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MIDTERM
Answer Sheet 3
COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION
Learning Objectives:

1. understand the implications of globalization on communication;

2. explain the notion of World Englishes in the context of English
being a global language; and
3. use Standard English and bias free language in writing.

Activity (Pinoy English)

Watch the vlog of Mike Bustos on YouTube. List down the important points presented in the
vlog regarding the Pinoy style of saying English terms. After watching the video, think of one ‘Pinoy
English term or Philippine English word’ that exist only in the Philippines (example: CR or comfort room).
Comment your answer in our FB Page. (10 points)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BBtS1ir4tA

(Link will be posted on the page)

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Analysis (Critical Essay)

To further widen your understanding on the unique features and factors that influenced
characteristic of the Philippine English, read the critical analysis below.

A Critical Analysis on Robert Fuchs’ Study on Americanisation of

Philippine English
Teresito Jr. R. Delos Reyes
Student, Master of English in Applied Linguistics
University of Southeastern Philippines

Robert Fuchs’ study entitled “The Americanisation of Philippine English:

Recent diachronic change in spelling and lexis” published in 2017 provided a real-
time and strong evidence of the influence of American English conventions towards
Philippine English than that of British English. The study used two corpora to
present the frequency of word spelling and lexical conventions of British relative to
American variants. The findings revealed that Philippine English adheres to
American and shifts away from British.

The Philippines, which is recognized globally as one of the largest English-

speaking nation with majority of its population having at least some degree of
fluency in the language (Cabigon, 2015), has a very much issue in English usage as
a proclamation of being elite and eloquent (Claudio, 2016). Which somehow
answers why some Filipinos try hard to achieve the American and British way of
saying English words.

Going beyond the funny attempt of some Pinoys to sound like American and
British, we now explore the influence of the two English native speaking countries
based on the study of Robert Fuchs in 2017. The study had given major reasons for
the winning of American conventions over British in the Philippine English.

First, the history of American colonization in the Philippines. In 1898, Spain

ceded the Philippines to the United States which started the dominance of America
over the Philippines. Unlike Spain’s strategy, America’s means of attack and
assimilation was not religion. It was mass education. Thus, Filipino had adopted
the American form of government, embraced the American dream, and spoke the
American language (Espinosa, 1997). History would tell how Americans influenced
the Philippine English of today. Several studies provided evidence of this American
influence on Philippine English syntax. Fuchs, also mentioned that American norms
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can also be found in spelling and lexis compared to British, as in flavor vs. flavour,
and truck vs. lorry.

Second, the rise of United States of America as a major world power.

American English gained prestige and increasingly influenced other variety of
English. Today, American English’s influence is reflected in the mass media, the
arts, social, business and political fields. The wide influence of American English
leads to too much exposure to its variants, which in some cases not actually more
frequent in British variant, such as the frequent use of movie than film and guy
over lad.

Third, the influenced of technology and modern approach in learning and

teaching language. According to the author, an additional factor influencing
spelling conventions could be the use of computer-based word processing software
with spellchecking facilities. Moreover, the author justified that while such case
did not play a role for the material included in ICE-PHI, it is likely that printed
material at later time points could be affected. The autocorrect function of some
technological tools and the modern approach in teaching language affect the
characteristics of Philippine English. Such impact of some technological tools and
modern approach in teaching language is prominent in the spelling variants of
words. For instance, the –ize variant of American English is highly considered over
–ise verb ending of British conventions. Further variations in spelling involves
sibilants –ise/-ice and –ence/-ense, the alternate –our/or spelling as in behavior and
bahaviour, words ending in –og/-ogue as in dialog r vs dialogue, and many more.
Somehow, there is an undisclosed bias in English conventions as many consider
American variants as the standard form of English.

In conclusion, it is evident that the characteristics of Philippine English

particularly in changes in spelling and lexis is significantly credited to the
American influence and conventions. The diachronic change in the trends of
Philippine English is observed to have shifted away from British and towards
American norms. However, as Fuchs mentioned, a more and larger compilation of
diachronic corpora of Philippine English will aid in exploring the depths in the
shifting trend over a long period of time in Philippine English.

