It is said that language is the soul of a nation.
Without a language, especially a national language, a country is dead.
That is why every nation in the world has its own lengua franca no matter how multi-lingual operates in the cultural spirit of the whole nation.
In the Philippines, there are hundreds of dialects—170 to be exact—spoken in the entire archipelago.
Because of ethno-linguistic diversity, the Philippines is alive and kicking in its medium of communication.
It is in the interest of the celebration of the National Language Month this August that a tribute to various types of languages in the Philippines is in order.
Yet it should not stop from there.
Everyday must be a cultivation and preservation of many languages in our backyard.
Although Filipino is the umbrella language of all indigenous languages in the country, the importance of other regional tongues is imperative.
This was the appeal of Dr. Arthur P. Casanova, chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) when he recently attended an online lecture on Theater Arts at the Leon Guinto Colleges in Atimonan, Quezon.
According to Casanova, people from Quezon and its neighboring provinces like Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Cavite should research, bring out, examine, preserve and compile all unique Tagalog words from the regions.
“Tipunin ninyo ang inyong mga natatanging salita d’yan sa Quezon at sa mga karatig-pook tulad ng Laguna, Batangas, Cavite at Rizal at gumawa kayo ng diksyunaryo. Makakatulong ‘yan para maalagaan ninyo ang mga natatanging katutubong wika ng inyong lugar (Gather all unique words there in Quezon and its neighboring places like Laguna, Batangas, Cavite and Rizal and create a dictionary. It will help in the preservation of the indigenous languages in your areas),” said Dr. Casanova.
The KWF Chair called on the Quezonins, Lagunenses, Batangueños and Batangueñas, Caviteños and Caviteñas, and Rizalians to love and care for their native dialects because they are unifying factor in the progress and development of the regions, all of them composing CALABARZON geo-polity.
Dr. Casanova underscored the significance of the other languages of Filipino such as the unique accent and structure of Quezon Tagalog as against Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Rizal Tagalogs.
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