The state of the nation’s English

Only 2% of public school elementary teachers in the Philippines passed an English proficiency test. Filipino candidates for the International English Speaking Competition in London rarely make it to the semifinals, although the Philippines has also produced two winners previously. In order to increase the nation’s level of English mastery, the article proposes hiring more teachers and people in all sectors, especially those in prominent roles, who can speak good English.

What’s interesting is the article mentions a “How’s Your English?” campaign from decades ago that mirrors Singapore’s “Speak Good English” campaign. The former points out common errors in Philippine English, and the modern adaptation will use social media to spread the corrections. Both campaigns were developed based on the belief that Pinoy / Singaporean English are inferior to standard English. Further confirming the parallel between the Philippines and Singapore, a considerable number of specimens of “Filipinisms”, which include both English and Spanish words, have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. This is perceived as a possible setback to the English Speaking Union’s desperate attempts to forestall “any further deterioration” of their country’s English.

One wonders then whether Filipinos’ attitudes towards Philippine English might shift just as with Singaporeans and Singlish. Will or can Pinoy English become a part of their national identity rather than a symbol of “backwardness” or pre-development? What about the role of the government in manipulating the public’s attitudes? The biggest difference between the Philippines in the present and Singapore in the past is that Singapore had already developed a rigorous education system that allowed students to code switch between using standard English fluently in appropriate situations and speaking Singlish colloquially. Also, while it was the Singaporean government that opposed Singlish, it is the Filipino people who accept only fluent standard English from their representatives, whether in academic competitions, politics or entertainment. With that, it is probably unlikely that the Philippines will embrace their own version of English in the near future.