Abstraction

Globalization
 Globalization has affected us in numerous ways. Airfare has become cheaper, and one can travel
internationally more than one could in the past. The free trade of goods and services all over the
world has brought multinational companies and foreign investors to our shores. Because of all
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these factors, it is imperative to be aware of the differences between our culture and the rest of
the world’s cultures.

 Because of the advent of the Internet, the world seems to be shrinking continually. One can
communicate internationally in a matter of seconds, whether one is sending an email, chatting
in social media, or sending text message. One can read about different cultures, and have access
to films, academic papers, and the like from countries around the world and vice versa. Given
this increasingly shrinking world, one should know the difference between the kind of English
that we write and speak, and the kind of English that exist outside of the Philippines.

 Globalization is the communication and assimilation among individuals, ethnicities, races,

institutions, governments of various nations supported by technology and compelled by
international trade.

 Due to globalization, the more you become exposed to diversity – the valuing of the uniqueness
or differences in gender preference, color, age, religious affiliation, ethnicity, education, social,
and economic status and political beliefs.

Intercultural Communication
 Refers to interaction with people from diverse cultures (Jandt, 1998).
 Communication style among cultures differs; it may be high-context or low-context
communication (Gamble & Gamble, 2008)
 High-context is a tradition-linked communication system which adheres strongly to being
indirect.
 Low-context communication is a system that works on straightforward communication.

Forms of Intercultural Communication (Jandt, 1998)

1. Interracial communication – communicating with people from different races
2. Interethnic communication – interacting with people of different ethnic origins
3. International communication – communicating between representatives from different nations
4. Intracultural communication – interacting with members of the same racial or ethnic group or
co-culture

Improving Intercultural Communication Competence (Gamble &

Gamble, 2008)
1. Recognize the validity and differences of communication styles among people.
2. Learn to eliminate personal biases and prejudices.
3. Strive to acquire communication skills necessary in a multicultural world.
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Varieties of Spoken and Written Language

Lin (2016) presents the following nature of language variation as prescribed by most linguists based on
the ideas of Manboob (2014).

1. Language varies when communicating with people within (local) and outside (global) our
community.
2. Language varies in speaking and in writing.
3. Language varies in everyday and specialized discourses.

Eight Different Domains in which language varies (2014)

1. Local everyday written
- This may include instances of local everyday written usage found in the neighborhood posters
(e.g. a poster looking for transient/bed spacers)
2. Local everyday oral
-may occur in local communication among neighbors in everyday, informal, and local varieties of
languages.
3. Local Specialized written
- examples can be found in the publications and web sites of local societies such as the Baguio
Midland Courier
4. Local Specialized oral
- involves specialized discourses
- for example. in a computer shop in the neighborhood, specialized local usage can be found
(e.g. specialized computer game-related vocabulary is used)
5. Global everyday written
- avoids local colloquialism to make the text accessible to wider communities of readers.
- this can be found in international editions of newspapers and magazines
6. Global everyday oral
- may occur in interactions between people coming from different parts of the world when they
talk about everyday casual topics.
7. Global specialized written
- expands to as many readers internationally, hence the non-usage of local colloquial
expressions (e.g. international research journal articles)
8. Global Specialized oral
- occurs when people from different parts of the world discuss specialized topics in spoken form
(e.g. paper presentation sessions in an international academic conference)

World Englishes
 “English is, in fact, the global language” – David Crystal, 2003
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 It is now a more widely accepted fact that there are many World Englishes, sometimes referred
to as “variety of English” used in the world.
 All are equal in the sense that each is best suited to the communication needs of its speakers.
 However, not all are equal in prestige. Some varieties are more prestigious than others because
of social attitudes about the speakers of these varieties.

