Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Filipino As Thinker
Filipino As Thinker
The Filipino
As Thinker
I. METALINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
Focuses
Liamzon's study of Tagalog describes its focuses as quite
different from English. In English, the focus of the
speaker-
hearer's attention is directed to different parts of an utterance
by the use of semtence stress. Thus, one can say:
1 (a) The wóman cooked fish in the kitchen for the child.
(b) The woman cóoked fish in the kitchen for the child.
(c) the woman cooked físh in the kitchen for the child.
(d) The woman cooked fish in the kitchen for the child.
(e) The woman cooked fish in the kitehen for the child.
in (1) (a), the focus of the speaker-hearer's attention is
on the
CtOr (1.e., woman) ; in (1)(b), it is on the action (i.e., cooked);
73
in (1) .
the goal (1.e., fish ); ), it is
(e)'is
(di
on
in (1) (c),
it is on
(i.e., chen);
kitchen); in (1)
(1)(e), it is the
the action on
location of action (i.e., the child). the
of the
beneficiary
alone will no+
In Tagalog.
the sentence
attention
a
stress
t t e n t i o n from act
ange
actor to change the
focus of the
speaker-hearer's
location o r
action. Instead, ead, one must
one must action,
ange
o r from goal
to
the case marko e the
the
structure of the sentence by changing
affixes of the verbs
of markers of the
the
noun
and the
phrases
(focus) Thus cor-
above is:
responding to (1) (a)
babae ang naglutó ng
isdå sa kusina
sina para sa
(2) (a) Ang above is:
batà. Corresponding to (1) (b)
babae ng isda sa kusina para hata
(2) (b) Naglutò ang sa
has:
Corresponding to (1) (c), Tagalog
(2) (c) Linutò ang isdâ ng babae sa kusina para sa batä.
Syntax
English sentence structure, according to Llamzon, is dualis-
tic in the sense that it always has a
subject
Subordinated sentence types are also dualistic.3 and predicate.
When the sub-
ject is lacking, an impersonal subject is posited as in It is
raining' or "There is a man.' But in Philippine languages
the
impersonal subject is unnecessary. Thus It is raining' becomes
Nagaulan/Umuulan/Agtutudo respectively in Visayan, Tagalog,
and Ilocano. Likewise There is a man' is rendered Dunay
tawo/Mayroong tao/Adda tao. Llamzon calls these sentence
types "monadic solidarities." Unlike the dualistic (or diadic)
structure of English, Tagalog sentences may have one,
two,
three, or four elements (monadic, diadic, triadic, or quadradic
solidarities).
The dualistic structure of English therefore reflects the
dualistic world view of its native speakers, whereas Filipinos
are not tied down
to this dualism.
/Ka-an/and Concreteness
Abstract nouns in English are formed with suffixes such
s-ness/, /-ity/, and /-hood/. Thus 'big' turns abstract in
gness, sober' in 'sobriety,' and 'man' in 'manhood.' The
hilippine version is commonly done with /ka-an/. However,
75
TABLE6
FOCUSES OF VERBS
I am ordered to sing.
Makanta ko kana. Makakanta ko-iyan. Makantak dayta. I can sing that.
Kantahan ko ikaw. Kakantahan kita, Kantaan ka.' I may/will sing for you.
Makigkanta ako kanimo. Makikanta ako sa iyo. Makikantaak kenka. I wish to sing with you.
Magkantakanta ako. Kumakantakanta ako. Aginkakantuak. I pretend to sing.
what is abstract in English is not exactly the same in the Phil
ippine equivalent.
Let us consider the significant usages of /ka-an/ which
also occur in Visayan, Tagalog, and Ilocano:"
(1) To express the superlative. For example 'highest' a8
in 'glory to God in the highest' is transBated as kuhitas-an/kaita
asan/kangatuan. This form of the superlative degree is especial-
ly common in Ilocano. Thus pimtas ('pretty') in the superlative
is kapintasan ('prettiest').
(2) To indicate companionship, reciprocity, or simultaneity
of action. The prefix /ka-/ indicates companionship as in /ka-/|
with 'play' (duwa/laro/ay-ayam) becomes "playmate
kalaro/kaay-ayam). The nature of companionship or reciproc-
(kaduwa
ity is also in ka-an/ as in 'agreement' (kasabutan/kasunduan
katulayan). Likewise /ka-an/ with 'happy' (lipay/tuwa/rag-
sak) is better translated as 'being happy together (kalipayan/
katuvaan/karagsakan ) than as happiness' which is abstract
in English.
