Advocating for the National Language in Higher Education and Beyond

Flashcards covering key concepts on language vs. dialect, language varieties, endangerment status, and the legal/historical background of Tanggol Wika.

Wika (Language)

A primary tool for expressing feelings and opinions that reflects culture, serves as a foundation of society, possesses a rich dictionary and grammar, and lacks mutual intelligibility with other distinct languages.

Diyalekto (Dialect)

A regional or social variant of a larger language that is geographically limited, features mutual intelligibility with other dialects of the same language, and often carries specific accents or sound patterns.

Mutual Intelligibility

The condition in which speakers of different speech varieties can understand one another without special training, present between dialects of the same language but absent between different languages.

Filipino

The national language of the Philippines used across the country as a living medium of oral and written communication that continuously evolves through daily social use.

Official Languages of the Philippines

The official languages designated for communication and government in the Philippines, which are English and Filipino.

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

A DepEd program implemented in early education that utilizes 19 major regional languages as media of instruction.

Project Marayum

A 2022 UP initiative that surveyed 185 Philippine languages and classified 28 as endangered, 11 as dying, and 4 as extinct.

Barayti ng Wika (Language Variety)

The distinct linguistic variations in speech and structure resulting from socio-situational factors, including variations in tone, pronunciation, vocabulary, and word structure.

Idyolek (Idiolect)

A language variety specific to an individual speaker, reflected in personal speech habits, preferred vocabulary, and unique mannerisms.

Mode (in Language Variety)

A temporary language variety determined by the medium used for communication, such as spoken or written form.

Estilo (Style)

A temporary language variety shaped by the relationship between the speaker and the addressee, ranging from formal and colloquial to intimate or personal.

Rehistro (Register)

A temporary language variety determined by the social role or professional domain of the speaker during expression, such as scientific, religious, or academic registers.

Tanggol Wika

An alliance of teachers, students, and language organizations established on June 21, 2014, at De La Salle University – Manila advocating for the preservation of Filipino as a subject and medium of instruction in tertiary education.

Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera

A National Artist for Literature (Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) who served as a prominent speaker during the founding consultative forum of Tanggol Wika in 2014.

CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 20, Series of 2013

An order signed by Comm. Patricia Licuanan that introduced a new General Education Curriculum excluding mandatory college courses in Filipino and Panitikan.

Department Order No. 25, Series of 1974

A DECS policy mandating the use of the national language as a medium of instruction in specific subjects.

Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)

An institution regarded as the main stronghold (balwarte) of Tanggol Wika, whose Department of Filipinology led various protest actions, forums, and assemblies.

Supreme Court Temporary Restraining Order (April 21, 2015)

A legal order issued by the Supreme Court one week after Tanggol Wika filed a legal petition against CHED, temporarily halting the implementation of CMO No. 20.

Supreme Court Decision of March 5, 2019

The final ruling (denied with finality) by the Supreme Court that upheld the removal of Filipino and Panitikan from the mandatory general education curriculum in colleges.

Dicamay Agta

An extinct indigenous language from Isabela, Philippines.

Katabangan

An extinct indigenous language from Quezon, Philippines.

Arta

A critically endangered indigenous language spoken in Quirino, Philippines.

Ata (Negros)

An indigenous language in Negros that is nearly extinct, having only 2 to 3 remaining speakers as of 2021.