The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-17
ENGLISH IN THE PHILIPPINES


1t is proposed that from and after
January l, 1913, the English language
shall be the language of officialdom and
of the courts in the Philippines, this
by order of the Philippine legislature.
There would appear to be no reason
why this improvement should be longer
delayed; and yet some of our "anti-
imperialist - friends seem very sure
that hardship will be imposed upon
the Filipinos if this action is SO sud
denly forced, But those who plead sud.
denness and unpreparedness in this
matter, evidently overlook the facts.
The American school ma am and school
supervisor have been very much in evi-
dence IN the Philippines for the past
twelve or thirteen years, There has
from the first been a purpose and gem
eral understanding that the English
language should supplant the Spanish
IN the Philippines for all official busi-
ness and general purposes AS it has
peen' each tribe has It's own language,
and there is no conference in speech
! among the numerous tribes who inhab~
| II the islands. Ever since Spanish oc.
| cupaton, the Spanish language has of
course been the official language, and
the Spaniards paid no attention to the
languages of the different tribes, and
made no effort TO educate the people
either IN Spanish or any other Ian
guage, But with the American occupa.
tlon an earnest propaganda began, well
coined by the Fihpiuos themselves. for
the education of the people in general,
this education, of course, being in Eng
lish,
On September l., 1901, eve gather
these data from the Manila Times) the
code of civil procedure which went into
force September /, 1901, provided that
Spanish should continue the official Ian
guage until January l, 1906, and there
after the English should supplant it in
all court proceedings. Upwards of four
years notice was therefore given of
the purpose; and yet. when that period
expired, the people were not ready for
the change, and the Philippine commits
sion, on December %, 1905, passed an
act extending the time for the change
until January l, 1911, another fve.year
period On May 20, 1909, it was fore
seen that the people would not be
ready for the change from Spanish to
English on January l., 1911, as pro.
vided for by the act Of December %,
1905, and so further extension was
made by the Philippine legislature
changing the date Of the transferring
the language to January /, 1913.
We see, therefore, that upwards of
four years notice was given at first
Of the impending change, then an ex-
tension of fully FIVE years was granted.
and afterwards an extension Of two
years, the notice altogether extending
over period of eleven wears.
In the meantime the FIRST pupils in
English in the public schools of the
Philippines have grown up, have gone
INTO the mass of the population of the
islands, and are ready for the change.
Successive generations Of pupils edu.
Gated in English are coming year by !
80 i"'V WIG mass OIL the pupulatlOn, |
all fairly prepared in the use Of Eng
Hsh. There would therefore appear TO
be no reason why the change should not
be made as decreed by the Philippine
legislature, on the first of January
next,
1t is doubtless quite true that at this |
time there arc more native Filipinos J
by far who understand the English |
language than there are who under |
stand the Spanish language; so that !
the hardship is in fact in continuing
the Spanish language AS the official
language. and not in transferring TO
the English. The change would assim-
ilate the Philippine business, trade and
intercourse very materially and would
be of advantage in every way; and
as there are far stronger reasons for
making the change than for not MAX
ing it, and as the notice of it has been
ample, we trust that the change may
be made on the date stated, and that
the English language will become the
official language of the Philippines, as
directed by the Filipino legislature, on
the first day Of January, 1913.