The proclamation of, and the justification for, the National Language:
Posted in Quezoniana
December 30, 1937
Author: Manuel L. Quezon III
Manuel L. Quezon III.
4 thoughts on “December 30, 1937”
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sad reality. when im in cebu they are still proud of their native language althought they can speak tagalog. it should have been Spanish all in all as the official together with english.
viva la republica de filipinas.
why cant i post?
The choice of Tagalog as the basis of the national language was pragmatic. Tagalog then and now is the most developed of all Philippine languages.
Cebuanos should be proud of their language and strive to develop it. But to derail the Quezon project of a national language is beside the point. Cebuanos and other regional groups should develop their languages and let their languages contribute to the national language as it becomes enriched. What has happened is that Cebuano’s contribution to Filipino has a lot to be desired. In fact one Bisaya linguist I have spoken to joked that his language’s main contribution to Filipino are terms relating mainly to sex. Now what does that say of Visayans?
In contrast, Tagalog has definitely enriched Visayan and all the other regional languages and this goes beyond sex.
Another thing is that Tagalog and Filipino are diverging. That’s why Filipino speakers like me laugh when they hear “real” Tagalog being spoken. I don’t consider myself a Tagalog speaker but I am a Filipino speaker. I always use “mag” to denote verbal action, something frowned about in Tagalog. In fact I am somewhat irritated when US Embassy forms refer to the national language as “Tagalog”.
My grandparents were from different regions of the Philippines. They were civil servants in Quezon’s Commonwealth. But I remember them telling me that President Quezon’s biggest contribution to our nation is not getting independence from America (if Quezon did not become President, another President would have got the same thing), but having the vision and political will that Filipinos need a national language.
para sa aking pag unawa ah parehas kayong wag mag talo tska pinag tatalunan nio d nman nio ito ginagamit….
katulad ngayon bakit ingles ang gamit nio? eun andun na tayo pero ito nlang sa panahon na yun yung ginawa na wikang pambansa ay tagalog…may mga dahilan ito katulad isang bagay oh my sariling interest oh ibang dahilanan na nakabalot dito… may kauturan ang sinasabe mo bkit hindi pinag samasama ang mga salita ng bawat lugar ito lang dahil dati ang salia ng pilipino ay latin…lahat ng katutubo rito ay nakakaintindi nito….kya ngayon para magkaroon lang tayo ng isang wika na ating pag mamalaki ginawa nila ang tagalog ang wikang pambansa dahil mag kasing tulad ang tagalog at ang latin….. yun nga ang problema dito sa bansa natin lahat gusto sila ang bida namumuno at nag didicta kya nga hinahangad natin na umunlad ito pero tayo mismo sa simpleng aspeto sinisira agad natin ang salitang pag kakaisa