Category Archives: General
English Proficiency of Tourism and Engineering Students In Two Asian Universities: A Comparative Study
The study I conducted on English proficiency, my first for 2019, was recently accepted for presentation in an international conference in Manila, Philippines.
Link to the study:
Having and Losing Mark Andrei
(THIS IS A TRUE STORY)
“Life is like a roller coaster ride.” I couldn’t agree more to whoever said that.
Yesterday, you saw people beaming with so much happiness laughing so contagiously and shaking hands or exchanging high fives with everybody around them. Today, the same people maybe crying a river in a desolate room smarting from the pains inflicted by something or someone. Tomorrow, what will it be? Nobody knows! They would have licked their emotional wounds and will emerge from that desolate room, learn to smile again and gradually laugh their way out of whatever bad experiences they had. If not, then we could surmise that they may have decided to stay in the shell of their grief and to plummet deeper in the unfathomable depths of despair.
Perhaps everything may depend on whatever twists and turns that were laid down by the grand designer of the tracks where our personal roller coasters run. We may desire all that we want to alter the course of our roller coasters and wriggle out of the undesirable whirls in the switchbacking tracks. But that’s impossible.
Eventually at a certain age, whether we like it or not, we begin to take control of our lives. That’s when the ride starts. Choose a car in the coaster train. There’s no turning back. All that we can do is to make sure that we’re buckled up. Expect the turns, ups and downs. Be ready to be twizzled and twined. Accept that you could not avoid the spirals and the slammers.
Generally, the way my roller coaster zipped through the tracks have both enthralled and frightened me. There were times, when I was younger, that I wished the joy I was experiencing wouldn’t end. There were moments also when I thought I would not be able to wiggle out of the depths of despair and sadness but my faith in God (that I believe exists) and my unwillingness to succumb to challenges kept me afloat.
One of the most difficult parts of my journey in the tracks happened a few days ago. (I wrote this in 2009, just two weeks after IT happened.) Those days in my life were both exciting and frightening. Perhaps that stage of my ongoing roller coaster ride – that chapter in my life – could have been the most emotionally draining and exhilaratingly suspenseful.
It happened when an angel dropped from the clouds and gave me the privilege of becoming his father (and my wife his mother) for seven days. That’s right – seven days only. I wanted it longer. But from up there in the roller coaster tracks where my car was (and up there I felt enormous joy). I was pulled down. That was a very steep slope. Then I felt passing through a twist and a turn and when my roller coaster made a sudden stop – the angel was gone.
What happened in those seven days?
Let me share what happened in each day.
Day 1: https://madligaya.com/2013/03/19/father-son-for-just-seven-days-1st-of-7-parts/
Day 2: https://madligaya.com/2013/03/22/father-son-for-just-seven-days-2nd-of-7-parts/
Day 3: https://madligaya.com/2013/03/23/father-son-for-seven-days-3rd-of-7-parts/
Day 4: https://madligaya.com/2013/03/28/father-son-for-seven-days-4th-of-7-parts/
Day 5: https://madligaya.com/2013/03/31/father-son-for-seven-days-5th-of-7-parts/
Day 6: https://madligaya.com/2013/04/03/father-son-for-seven-days-6th-of-7-parts/
Day 7: https://madligaya.com/2013/04/04/father-son-for-seven-days-last-of-7-parts/
Love At First Bite
I am a foodie. The extra pounds around my waist is a testament to that. So, when I came here (South Korea) I was excited to finally try the dishes which I saw only on television shows and in movies in my country.
The first food I ate here in South Korea was (drum roll, please)… biscuits from the Philippines. I wasn’t able to eat anything Korean immediately when I and sir Kenn (a fellow professor from the Philippines) arrived at the Busan International Airport. I was not thinking of food at that time. I was looking for at least a cup of coffee then, not because of hunger nor my usual craving for caffeine. I just wanted to feel something warm in my hands which started to go numb. It was freezing cold that morning and hunger was the least of my worries. The only thing I wanted was to reach our destination at Gyeoungju-si and wrapped myself up with the thickest of blanket I could find there.
My jacket wasn’t thick enough for my body to enjoy the early spring weather trying to give me an icy cold welcome. I didn’t have time to open my travelling bags because we had a bus to catch. It was my fault to believe what some friends back home told me that it’s not that cold here during spring. For a body used to either a hot or a VERY HOT weather, experiencing a negative two for the first time was literally a chilling experience.
