I opened my passport (pasaporte) and the I see blank pages where visa (bisa) are to be stamped.
Our national language is referred to as Filipino, which I feel is incorrect. That is an anglicization of Pilipino. Nokia (of all creatures) gets it right, in their cellphones sold in the Philippines they refer to the language as Pilipino.
Claro M. Recto, what remains of him, should be spinning in his grave so fast it would possible to harness that energy. Were we deign to check.
I suppose 'upuan' (chair) is easier on the tongue (and fingers) than salumpuwit.
In a planet that is rapidly homogenizing, whether its denizens likes it or not, is there are a need for more than one language?
I do not know.
Logically, I suppose, it does not make sense to put up with this babel.
But.
Consider the beauty of a spoken language.
If you have never heard of Balagtasan, then you have never heard how beautiful and melodic Tagalog can be.
Years years ago, there was this kargador from the palengke who stops in front of the store on some nights to balagtas to the salesgirls at front. He does it well too.
Ah, well.
Italian sound nice in comedic opera.
French, in my opinion, should be the language of Jazz. There is something earthy, dark, foreboding that makes it fitting for Jazz. But not blues, oddly. Just my tastes.
The French are fighting hard to make their language relevant in this day and age. But it does border on silliness sometimes. For instance, we say 'wye-fie' they say 'wee-fee'.
Potatos-potaytoes. Tomatos-Tomaytoes
At times, it seems the Germans just string along words to describe something new. 'Herzkreislaufwiederbelebung' (heart-circle-run-again-enlivenment) or Cardio-Pulmonary resuscitation. 'Das Federkraftlichtbogenschweißen' (arc welding with electrode fed by spring pressure).
Proponents for Latin, too, burn the midnight bio-oil to keep with our times. Whoever 'our' are. 'Ordinatrum' or computer.
In Latin's heyday, English was bastard tongue spoken by unlearned and unwashed heathens, A.K.A. commoners.
Funny how mathematicians and physicists, for all their logic, often use one word to describe a function, an equation, or feats of logic: beautiful.
If nothing else, then, we should preserve our language for their beauty.
