THE COMMON TONGUE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20644, 16 February 1929, Page 4

THE COMMON TONGUE.

ENGLISH IN PHILIPPINES. The spread-of, English is unifying the Philippine Islands, while education is preparing them, for fuller enjoyment of their politicol victories, said Eugene A. Gilmore, acting Governor-General of the islands, to members of the Englishspeaking Union at a .recent meeting at San Francisco. ■ “We have given the Filipinos a taste for occidental civilisation,” Mr Gilmore said. “To-day they are facing the problem of tastes more advanced than are their incomes. We tell them they must develop more wealth; that civilisation is built bn the margin between production and consumption. They realise this necessity as the only alternative to a return to the primitive conditions of 100 years ago. They are thinking more of economics and, less of politics.” There were 87 dialects spoken in the Philippines when the United States took them over. Among these the major divisions differed as greatly as do French and German.

“ We have attempted to make it possible for the 12,000,900 people in the islands to understand one another through introduction of a common tongue, English. This was not the arbitrary effort of a dominant people to for.ce its own language upon an inferior race, for there was no other language which offered equal -possibilities. “ presented .these distinct advantages; is is the language of the country politically and internationally responsible for the welfare of the Philippines; it is the commercial language of the Orient, and it is fast becoming the diplomatic language of the world. We do not wish to displace the dialects. They will remain in the homes, in social life, and in the transaction of smaller business enterprises. “We have no compulsory education law in the Philippines,” the speaker explained. “We do not need one, for our chief problem is to furnish educational facilities for a portion of the many children eager to get into the schools. We are expanding the system as fast as we can. Development has been slow, and cannot be hastened beyond a reasonable point, even though the necessary money were available. “Variations and corruptions are creeping into the language as it is used in the Philippine Islands,” Mr Gilmore said, “ but these need not alarm us, so long as the fundamentals remajn. When a native says, ‘ begonias be begonias,’ we know he means ‘Let bygones be bygones,’ and so does the one to whom he is speaking. English is triumphing in the Philippines; and with it are triumphing all those institutions for which the English language stands.” Dr David. P.. Barrows, one-time director of education for the Philippine Islands, introduced the speaker, and was in- turn credited with having established the fundamentals of the present educational system of the islands. Dr Barrows declared that the Philippines at present enjoy greater legislative liberty than any State of the Union; that even the Federal domain is wholly in the hands of the people. The present Acts of Congress. governing the islands a,rc inadequate, prevent full and proper executive control on the part of the Governor, and should be amended, Dr Barrows declared.