The language of presidents
By Fred dela Rosa, The Manila Times

An administration defines itself by its rhetoric, as much as by its deeds. The nation listens to presidential language and reacts to it, believing or drawing back. The rhetoric is made richer by contributions from the Cabinet, in public pronouncements or press statements.

Together, the presidential palace and the bureaucracy create a dictionary of quotable words and phrases that have the potential to become slogans or part of the national conversation.

This is perhaps one reason why Malacañang thought of a Communication Group that would replace a reliable workhorse, the Office of the Press Secretary. The Group would have a full-fledged secretary in charge of “messaging.” The crafting of messages, the president’s thoughts, is important in conveying policy, its importance and urgency.

In communication, the choice of words matters. The presidential speechwriter or “messagist” must reach out not only for the correct word, but the better word. If the phrase or statement is effectively and elegantly crafted, it could inspire the people and goad them to action.

A slipshod utterance, or an insipid statement, on the other hand, could confuse or mislead. Different meanings may be read into it. It is also forgettable or, worse, be the subject of jokes—food for the opinion-makers.

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Your slip is showing
By Yoly Villanueva-Ong, The Philippine Star 

One of my journalism professors used to say that the most potent PR is that where the public is unable to detect the “relation” to a source. PR is supposed to be the understated first cousin of the more flamboyant advertising. As the cliché goes, “advertising you pay for, PR you pray for.” And because the better-crafted initiatives are subtle and can pass off as newsworthy, PR is also the communications weapon of choice for less innocent purposes.

A perceptive reader can intuit the spin from the legitimate news. He can even sense whether the “PR handler” is an old pro or a newbie. The dividing line between the previous generation of PR practitioners versus the newer breed sired by the Internet and Wikipedia is clear. One distinct sign is that the veterans, most likely deceased or in their seventies or eighties by now, were known by name rather than by face. It was only in death that the general public saw the face of Bubby Dacer. Only the inner sanctum of the shadowy PR world of yore knew what the notorious veterans looked like. Today, there are fewer PR phantoms. The profession has come into the light for better or for worse.

PR professionals should be distinguished from the reporters, columnists and commentators of the AC-DC (Attack-Collect, Defend-Collect) ilk. The former are deliberate and trained image builders while the latter are opportunistic hacks masquerading as journalists…

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Words and meanings
By Rina Jimenez-David, Philippine Daily Inquirer

“Language shapes the way we think,” asserted Mike Tan, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and a fellow columnist in this paper, at the launching of the third edition of the “Gender and Development Glossary,” described as a tool for journalists and writers, published by the Inter Press Service and edited by Johanna Son.

A total of 141 terms are included in the glossary, most dealing with sex and gender particularly the confusing and confounding field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. There is also a list of “problematic” terms that should be avoided (so as not to offend the individuals they refer to, for one) and suggestions for possible alternatives, some of which even those who attended the launching found “problematic” as well.

Tan, donning his “academic” hat, suggested popularizing the glossary in schools and colleges, not only to provide students with “politically correct” terms, but also, he said, to instill in young people a more inclusive and tolerant attitude towards sexuality, sexual orientation and individuals caught in the maelstrom of changing sexual mores long before they become journalists or communicators themselves.

Indeed, as Tan pointed out, the way we use language indicates attitudes and values, even when we use words subconsciously, or with very little forethought.

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Breakthrough Education: The gifted and the underachiever
By Henry S. Tenedero, Manila Bulletin

Gifted children are just like everyone else in some respects and very different in others. If they process information analytically, they tend to work in quiet and bright light at a desk and chair, and hate being interrupted.

If they process globally, they concentrate best with what many of us would label as distractors: music, soft illumination, an informal design (couch, easy chair, floor or carpeting), take snacks incessantly while concentrating and often work for only short periods of time, take many breaks, and begin at odd places in a task — at the end, in the middle, or anywhere!

The gifted are different from most learners in other respects. They are highly motivated toward accomplishing whatever they set as their goal — especially if others tell them it can’t be done. They are perceptually stronger than their classmates whereas most children have one perceptual strength (usually tactual or a combination of tactual and kinesthetic).

Gifted youngsters learn easily through several modalities like listening, seeing or reading, manipulating, and/ or experiencing. Whereas the majority of students are not early morning learners, the majority of the intellectually gifted are.

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From Quezon to Noynoy
The Manila Times

There’s no question that Filipino has become the language of the nation, burnishing the national identity and gluing national cohesion.

It is spoken from Batanes to Tawi-tawi. From its birthplace in the Tagalog region, it has radiated to all the regions and provinces, including Muslim Mindanao, the highlands of the Cordilleras to historic Chinatown.

From the rabble of regional tongues, Filipino, is spoken in many accents, with interesting local quirks, the popular medium on radio and television that trumpet the “nagbabagang balita [hot, hot news],” speeded up by the tailwind of OPM (Original Pilipino Music).

Filipino has traveled a long way from President Manuel L. Quezon, who insisted on its propagation as the national lingua franca, to President Benigno Aquino 3rd, who used it to address his countrymen in his first two major addresses.

Its flowering has not been easy. The Cebuanos, fortified by local pride, favor their language over what they consider is an intrusion of the Tagalogs.

Academics decry the lack of depth of intellectualization, meaning it has not matured enough to express itself in the language of science, math, technology and philosophy.

