Situation Discussant: Rhealyn E. Ausan Learning Goals: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1) Explain the concept of linguistic rights and its significance
to society and individuals;
2) Familiarize yourself with the language situation in the
Philippines; and
3) Rationalize the preferred languages in the different
domains of the country. In the Philippines, nearly 200 languages and dialects are spoken by an estimate of 100 million Filipinos. The language map below taken from Greenberg’s Linguistic Diversity Index shows the 10 languages that are predominantly used in various provinces. Linguistics Rights Linguistic rights are the human and civil rights concerning the individual and collective right to choose the language or languages for communication in a private or public atmosphere. Phillipson and Skutanabb-Kangs (2017) listed several international covenants that cover one’s linguistic rights. 01 The Charter of the United Nations (1945) commits its member nations in its general articles to promoting "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion" (paragraph 6.11, 55). 02 Universal Declaration of Human Rights paragraph 2: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." 03 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966, Article 27) states: "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language." 04 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) stresses the maintenance of identity, including "nationality" and "name." 05 The UN's Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities: "that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live." (Preamble) Thank you!!