Linguistic Imprecision
We do not wish to say that the Philippine languages are
entirely imprecise. Every culture has a set of culturally-con-
ditioned precise words which another language cannot directly
translate. The Philippine languages, for example, have a rich
vocabulary concerning rice in all its states as well as precise
terms on the various ways of carrying things. But the Philip.
pine languages have no original word for snow, .whereas Eski-
mo has quite a vocabulary for it.
I. FILIPINO BEHAVIOR
Riddles are another poetic form since "it is in the riddle that
we find the smallest unit of folk and primitive poetry, and
figurative language is at the core of riddles.. .."11 Exchang
ing riddles is a part of recreation. Or as Jocano puts it: "Rid
dling was and still is part of Filipino parlor games. In the
course of our field work, we have noted young boys engaged in
riddle-contests while grazing their carabaos, watching the ripen-
ing ricefields, or playing under the shade of trees during non-
time. Adults also love riddling. During wakes for the dead,
one hears a great number of riddles."12 Since to sleep during
the wake is considered disrespectful, riddling is a means for
staying awake, besides serving as a relief of anxiety, as enter
tainment and as didactic form.18
also to Mangyan
sources." This kind of sym.
lism applies poetry. Perhaps the
quotation on Maon
Mangyan symbolism applies to following
in g e n e r a l :
Philippine imagery
When a Mangyan poet writes
Trites of it not for the purpose ofof a
flower, he
beauty or fragrance but to make it ancelebrating
allegory orits
a
Svmbol of human life, itS problems, and its
challenges.
Sometimes the symbolism of a bird or flower may be
elear enough, as when a boy talks to his girl about
beautiful flower that he would like to bring home."
Very often, however, one symbol may refer to dif-
ferent conditions or cireumstances and, thus, becomes
a multiple symbol.17
"Non-Scientific" Mind
Imitation
heard. It
are imitators" is often
The statement "Filipinos the
In the good sense, it means
connotations.
as good and bad For instance, a tune once
e n t e r t a i n e r s in East traditions. A
imitation of past
or the strict improve
fO ronalism the ability to innovate or
m of "imitation" is 81
what is imitated. Instances of this innovative spirit are indicat-
ed in the last chapter. The negative connotation implies lack
of originality and blind imitation. Some writers consider this
as an effect of colonialism: that Western colonizers succeeded
in convincing the colonized of the inferiority' of Filipino cul-
ture so that what originates locally is inferior.
It seems that old Filipino pedagogy stressed rote memory,
that is, memory without understanding. This pedagogy also
happened in other Oriental cultures.
Before
explaining intuition, a little digression on the
sophy of symbol is necessary because intuition philo-
the way Filipinos
perceive symbols. springs from
A. INTUITIVE
Before explaining intuition,
little digression on the
a
sophy of symbol is
necessary because intuition philo-
the way springs from
Filipinos perceive symbols.
82
Philosophy of Symbol
ppines.
On the other hand, the incarnational dimension of symbol
would approximate what Merleau-Ponty means by "sign As non-
dualistic.The symbol participates and somehow coincides with
Lhe thing Since we have already explained this in con-
meant.
hection with language and thought in Chapter 11, repetition
Would be needless here. However, to illustrate words as incar-
national symbols would be pertinent here. Lee notes that for a
ative speaker, the words of his language (which participates
n ife) do more than just mean something. Thus if a teacher
for
o use non-euphemistic terms for bodily evacuation and
would
exual activity, the class would be disturbed. But there
83
be no class disturbance if the teacher were to use the Latin
words. "This does not mean," Lee continues, "that the Latin
terms do not carry the situation in which they have participated.
They do; but what they convey is the passage of the textb0ok.
or the paragraph in the dietionary; and these are
eminently ap.
propriate to the classroom."**
the Wintu
speak of a man who is course, that
his wife, or is ill menstruating (in respect of)
(in respect of) his son."23
Wheelwright claims that the
position of
ism-which espouses dualistic semantic positiv-
"vigorously, will be symbolism- when carried out
utterly
physics, and even for ethics destructive for religion, for meta-
[because] the
three
disciplines necessarily transcend thetruth-claims of these
methods of reach of scientifie
validation.. .and so have
status."2 a
merely subjective
subjective
The two
ity of the topic. It
divergent
schools on symbol indicate
does not mean that the complex
the other one school is
correct. Rather the wrong ana
logical mind whereas the dualistic angle is the view of tn
the
psychological mind. Theincarnational angle is the view O
two views
With these
complement each other
intuition. considerations in mind, let
us now
proceed w
84
Intuition
spirit
its
miss
to
B. INDUCTIVE
Since
Filipino thinking proceeds through concrete in
ymbols,it is also inductive by In-
nature.
tional
ductio. egins with
begins with the particular in order to arrive at the
sal. It is the opposite of deduction which proceeds the
univ
other way.