But the leading universities—De la Salle, Ateneo de Manila, and the University of the Philippines—have taken the challenge, pushing the limits of the national tongue with strong programs and faculties.

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Filipino, Filipinas
By Michael Tan, Philippine Daily Inquirer

It’s august, which has been designated as the month of the national language because this is the birth month of Manuel L. Quezon, who ordered the establishment of an Institute of National Language in 1936. This institute recommended Tagalog as the basis for a national language, incorporating words from other Philippine languages.

There was, and still is, resistance to Tagalog as a base, mainly from Cebuanos, who insist there are more Filipinos whose mother language is Cebuano. But I think it is a good sign that some Cebuanos, the younger ones especially, are beginning to use that Tagalog-based Filipino to argue against Tagalog—a bit like crazy columnists like myself writing in English about how English was forced upon us.

Meanwhile, Filipino continues to evolve. The University of the Philippines recently launched the revised edition of UP Diksyonaryong Filipino, which I see as a moving documentary of that evolution. “Sumusunod sa takbo ng panahon” (moving with the times), the cover proudly proclaims.

For today’s column, I want to focus on the issue of orthography or spelling. There have been some pretty fiery debates around this issue. There was a camp that wanted to use only the sounds of Tagalog, or Philippine languages, which meant no letter “f” for example, which meant our national language would be Pilipino…

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The GMAT and English language learners: how much English do you need?
By Jonathan Bethune

As someone who has been made fun of for subpar attempts at speaking Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, I understand the anxiety that foreign language students often feel. Today’s post is meant as a favor to my fellow language learners, and will answer a simple question:

How much English do you need to know to take the GMAT?

For some international students who are new to the language, ESL classes might be a necessary step before they even start thinking about business school. For others, whose foundation in English grammar is stronger, study time may be better spent reading books in English, writing essays, taking practice tests, or doing focused grammar drills. So how can you know whether your English is at the right level for the GMAT?

Simply put, to do well on the GMAT you should know enough English to function in a university environment. First, check your proficiency by listening to sample lectures on YouTube. This is a practical recommendation that pertains to spoken as well as written English. In business school you will be expected to make arguments, back up opinions, and discuss case studies in depth. You should be comfortable stating your opinions and answering questions. Though you want to have better grammar than Borat or Jackie Chan, don’t worry if you have an accent or make a few mistakes when speaking.

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Choice of language is imperative
By “Choice,” TheStar.com.my

I have three children attending the same kindergarten.

My eldest daughter prefers to read Mandarin but my youngest daughter prefers English, as she is not very comfortable with Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia. As for my son, he prefers to read anything that is in Bahasa Malaysia and English.

As their mother, I let them have a choice in their quest for knowledge, and in the language they are comfortable with. I believe children are born with different aptitude for different languages and exposure.

I expose them to an equal amount of books in the three languages, and yet I find that my three children have their own preference in reading the language they are comfortable with.

As for myself, I can read fast in English than in Bahasa Malaysia. My scores for SPM English and Bahasa are quite comparable, 2 for English and 4 for BM. I read novels in both Bahasa and English.

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Imagining a life without books
By Helen Simpson, HurriyetDailyNews.com

It’s hard to imagine life without books. My biggest problem is that my desire to read has been replaced by an unending guilt at never being able to read enough because life, work and the latest episode of House, M.D. bring too many distractions. It’s easy to blame my idleness on being a foreigner in a strange land; on not being able to find something other than Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and other alliterated titles from too long ago. But the reality of life in Istanbul is that there are choices – sometimes too many choices – in English language books. You only need to head to Beyoğlu to discover the best of both rare and contemporary books in Istanbul.

“What’s the best book you’ve got?” I ask Mr. Ekber And, co-owner of rare book store Denizler Kitabevi on Istiklal Street. He doesn’t disappoint. Summoning over his energetic staff, he brings the shop’s prize possession to me: Katip Çelebi’s Cihannuma (The Mirror of the World or World Seer). Its unassuming chocolate coloured cover doesn’t do justice to one of Turkey’s most important books. Dating back to the early 18th century, this exquisite artefact was printed by İbrahim Müteferrika himself, the first Muslim to establish a printing press with movable Arabic type.

Despite opposition from Islamic scholars who thought that books - especially holy books - should be created slowly and by hand, Ibrahim managed to convince the Ottoman hierarchy to allow him to go ahead with his printing…

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Move to drop regional language as medium of study opposed

PUNE—The Association of Managements and Principals of Aided Ayurveda and Unani Colleges in Maharashtra has strongly opposed the Central Council for Indian Medicine’s (CCIM) recent move to approve a draft notification that seeks to drop the regional language while retaining English, Hindi and Sanskrit as the medium of instruction for studies in Ayurveda district course.

The draft notification is currently pending clearance before the Union health ministry's department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush). The latter has sent copies of the draft to all the state governments for their recommendation.

Suhas Parchure, who heads the association of colleges, has said that the move to drop regional language as a medium of instruction is “uncalled for and unfair” considering that a majority of the Ayurveda colleges in the state have been offering Ayurveda studies through Marathi medium, as one of the options, for the last several years.

“We have written letters to all the concerned authorities including secretary to the department of Ayush; CCIM and the state government demanding that the regional language be retained as a medium of instruction,” said Parchure. “We are not opposed to the other modes of instruction but, the regional language ought to be among the option for students.”

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