19 Philippine languages to be used by the Youth Forum
- Jul 24, 2015
- 2 min read
In the launching of the 1NYFH at the Center for Kapampangan Studies Theater last Thursday, Prof. Adrian Lee Magcalas, President of the Katipunan da reng Talasaliksik at Talaturung Kapampangan, addressed to the NYFH the concerns of young Kapampangan heritage advocates on the declining number of Kapampangan speakers.
NOT only two but 19 more languages will be included in the medium of communication in the 1st National Youth Forum on Heritage. This is in response to the multicultual approach of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in promoting Filipino heritage.
There are around 182 languages in the Philippines according to the latest report of Ethnologue, an online medium of the Summer Institute of Languages International. SIL International furthered: "The number of individual languages listed for Philippines is 186. Of these, 182 are living and 4 are extinct. Of the living languages, 41 are institutional, 72 are developing, 46 are vigorous, 13 are in trouble, and 10 are dying."
Dicamay Agta, Katabaga, Tayabas Ayta, and Villaviciosa Agta were the recently extinct languages of the country. Language issues will be among the issues to be tackled in one of the 1NYFH five themes in November under "Exploring Cultural Heritage Beyond." The difference between "language" and "dialect" and the proper names of languages, e.g. Kapampangan vs. Pampango, Pangalatok vs. Pangasinense vs. Pangasinan, are also expected to be tackled in the forum as part of educating and aligning the youth to heritage.
NYFH Secretariat will maximize the use of the state's official languages Filipino (National Language) and English side by side with 19 Department of Education-sponsored auxilliary languages under its Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education Policy. Interested delegates may answer the 1NYFH Application Package in Aklanon, Bikolano, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Ivatan, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Pangasinan, Sambal, Surigaonon, Tagalog, Tausug, Waray, Yakan, and Ybanag.
NYFH Secretariat also encourages young writers to contribute articles and literary pieces in their vernacular languages. Accepted articles will be published online on www.nyfhph.com.
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