Baylon, Melvie Mar R.

2008-44523
Language Effectivity

Kachru believes that any language doesn’t belong to anyone except to those who uses it. Given

this statement then English now is a neutral term. English now is a language now is not a

language of its native speakers but of anyone who speaks it.

So Philippine English (PE) is and English with a touch of the Filipino culture. Its flourished has

touched the realm of media. Now the question arises, “Is PE acceptable in the field of mass

communication?” Of course we are talking about here in the national context.

The media exists because of communication and it will continue to be that way. It imparts

culture that we can say it is and intercultural field of expression. To have a good communication

there must be an effectivity of its medium which is language. In language effectivity, I am

referring to certain characteristic of language that enables it to convey messages easily between

speakers.

Let us imagine a travel TV show in the Philippines hosted by two gentlemen a Filipino—born

and raised in the Philippines with English as second language—and an American—born and

raised in America with English as first language. In an episode about, for example, the rice

plantation in the Philippines wherein the two have a firsthand experience of rice transplanting

then it was time for them to comment on their situations on the show, the Filipino speaks his PE

which in a manner close to the ears of the viewers which are also Filipinos. The viewers here has

familiarity of the structure of the language the it is easier to understand. But when it is the

American’s turn to speak, because of his difference in accent or diction, he creates some distance

to his viewers. The Filipino apparently uses the language with effectivity than that of the

American. Philippine English is therefore a good option in the media for Filipinos.