dualidentitymangos

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The War of Translation!

http://hagarthehorrible.com/comic_tag/language-barrier/

Link: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1683319372/fulltextPDF/FA1C8E6B6BA04188PQ/1?accountid=15053

Within his scholarly article, “The War of Translation: Colonial Education, American English, and Tagalog Slang in the Philippines,” Vicente L. Rafael discusses the role of language in nationalist attempts at decolonization during the Commonwealth Era and beyond.  Within the Philippines, Rafael outlines that “American colonial education imposed English as the sole medium of instruction,” and that as a result, “native students suppressed their vernacular languages” (283). He also outlines a shift; as time passed, the use of translation and language shifted from being a means to dominate to being a democratizing, playful expression in a postcolonial context.  Rafael talks about a series of speeches given by Najeeb Saleeby who spoke about the failure of imposing a foreign language as a tool for dominance. Saleeby states, “three centuries of Spanish rule [...] failed to check the vernacular [...] twenty five years of intensive English education has produced no radical change.” (288). Rafael notes that due to the prevalent use of local languages and widespread English-language education pushed by the United States, the Philippines developed a dialect of English that was unique to the islands. The American colonial government had hoped that English spoken in the territory would be identical to American English. When Philippine English emerged as a separate dialect, the American government attempted to discourage the use of it. This aligns with our argument that Filipino people were able to use agency to take the imposition of language thrusted upon them and morph it into something helpful and fun to them.

Rafael, Vicente L. "The War of Translation: Colonial Education, American English, and Tagalog Slang in the Philippines." The Journal of Asian Studies 74.2 (2015): 283-302. ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2018.

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Why are Hawai’i and the Philippines similar??

This unit and the Why APIA Studies unit are comparable. In Hawai’i, the monarchy was overthrown, and Hawaiians were banned from using the Hawaiian language. The official language of education, business, and government became English. In both territories, English was implemented as the medium of instruction in the education system, and English was the method for social mobility.

With the Hawaiian language being banned, their culture and language expression suffered and only a small percentage of the population are able to speak Hawaiian today. In the Philippines, the American education system also affected Filipino cultural values, according to Napoleon J. Casambre. Through the use of American materials in the classroom, Filipinos began to adopt a mindset of values that was more American. “The average American materialism which finds expression in an inordinate love for material possessions crept into the ordinary Filipino mind,” meaning Filipinos based success on material possessions and money. Link to Napoleon J. Casambre’s article HERE and throwback to the article about Hawaiian facts HERE (optional)

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15 Mesmerizing Facts About President Manuel Quezon

https://filipiknow.net/facts-about-president-manuel-quezon/ 

Pay particular attention to #10 and #3

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President Manuel Quezon: Message to the People of the Philippines

A Presidential address by President Manuel Quezon during the mid 1920s. Note in the beginning his specific wording “You are Filipinos.” He asserts their identity as Filipinos and not Americans. Also notice his language of democracy and freedom, word choice that likely stems from residual American influence. His repetition of the speech in Spanish not only made him more accessible, but also cements Spanish as a language of the Philippines. He does not give the speech in Tagalog despite rooting for Tagalog as a language of national unity. 

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Why Include This Unit?

This unit tackles questions of what it means to be American and who gets to be American through the lens of Filipinos during the Commonwealth Era.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Manuel L. Quezon at the Constitutional Convention

Theme

Language had a large effect on identity during the transitory Commonwealth era. The introduction of English, the lingering effect of the Spanish language, and the many native languages presented not only a communication issue, but also an issue of privilege, politics, and especially identity as Filipinos explored what it meant to be American and if they themselves were American.

Extending Understanding

While the current syllabus has considered US territories like Guam and territories-turned-states such as Hawai’i, the syllabus has not looked at a former territory turned independent country. This unit delves into how living in a US territory offers opportunity and also imposes itself on the indigenous population.

Why Is It Necessary?

This unit is necessary as it looks at how a former US territory and a formerly Asian-American people dealt with the repercussions of US imposition and the issue of language as a tool and an institution, as well as questioning who gets to be American. 

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After thirty five years of English education, English had become the language of national unity. Filipinos who spoke different local languages used English to communicate with each other.

Thompson, Roger M. Filipino English and Taglish : Language Switching From Multiple Perspectives. John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2003.

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Manuel Quezon

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In the style of Kundiman music

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http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Jones_Law_(Philippines)