As soon as I reached the apartment reserved for me by 경주 대학교 (Gyeoungju University), the first school where I worked here, I immediately unpacked and got myself another jacket. It was only when I was warm enough that I started to feel hungry and realized that I was actually a time zone away from my family. Back home, my wife would make sure that whenever hunger strikes there’s food I could grab from either the fridge or the table.
I waited for another day to officially get introduced to Korean dishes that I had the chance to see only on TV through the Korean dramas that Filipinos like me are so fond of watching. I found it amusing that aside from wishing me well for the Korean adventure I was about to embark on, my family and friends kept telling me that finally I would have a chance to try the legendary 김치 (kimchi).
Then finally the day came that something Korean would travel my digestive tract. I got that chance during the orientation for the university students held at the Concorde Hotel (Bomun Lake Resort, Bodeok-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbukdo). Of course, I was excited to meet my fellow professors from other countries and have my first encounter with Korean university students. But I was, I think, more excited to have my first dining experience in South Korea. What made it more exciting was the fact that after that night, the taste of kimchi would no longer be a mystery to me.
Right after the orientation, I joined the foreign professors and university officials and we all headed to the restaurant of the hotel. As we approached the dining hall, the ambrosial smell characteristic of hotel lobbies was replaced by a savory waft that was unlike any combination of aroma my sense of smell was used to. It made me hungrier and more excited.
There were four of us who shared one of the tables reserved. Already there (on the table) before we sat down were lots of 반찬 (banchan), or side dishes, mostly vegetables, including Korea’s “most-talked-about” kimchi.
I dived in. The first Korean food I tried was (drum roll again, please)… kimchi.
Despite my struggles with the chopsticks, I managed to pick a small chunk of this famous fermented cabbage. The smell, as I expected, was biting and pungent. Its tanginess was nothing new to me because in the Philippines there are items in our cuisine that I could say are perhaps more biting and more pungent than kimchi. What about the taste? It’s garlicky, salty and of course spicy. The first one I tried then had a combination of sweetness and spiciness. I was told that there are more than 100 known varieties of kimchi.
After my first bite, I immediately wanted more of it. Yes, I came to like kimchi. I don’t know why, let me just say that it was “love at first bite.” It is so hard to explain as to why I would consider meals incomplete without a serving of this side dish.
The main meal served was a kimchi-based dish called 김치 찌개 (kimchi-jjigae). Kimchi-jjigae is kind of stew where kimchi (preferably older or more fermented) is mixed with pork, seafood and diced tofu. I could handle spicy foods like this one. There are two problems though when I eat them. First, I sweat too much. Second and last, I probably would have up to two orders of extra rice. I was a little overweight when I came to South Korea. One of the things I set as goal when I came here was to get rid of the “belt bag.” With foods like kimchi-jjigae, I realized that night that losing weight is an impossible dream.
I completely abandoned my weight concerns when sir Randy, also a fellow professor from the Philippines, told me that the following day he would make me try 삼겹살 (samgyeobsal).
Ang Tatay Ni Juan
Excited si Juan nang ama’y kinausap –
“Itay, sa wakas ay aking nang nahanap
Iibigin, ko’t pakakasalang dilag
Bukod sa maganda’y ubod pa ng sipag.”
Nangiti si mang Pedro anak niyakap
“Yes! Magkakaapo na ako sa wakas.”
At tinanong ng ama ang kanyang anak –
“Eh Juan, sino ba itong bago mong sweetheart?”
“Siya po’y si Helen anak ni aling Bebang
Sila’y nakatira sa kabilang kanto lang.”
“Anak, si aling Bebang bang nagpapakwan?”
“Opo itay… ‘yong madalas ninyong bilhan.”
“Naku anak, ako sana’y iyong sundin
Iyang si Helen ‘di mo pwedeng ibigin”
“Bakit po itay? Inyo ngang liwanagin.
“Anak si Helen… sa akin din nanggaling.”
“Itay… si Helen pala’y aking kapatid!
Talagang sa babae kayo’y malupit.
Si aling Bebang kayo ang nakabuntis,
Di ka nasindak sa mister niyang pulis.”
