2/28/2019 The Intellectualization of Filipino - National Commission for Culture and the Arts

GOVPH (http://www.gov.ph) MENU

Search …
Accessibility Statement

Contact Us (https://ncca.gov.ph/contact-us/)

HOME (http://ncca.gov.ph)

About Us

Transparency

Programs

About Culture and Arts

(https://ncca.gov.ph/)
The Intellectualization of Filipino
Posted on April 30, 2015 (https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-
and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filipino/)

Back to Article List (https://ncca.gov.ph//about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-culture-and-arts/cultural-

dissemination/)

BONIFACIO P. SIBAYAN
https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filip… 1/5
2/28/2019 The Intellectualization of Filipino - National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Language has domains, ones that have human populations and support institutions, structures, and
services. There are three classes of language domains, namely: non-controlling domains (NCDs) those
of the home and the lingua franca; semi-controlling domains (SCDs) which include religion, politics,
and entertainment; controlling domains (CDs) chief of which are (1) government with sub-domains of
executive, judiciary, and legislature, (2) education with sub-domains of elementary, secondary, vocational-
technical, and higher education; (3) the professions such as law, medicine, accountancy, etc.; (4) science
and technology; (5) business, commerce and industry; (6) information technology which includes mass
media, (7) literature and (8) international relations (Sibayan 1991, 1994a).

The language(s) and language varieties used in the NCDs, SCDs, and CDs differ in many significant
respects. In the NCDs of the home and the lingua franca, there is no restriction on what language or
language variety that may be spoken or written although reading and writing are optional. Any language,
for example, English, Filipino, Ilocano or any mixture may be used in the NCDs. The lingua franca of the
Philippines before 1940 was English. Today it is Filipino or a “mix-mix”, what is technically called code-
switching variety popularly called Taglish. The rules of acceptability and correctness are very liberal. A
‘fractured’ variety may be acceptable. One does not need to go to school to learn the language of the
home and the lingua franca.

The language(s) and language varieties used and the rules that apply in the SCDs of religion,
entertainment, and politics are more strict than those in the NCDs of the home and the lingua franca. The
population in religion, for example, consists of various categories of persons and different levels of
education such as the well-educated priests, nuns and ministers who have to learn an intellectualized
language required in their denomination for their education. On the other hand, many of the participants in
religious services may be passive as to the language used. Many participants may not be able to read
and write.

The main language used in the CDs of language is always an intellectualized language. An
intellectualized language is that language that can be used for giving and obtaining a complete education
in any field of knowledge from kindergarten to the university and beyond. An intellectualized language is
written, thus making reading and writing necessary skills. Knowledge and information on any subject are
stored in and retrieved from various written sources and information storage such as books and CD-
ROMs and most recently, with some languages, the internet. New knowledge and information as a result
of research are reported in an intellectualized language. By this definition, English, Russian, German,
French, Japanese, to name just five, are intellectualized languages. By the same definition, Filipino is
not (yet) an intellectualized language. The only CD of language where Filipino is intellectualized is
literature. There is a respectable body of literature in Filipino, there are substantial writers in Filipino
literature and there are support organizations and publications for the development of Filipino literature.
However, one cannot acquire a college or university degree with the use of Filipino only; the needed
subjects to fulfill the requirements of a B. S. in Filipino such as math and social science subjects are not
available in Filipino.

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filip… 2/5
2/28/2019 The Intellectualization of Filipino - National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Process of Intellectualization

The process of intellectualizing a language, say Filipino, so that it may be used as the language in the
CDs of language involves, among other processes, the building up of (1) various populations who
possess different knowledges and skills in Filipino, who have a good command of the registers needed in
the domain and sub-domain, for example, agricultural scientists, medical doctors, lawyers, accountants,
etc. The language used in medicine differs from the language of law, that is, the two differ in registers so
that even if both use English, the medical doctor may not understand the register of law and vice versa.
This is what is crucial in the development of an intellectualized language: each domain, sub-domains and
sub-sub-domains (fields of specialization) have specific registers. The registers for practically all areas of
knowledge are available in intellectualized languages, but not in Filipino. The task of developing the
registers of the various areas of knowledge in Filipino and educating the populations who can command
and use these registers are formidable tasks in the intellectualization of Filipino.

A second task is the building of (2) support institutions and various structures such as colleges and
universities, hospitals; learned organizations that publish journals in Filipino; service agencies such as
publishing houses and other structures. The population of a CD, say the sub-domain of medicine, consists
of physicians, nurses, technicians, nurse aids, and others who speak and write the language required in
medicine, in the Philippine case, English, an intellectualized language. One cannot learn medicine in the
Philippines with the use of Filipino. The principal support institutions in medicine are Colleges of Medicine,
hospitals, pharmaceutical labs, etc. The computer programs for CT scans, hospital records are in English.
The intellectualization of Filipino as the language of medicine and the medical profession and other CDs
of language is a giant undertaking. Medical doctors say that it is impractical and impossible.