American English vs British English

Aspect American English (US) British English (UK)

Punctuation She said, “I’ll be at work by 8 She said, “I’ll be at work by 8
a.m.” a.m.”
Date March 2, 2017 2 March 2017
Spelling Center, color, organize, Centre, colour, organise,
program programme
Words Elevator, pants, diaper Lift, trousers, nappy
Expression/Local Idiom Ruffled feathers (agitated) Knickers in a twist (agitated)
Grammar Do you have that book? Have you got that book?
Pronunciation (irrelevant in Vase /vãs/ - sounds like VEYZ Vase /va:z/ - sounds like VAHZ
writing)
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Philippine English
 Philippine English has its unique and idiosyncratic usages.
 For example, “comfort room” is a Philippine term for “washroom,” “toilet,” or
“lavatory.”
 Moreover, the word “salvage” in the Philippine context can mean either “to save” or
“to brutally murder, usually for political reasons.”
 Matthew Sutherland, who writes about the expression “for a while,” which he says
baffles foreigners because the expression does not exist outside of the Philippines. The
UK’s equivalent, he says, is “just a second” or “just a moment” (quoted in Aguilar,
2004). Similarly, Sutherland notes that “for a while” is frequently used in the Philippines
on the telephone, whereas in the UK, the more typical expression would be “hold on”
or “hang on” (quoted in Aguilar, 2004).

Standard English
 Every English-speaking nation has its own set of English phrases and idioms; English is
equally idiosyncratic in, say, India, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, or Singapore.” In other words,
there is no wrong way of speaking English as long as those who speak it understand
each other.
 However, the fact that all varieties of English have individual or peculiar usages is why it
is important – in the context of academic and professional writing- to follow a standard.
 This standard advocates the use of a consistent spelling and punctuation system. It also
avoids colloquial and informal usages, eschewing these in favor or more widely
understood uses or explaining such usages for the reader if it becomes necessary to use
them in writing.
 Standard English is defined as consisting of “the conventional vocabulary and usage of
educated speakers and writers of English” (Roberts & Turgeon, 1998). To use this kind
of English means to follow a spelling, punctuation, and the formatting of dates. In terms
of grammar and diction,
 Standard English “does not include slang, vulgarisms, regionalisms, and other
constrictions that are considered… unorthodox by those seeking a language acceptable
to a general audience” (Roberts & Turgeon, 1998).
 In general, then writers should avoid local idioms, expressions, and constructions like
those examples mentioned, and essentially, to use words that will be clearly
understood by English speakers from any region of the world.

Culturally Sensitive and Bias-Free Language

Academic and professional writings are characterized by bias-free language. Students, scholars,
professionals, and anyone wishing to maintain harmonious communicative relations should be careful in
using words and phrases not to discriminate against particular groups, whether in terms of race,
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ethnicity, gender, social class, age, and disability. The essential point is to communicate in a way that is
respectful of diversity.

5 General Principles to follow Culturally Sensitive and Bias-Free

Language
1. Race and Ethnicity
Racism is a form of discrimination against a person or persons of a different race. In general, it is
best to avoid identifying people by race or ethnic group. Race is an emotionally charged topic, so it is
best to tread carefully with the language used and to refer to race.

Next, one must be attuned to the current terminology by which racial and ethnic groups refer to
themselves. This may be done by reading national newspaper and watching television news, which
typically are good indicators of current and preferred usage.

Examples:

1. “Native American” has been considered the politically correct term for the indigenous peoples
of the Americas, over the label “Red Indian.”
2. Filipinos of Chinese ancestry used to describe their identity: from Tsino, to Chinoy, to Filipino
Chinese.
3. It is also important to be sensitive to religion when referring to various ethnic groups.
Assumptions should not be made that stereotype a race, nationality, or ethnic group with
specific religion. For example, not all Arabs are Muslims, not all Indians are Buddhists, and not
all Filipinos are Roman Catholics.

2. Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexism refers to the prejudice and discrimination based on sex or gender. To be inclusive of all
people in general references, one should favor gender-neutral words and phrases over gender-biased
words.