“Si Helen ay pilit kong kakalimutan
Si Joy na lang po ang aking liligawan
Mukha’y maamo’t maganda ang katawan
Siya’y anak ng kumpare ninyong si Teban.”
“Hep! Hep! Hep! Ikaw nga anak eh tumigil
Anak… kay Joy eh huwag ka sanang mang-gigil
Bunga din s’ya nang aking pagtataksil
Nang si kumare ay hindi ko napigil.”
“Ang liligawan ko na lang eh si Gracia,
Nag-iisang anak ni aling Maria.”
“Naku hijo, sorry, pero pasensya na,
Si Gracia’y galing rin sa aking semilya.”
Naglasing ng todo ang dismayadong Juan
Mga kapatid kasi ‘di pwedeng ligawan
Kaya’t ang nanay niya’y kanyang nilapitan.
“Inay…ako po ba’y pwedeng pagpayuhan?”
“Tatlong dilag… aking pinagpipilian
Isa sa kanila nais kong ligawan
Ngunit si itay ako ay pinigilan
Siya daw ang tatay ng mga naturan.”
“Inay si itay ika’y pinagtaksilan
Kataksilang aking pinagdudusahan.”
“Tama na anak pag-iyak ay tigilan
Itong sasabihin ko’y iyong pakinggan.”
“Si Helen at Gracia pwede mong ligawan
Tanging si Joy lang ang dapat mong iwasan.”
Eh bakit po inay? Pwede bang malaman?
“Anak… tunay mong ama’y si pareng Teban.”
Ang Bird ni Father
Umiiyak si Father isang umaga,
Bird kasi niya’y naglaho sa hawla.
May nagnakaw – ang kanyang suspetsa
Kaya’t nagpasya itong magimbestiga.
Bird na naturan mahal na mahal niya,
Hinihimas palagi gabi’t umaga,
Kasa-kasama kahit saan magpunta,
Maging sa pagtulog… hawak-hawak niya.
Kaya’t sumumpa s’yang ito’y hahanapin.
Sukdulang bawat bahay hahalughugin.
Pagiging pari sumumpang gagamitin,
Upang ang bird niya muling makapiling.
Nanawagan pagkasampa sa pulpito,
Pasimpleng tinanong ang mga Katoliko.
Ang tanong, “Sino ba ang may bird sa inyo?”
Syempre nagsitayo lahat ng ginoo.
Paring nagtanong tila nagulantang
Kaya’t ang tanong ay kagyat pinalitan.
“Anyone seen a bird?”… bagong katanungan,
Nagsitayo mga dalaga at ginang.
Filipinos and the English Language
Why is the Philippines included in the discussion about which country is the world’s BPO/Call Center capital?
Filipinos have many positive qualities that make their country an attractive business outsourcing destination. This article, however, focuses only on what could possibly be on top of that list – their good command of the English language.
There were a few netizens from some parts of the world who, in videos, made fun of the ability of Filipinos to speak in English. Whatever people, through the Internet, have seen in such videos makes them think that it is the truth about the Filipinos’ ability to communicate in English. There were also foreigners who experienced conversing with drivers, vendors, and bystanders in the streets of Manila or in far-flung tourist destinations in the countryside. They thought the “broken English” they heard from these common people represented the Filipinos’ English proficiency. It is not.
What kind of English do you expect from taxi and jeepney drivers in the Philippines? Do you expect street and sidewalk vendors and bystanders, who might not have even completed elementary education due to financial constraints, to speak impeccable English?
Those common people, not well-educated as they are, at least, can carry out a conversation in English, “broken” it may be. They understand what native English speakers tell them. They can give the latter information and directions they need. You are barely scratching the surface of Filipino English proficiency when you talk to them. You need to dig deeper. One has to visit the halls of the academic community of the Philippines and stay in the lounges of the country’s business sector in order to have a more informed evaluation of the speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills of the inhabitants of the island country.
It is safe to assume that the English proficiency level of the Filipinos occupying the lower stations in society is from “low intermediate” to “high intermediate.” The higher the level of proficiency of the Filipinos become when they at least finish high school. Once they receive a college diploma, they have acquired lower and higher-order English thinking skills. They can remember and understand materials written in English. They can apply what they learned, analyze, and evaluate them. In terms of language, they can create… write sentences, paragraphs, and essays. Students in the tertiary level in the Philippines are required to write reaction papers and term papers in English while pursuing their degree, and, in most universities and colleges, before they are allowed to graduate, they need to present a thesis.
