Doctor Jose Rizal once said, "He who does not love his his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish." Teenagers nowadays are more interested in foreign languages more than our own language. They are learning on how to speak Korean, French, Latin and many more but when you ask and tell them deep Filipino words,they are not familiar with them. Doctor Jose Rizal also said that the youth is the hope of our future. But what is happening right now? Are the youth still our hope?
One of the annual celebration in the Philippines is the Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) that is held every August. It is initiated by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF). The official theme for the 2019 Buwan ng Wika Celebration is "Wikang Katutubo: Tungo sa Isang Bansang Pilipino". The significance of the theme is to remind the people that Filipino and other native languages are very important in creating a country where people understand each other. Projects, programs and activities that are connected in developing and preservation of Filipino language and other native languages in the country are being implemented during this month.
Language is one of the intangible heritage of a place. You can know the identity, tradition, literature and culture of a place based on their language. According to the KWF, there are 130 dialects in the country. The theme also tells us that we should know and use our own languages instead of focusing on other languages.Within the month of August, various Filipino-related activities such as simultaneous pronunciation, poetry, essay writing competitions, slogan creations, and other folk performances are held. Hence, Buwan ng Wika is more than just a celebration and promotion of Filipinos. It also highlights the appreciation of the country's rich cultural diversity as well as the collaboration among government agencies and private sectors for language identity and civic awareness.
We should learn how to use and preserve our Filipino language and other native languages. People around the world will know who we are basing on our language that's why we should be proud of them. Pass them to the next generations. Love your country, love your language. Now, I want to challenge you. Stand up, chin up and breast out. Go out. And tell to the world that you're a Filipino and you live in the Philippines.
i love my language <3
ReplyDeletei love it too!
DeleteI love my language <4
ReplyDeletei love my language <5
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