An instance of Filipino inductive reasoning at work
is the campaign speech in the barrios. The speakers often begin
cts,
with concrete fact with ad hominem arguments, and with
milar
sim
ways of arousing the interests of the whole man. Of
cours induction and deduction can use sophisms. Athough
eourse both in least the writer has
the following example may be wrong, at was elected president
its pattern: "My classmate
often heard
of the or'ganization.NoV we are not only
classmates but also
come from same town. Therefore I shall become the next pre
sident of the organization."It is the same pattern of the comn
mon example given in philosophy textbooks: there is fire on
the hill; therefore the hill must be on fire.
On the other hand, Western thought is characterized by de-
duction or logical thinking This manner can be traced back
to the Greeks who fathered Western civilization. Stcherbatsky
sums up the Greek way of thinking thus:
The Greek philosopher surveys the world as an
Ordered system of realized concepts whose total and
partial connections and disconnections are laid down
in Syllogisms. . . . The Greek science defines syllogism
43 a series of three propositions containing three termas
and capable of yielding 19 different moods of valid
judgments according to a change of the grammatical
pOsition of these terms in these propositions.. Al
though in Aristotle's intension Syllogism is the gene-
ral torm of all Deductions as well as Inductions, it be-
ame in the hands of his followers restricted to De
head
uction alone, and as soon as Induction raised its
modern times, the position of the Syllogism. res
ricted to mere deductions, became endangered.
ed e Th objective inclination of Western thought is best adapt-
ed to Aris-
logical thinking. (Logie' is understood here in the
totelian
totelian ser premises a n a
s e of three terms compared in two
cunclusion).
pointi
Dointing thinking can be illustrated
Logical
as an arrow
also Taces
d g h t at an object. But logical thinking
87
the danger (as in the case
of obstacles) of missing the object,
that:
On the other hand, Abegg says
does not follow a straight line
East Asian thought mOves... The
but consists of enveloping or encireling than small
East Asians at first make nothing more the arrows
and
advances in no particular direction,
definite centre, the aim or
only then turn towards a sense this centre.
product of the thought, when theya cloud of arrows
At first, therefore, there is only
no pattern, un-
flying in all directions and following These
til they gradually turn towards a central point.
a mixture, physically considered
advances are partly partly -
89
NOT E S
for the latter's presenta-
indebted to Fr. Llamzon
The author is much See Teodoro A. Llamzon,"Modern Ateneo Tagalog, A
tion of Tagalog focus. Lan-
mimeographed (Manila:
Functional Structure Description,"
160-169.
guage Center, June 1968), pp.
Analysis to Justify Theo-
A Bilingual StructuralEnglish (Cebu City:
Paz Ruiz Dorotheo, in San
Cehuano Induced Verb Errors
retically the 1966), p. 36 ff.
Carlos Publications,
ff.
Llamzon, op. cit.. p. 71
bid., pp. 81-83.
Thid, p. 72 ff.
Since various authors use different foreign models for analyzing Con-
also be different.
interpretations will
Philippine languages, their Dictionary of Cehuano Visayan.
sulted for Visayan w a s John U. Wolff's A
4 of the Philappne ournal of Linguistics
special monograph issue number work waas
(Junc 1972): 410. For Tagalog consulted besides Llamzon's
Plipino-lngles (Quezon City:
ose Villa Panganiban's Diksyuaryo-Tesauro was Mo-
1972), pp. 208-209. Used for Ilocano
Manlap8z Publishing Co.. Grammar
rice Vanoverbergh's Iloko (Baguio: Catholic School Press, n.d.).
Bisaya, Mga Katarungan ug Katin-
Manuel Yap, Ang Dila Natong
mga Hiyas (Cebu City: published by the
2wan s a iyang mga Lagda ug
author, 1947), pp. 174-175.
35 bid., p. 119.
36bid., pp. 134-141.
37F. Th. Stcherbatsky [Fedor Ippolitovich Shcherbatskol], Buddhist
Logic, Vol. 2 (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1962), pp. 315-316.
91