Consider the other CDs of language such as the sub- and sub-sub domains of science and
technology, e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry, the agricultural sciences, and other areas of knowledge.
The task of building the populations, support institutions and services using Filipino to replace English is a
task of the greatest magnitude.

Source Language(s) for Intellectualization

A developing language needs a source language for intellectualization (SLI). The source languages in
the intellectualization of English were Greek, Latin, Old French, Arabic, among others (see etymological
entries in large dictionaries of English). The SLI of Tagalog during the 16th to the 19th centuries was
Spanish (Hispanismos 1972; Gonzalez 1985). The SLI of Filipino in the 20th century and beyond is mainly
English. One can’t read modern and intellectualized Filipino (nee Tagalog) without encountering
borrowings from English. Those who have a good command of written and spoken English and other
intellectualized languages may fully contribute to the intellectualization of Filipino; monolingual speakers
of Filipino can hardly do so.

Language Replacement and Language Shift

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filip… 3/5
2/28/2019
The replacement of EnglishThe
andIntellectualization of Filipino - National Commission for Culture and the Arts
the shift to Filipino as the national lingua franca was easy because
the variety of language, a mixture of Filipino, English, and the local language, known as Taglish did/does
not require schooling nor reading and writing; the rules of acceptability are loose. On the other land, the
replacement of English by Filipino in the CDs of language require a high level of education, a mastery of
the register or registers in the domains and sub-domains (areas of specialization). The rules of
acceptability in reading and writing and mastery of both subject matter and register are strict; there are
various “gatekeeping agencies” and requirements for entry into the domains, e.g. College entrance
examinations, the Professional Regulation Commission, Civil Service examinations, etc. In addition there
is the matter of attitude by the people on the replacement of English with Filipino. At present, English is
the perceived language for socio-economic advancement and is the language of aspiration in the CDs of
language.

In order that Filipino may be intellectualized it must be used in the CDs of language which means it
must replace English. But for Filipino to replace English, it should be intellectualized. Therein lies the
dilemma in the intellectualization of Filipino.

Reference/s:
Bautista, Ma. Lourdes S. 1988. The parameters of intellectualization – Applications to Filipino.
Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 19.2. 35-44Gonzalez, Andrew. 1985. The sixteenth century Tagalog of
the Doctrina Cristiana (1593): A first step in intellectualization. Likha. 8.2. 1-36Gonzalez, Andrew.
1988. The intellectualization of Filipino: Agenda for the twenty-first century. Philippine Journal of
Linguistics. 19.2. 3-6Hispanismos en el Tagalo. 1972. Madrid: Oficina de Education
IberoamericanaSibayan, Bonifacio P. 1974. Language standardization as a component of language
planning: A suggested typology. Proceedings of the conference on The Standardization of Asian
Languages. Compiled by A. Q. Perez and A. O. Santiago. Manila: Pambansang Samahan sa
Linggwistikang Filipino, Ink

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1988. Terms and points of reference in intellectualization with particular
reference to Filipino. Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 19.2. 7-12

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1991. The intellectualization of Filipino. International Journal of. The Sociology of
Language. No. 88. 69-82

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1994a. The role and status of English vis-a-vis Filipino and other languages in
the Philippines. English and language planning: A Southeast Asian contribution. Thiru Kandiah and
John Kwan-Terry, eds. Singapore: Times Academic Press. 218-241

Sibayan, Bonifacio P. 1994b. The teaching of the technical disciplines in Filipino. Unitas. Quarterly for
the Arts and Science, UST. 67.1. 88-99

About the Author:

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filip… 4/5
2/28/2019 The Intellectualization of Filipino - National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Bonifacio P. Sibayan is internationally recognized as one of the world’s pioneer scholars in
sociolinguistics. He is a recipient of the Social Science Achievement Award – Sociolinguistics (1986)
from the National Research Council of the Philippines and National Social Scientist Award (1990) from
the Philippine Social Science Council. He is the acknowledged doyen of applied linguistics and
sociolinguistics in the country.

(/#facebook) (/#twitter) (/#google_plus) (/#pinterest) (/#email)

(https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fncca.gov.ph%2Fabout-ncca-
3%2Fsubcommissions%2Fsubcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd%2Flanguage-and-
translation%2Fthe-intellectualization-of-filipino%2F&title=The%20Intellectualization%20of%20Filipino)

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-and-translation/the-intellectualization-of-filip… 5/5