Examples:

Gender-biased Gender-Neutral

Man-made Manufactured, synthetic,

artificial
Chairman chairperson

stewardess Flight attendant

Manpower labor
Woman lawyer Lawyer
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Male nurse nurse

Pronoun-biased

Pronoun may also be gender-biased, for example, when the masculine “he” pronoun is used as a
generic one for both genders. Gender-biased pronouns can be avoided by:

1. dropping pronouns that signify gender and restating the sentence

2. changing plural construction

3. replacing masculine or feminine pronouns with “one” or “you”

Example:

Gender-biased: Each student should submit his term paper by Monday.

Restatement Each student should submit a term papers by Monday.
Plural construction Students should submit their term papers by Monday.
Use of “you” You should hand in your term paper by Monday.

LGBT Terms

It is important to be sensitive to new attitudes about homosexual, transsexual, and transgender

people. For example, most gay people prefer the term “gay” to the more clinical “homosexual” as a
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label. “Lesbian” is currently the term preferred by gay women. Transgender people prefer to be referred
to as being the gender they identify as, not their birth gender. Again, as a matter of principle, one should
refer to societal groups in the way that members of these groups prefer to be referred to. Note also that
terminology in this area is developing, and that not everyone agrees.

3. Social Class
Class discrimination or classism is a form of prejudice against a person or people because of
their social class. An example of language with a bias against class in the American term “white trash,”
which is not only a racial slur but a classist one that refers to white people, usually from the rural
Southern United States, coming from a lower social class inside the white population.

Examples:

Terms Connotations

White trash Criminal, unpredictable, and without respect for authority

Conyo Derogatory term referring to the upper class who speak

idiosyncratic mix of English and Tagalog, connotes vanity and
consciousness about social status.
Jejemon, jologs Idiosyncratic spelling or writing style, used to describe persons
who look poor and out of style

Classism may also appear even in more formal terminology. Sociologist/Activist Betsy Leondar-
Wright, argues in a video interview that classist terms “attribute favorable traits to the wealthy and
powerful’ and those in poverty or near-poverty are similar cast in negative light” (ClassismExposed,
2014).

In the Philippines, “informal settlers” is now more politically correct term for “squatters.”

4. Age
Ageism is a form of discrimination against other people because of their age, or assuming that
older people are less physically, intellectually, or emotionally able than other age groups.

When referring to a generic group, one should ask their subjects what wordings they prefer. Do
they wish to be called “older persons” or “senior citizens”? Do they prefer “youths,” “teenagers,” or
“young people”?

According to the American Psychological Association, writers should be specific when referring
to males and females in terms of their age: females 18 years old are women, not girls. “Girls” refers to
those in high school or younger (under 18). The same is true for “boys” and “man.”
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5. Disabilities
Discrimination in this area often arises because of lack of understanding and awareness.
Therefore, first, it is important to distinguish some terms that are mistakenly understood to be
synonymous.

Term Definition Example

impairment A physiological condition Limp
disability The consequence of an impairment Difficulty in walking, or walking
which may or may not be handicapping unevenly
handicap The social implication of a disability; a People who have limp may be
condition or barrier imposed by handicapped by having to climb
society, the environment, or oneself. stairs in buildings with no elavators

How to avoid hurtful expressions or terms when referring to people with disabilities?

1. Focus on the person, not the condition

Discriminating expression Non-discriminating expression

1. retards or the mentally retarded People with mental retardation

2. the blind People with visual impairment
3. cancer patient People treated with cancer
4. confined to a wheelchair Uses a wheelchair
5. AIDS victim Person with AIDS

References:

Uychoco, Marikit Tara A & Santos, Maria Lorena (2018). Purposive Communication. Manila. Rex
Bookstore Inc. (2018)

Wakat, Geraldine, et al. (2018). Purposive Communication. Manila. LORIMAR Publishing, INC.

(Read Lesson 3: Communicatin and Globalization, pages 14 to 27 to the get the full lesson)

Application (Quiz)
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TASK 1: List down words that correspond to English word/meaning. Write your activity in a one (1)
whole yellow paper.

a. 20 Filipinism words
b. 20 Gay Lingua words
c. 15 Jejemon words
d. 15 English words without Tagalog translations (Kung ano ang pagbigkas, siya ang pagbaybay)