It is no longer surprising that Filipinos perform well in surveys conducted to test proficiency (of non-native English speakers).
For example, in a survey held (among countries not considered native English speaking) 2016, the Philippines ranked 7th in the world (1st in Asia) in workforce English proficiency.
The Philippines also received a strong rating in another 2016 survey among countries best at English as a second language. The Philippines is 13th overall and 3rd in Asia, where first and second placers are Singapore and Malaysia.1
The fact that Filipinos are good at English is hard to dispute.
How do you think would English being the official language in Philippine schools (from pre-school to tertiary levels… including graduate school) affect their proficiency in the language? (I chose not to expound on this but leave the analysis to you.)
Filipino children, as early as the age of 5 or even younger, start their training in the English language. And if their parents are professionals or belong to wealthy families, they would hear English and Filipino sounds even before they go to school. Even in the simplest neighborhoods in the Philippines, it is not surprising to hear people speaking in households in English. Having been a former colony of the USA, English has assimilated deep into Filipino culture.
The Filipinos are bilingual and multilingual people. Filipino and English are the two official languages. Ninety-two percent (92%) of the 103 million Filipinos can speak English as a second language.2
Filipinos start to write and speak in English at an early age. English is heard and read everywhere in the Philippines. As mentioned earlier, it is the language used in schools. Almost all subjects are taught in English. Even the business community has it as the official language. It is in English that all communication in business and government is done. Most of the newspapers (all major broadsheets actually) are also written in the said language.
That is the kind of exposure to the English language that Filipinos are getting. It started more than a century ago when the United States of America annexed the Philippines and made it their colonial outpost in the Pacific. The Americans established the public education system in the island country and used English as the medium of instruction to gradually supplant Spanish as the second language of Filipinos.
Some netizens and self-proclaimed language experts usually make fun of the Filipino accent in English.
It is hard to understand why there are some who make accents a big deal. In communication, it is the pronunciation that counts, not the accent.
“Pronunciation can be good or bad, but the accent is accent, and there isn’t a good or bad accent really.”3
There’s no such thing as a right or wrong accent.
A recent study (Putting accent in its place: Rethinking obstacles to communication) explored the relationships among accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility.4 The study concludes that accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility are partially independent constructs and that simply altering accent will not necessarily affect the other two. In fact, communication obstacles are often based on things other than accent, but because of its extreme salience, accent is given more weight than it deserves.
On the contrary, there is evidence coming out that accent itself could be a barrier to effective communication.
An article entitled “Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators” asserted, “…often you have a boardroom full of people from different countries communicating in English and all understanding each other, and then suddenly the American or Brit walks into the room, and nobody can understand them.”5
The article also explains that “Native speakers are at a disadvantage when you are in a lingua franca situation, where English is being used as a common denominator. It’s the native English speakers that are having difficulty understanding and making themselves understood.”
What makes native English speakers difficult to understand? Is it their accent? So, is ACCENT getting in the way of INTELLIGIBILITY and COMPREHENSIBILITY?
It’s great that the Filipino’s English accent is (as generally described) neutral.
This could be one reason the Philippines is fast becoming if not yet, the world’s BPO/Call Center capital. They can be clearly understood by both native and non-native English speakers.
The main goal of communication is understanding, not to sound fancy by copying somebody else’s accent. But if Filipinos want to mimic somebody’s way of producing vowel and consonant sounds and diphthongs, they can easily do it. What works in favor of Filipinos in terms of learning English is that they are no strangers to the language.
_____
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/which-countries-are-best-at-english-as-a-second-language
- http://www.k-international.com/blog/countries-with-the-most-english-speakers/
- Gordon Scruton (http://gordonscruton.blogspot.kr/2012/11/accent-vs-pronunciation.html)
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-teaching/article/putting-accent-in-its-place-rethinking-obstacles-to-communication/11D7A6BB87C915E074F50DE01FB7995F
- http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161028-native-english-speakers-are-the-worlds-worst-communicators
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 