Why is it that many Filipinos fear the English language? Students are intimidated by it. Graduates feel that they have to be perfect at it in order to be considered smart and educated.

We fear it, thus we elevate it. It has become a status symbol. Filipino beauty queens are expected to be able to speak perfect English to be considered worthy of their crowns. The children of the rich learn English as their first language. There is a linguistic divide between the have’s and have-nots. But why should this be?

Isabel Pefianco Martin, president of the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, said that none of us should fear English. She says:

* Linguistically, all languages are equally perfect and complete.

* The English language is not owned by one country or one race.

* It is only one language among the 150 that exist today.

This means that Tagalog is every bit as valid and valuable as English. So is Cebuano, Ilocano and so forth. English is the global language, but it is by no means the mark of an intelligent mind. Filipinos who speak less than perfect English have succeeded, and wildly so, in their chosen fields. Examples are Manny Pacquiao and Melanie Marquez. They may speak Carabao English, but so what?

Go ahead and learn English, but do not be ashamed of your native tongue. And do not, for crying out loud, speak Tagalog with an American/British accent just to show that somehow you have forgotten the language you have spoken for 20+ years!

Sabi nga ni Jose Rizal:

Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa ang amoy sa mabahong isda. (He who doesn’t know how to love his own language has a worse odor than a smelly fish.)

为什么许多菲律宾人害怕英文？学生认为英文很恐怖。毕业生认为他们有必要掌握好英文从而让人觉得他们很聪慧，受过良好的教育。

我们害怕英文，然而我们拔高了英文。它变成了学生的标志。菲律宾选美女王要求英语口语流利，这样才能被认为配得上这个皇冠。富家孩子把英语作为第一语言。富人和穷人之间有一道语言分界。但是为什么会这样呢？

菲律宾语言主席说，我们中的任何人都不应该惧怕英语。她说：

* 从语言学来说，所有语言都是完美和完整的。

* 英语并不专属于一个国家或一个民族。

* 它仅是现存的150种语言中的一种。

这意味着他加禄语和英语一样有价值一样令人信服。宿务岛的语言和一诺卡诺语等等也是一样。英语是国际语言，但这并不表示是智慧的象征。说着并不流利的英语的菲律宾人在他们选择的领域里很成功。例子是Manny Pacquiao和Melanie Marquez.他们说着蹩脚英语，可是又怎样呢？

放手去学英语吧，不过不要对自己的本地口音感到不好意思。不过不要大声哭喊着用英美口音说着塔加路族语，表现出你几乎忘记了说了20多年的语言。

不知道热爱自己语言的人比死臭的鱼更难闻。