed a stutter. It is odd since I’d just discovered the beauty of the written word only to get inhibited verbally. Noticing this...
View ArticleWhy is it important to study Filipino even in college?
The Commission on Higher Education has just decided to retain Filipino subjects in the newly designed college curriculum, which will be implemented in 2018. “We had a meeting with the groups that are...
View ArticleThe way you think is shaped by the languages you know
George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 tackles power, autocracy, and the use of language to manipulate the working class. In an effort to control information and the likelihood of a rebellion, the...
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