Paint my Voice

A job of a language student is not just a piece of cake. Aside from mastering grammar and crafting poems, a language student must also master his major lessons. I order for mastery to happen, he should focus on specified lessons on specific fields. English language, as the world’s lingua franca, has a huge part in economics, medicine, law or education. Since I am an education student focusing in English language, I study English for Specific Purposes as one of my major subjects.

I have read and studied the material entitled English for Specific Purposes: Its Definition, Characteristics, Scope and Purpose by Javid (2013). There were many definitions given by experts found in the material. I agree that this course is flexible and specific which aims to meet the needs of the learner. Before the course will be offered to the learners, it is pre-designed to a linked profession or discipline in order to integrate syntax, morphology, discourse and some other branches of General English which makes it an extended horizon. It practices learners to engage in the real world using skills used in English or the language itself. Fiorito (2005, p. 1) said that “the ESP focal point is that English is not taught as a subject separated from the students' real world (or wishes); instead, it is integrated into a subject matter area important to the learners.”  As for me, in a Secondary Education student, this course is designed to how to use English in the field of professional education.

It was said in the reading material, the beginning of ESP, Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998: 19) mentioned that "it was undoubtedly in the mid- to late 1960's, however, that various influences came together to generate the need and enthusiasm for developing ESP as a discipline". And eventually, the growth of the need of English in the society became rapid because of the advent of technology, the expansion of the subject matters, topic, innovations, wider business scopes and the medicine. Those mentioned are the history’s identified factors that affect the growth of ESP. I think that today, still, these large factors, affect the scope and content to ESP taught to learners.

English for Specific Purposes has 3 types explained by Carter (1983). The types are: English as a restricted language, English for Academic and Occupational Purposes (EAOP) and English with specific topics. I believe that these three types when focused individually will lose the process of the course. Integrating these types as one and develop teaching material which targets situational language and target workplace settings in respect to the types will make ESP effective.

In the material, Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 12) stated that “the purpose of an ESP course is to enable learners to function adequately in a target situation”. ESP course contents should be “goal directed” (Hadley, 2006 cf. Robinson, 1991) and “centered on the language (grammar, lexis, register etc.), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to (the activities of the discipline it serves)” (Hadley, 2006 cf. Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998, p. 5). If ESP would not be direct and specific, such lessons from other English course would be repeated and can spend time intended for other lessons. It could possibly have a bigger scope which cannot equate the given time.

There are three characteristics of ESP. It is an authentic material because it is right from the main area of a discipline. Then, it is a purpose related orientation because it has a process of simulation of different communicative tasks for communicative situations. Lastly, the course is a self-direction itself because it give the students a freedom to decide which professional field, when and how to study. I think ESP can be taught according to local context or preferred variety of English.

With regards to the content of the course, (Dudley-Evans, 1997, p. 9) said that inclusion of contents of target subjects seems an integral part of any ESP program. “The contents of teaching materials should be relevant to their needs and also convey new information for students” and I believe that it should be specified. Though it has its definite focus, I think that the content should also touch other angles of subject matter to make concepts stronger, more valid, relevant and reliable.

This course is very important for and English major specially on the field of Education because tasks and assignments in teaching English requires specific kind and accurate usage of language like write-ups, kind of speech and the like depending on the students or again, the tasks like lesson planning, formal letters and the like. This course does not make an English major just good for teaching English but also can make a learner flexible enough in the related field of public speaking, secretarial skills, journalism or communication.

Republic of the Philippines

Feguro Entertainment Company

Theatre and Performing Arts Unit

Tacloban City, Leyte

[email protected]

A Proposal to Conduct a Chamber Theatre Competition for a Book Donation Project to the San Isidro National High School Library, San Isidro, Leyte

 I.                   Brief Description

The Theatre and Performing Arts Unit of Feguro Entertainment, initiated by the unit chairwomen, Kish Bel Dela Torre, Leevi Cabradilla and Rachel Bahay, shall conduct a Chamber Theatre competition to raise fund and purchase books to donate to the school library of San Isidro National High School. The activity is in line with the 2018 English month celebration.

The contest can be participated by group of students from different high schools all throughout Region VIII.  Each group is going to present a chamber theatre of an assigned literary piece which features a certain culture and the arts of a certain nation.

This activity will help strengthen the company and the students’ foundation on globalization and multicultural literacy. This can also help enhance the students’ talents, learnings and passion for theatre and English literature. This will realize the essence of a nation, working together for the development of culture and art through showcasing the positive influences of foreign style.

 Project Title:   Act, Sing and Dance for Books and the Society

Theme:  “Travel All Around the World”

Venue:  Leyte Normal University HRDC Gymnasium

Date: December 29-30, 2018

Budget: P250, 000. 00

Source of Fund: Sponsorships, Participants’ Registration Fee, Tickets and Investors

 II.                Rationale

Feguro Entertainment headed by the Theatre and Performing Arts Unit joins the celebration for the world English month. As an act of thanksgiving to the English language which connects the Filipino staff and national stakeholders of company to its foreign investors and sponsors, the unit is initiating a chamber theatre competition to be held on December 28-30, 2018.

For the reason that a Chamber Theatre performance can use the different art forms in presenting a literary piece, this shall fully realize one of the objective of this project which is to showcase and deliver the good influence of globalization specifically towards the improvement of our language, arts and culture.

The unit shall select English literary pieces that reflects and features a certain country— its culture, attitude, arts, language and lifestyle. Each group of participants shall transform their assigned piece to a chamber theatre performance. The unit shall invite 5 foreign stakeholders and 5 national stakeholders as well, to judge the competition. The competition shall allow groups which will pay a registration fee of P300 for each member.  Audiences also are to pay for tickets of the show. Whichever group that will win the competition will receive a cash prize of P10, 000.00 and will be featured on the online newsletters and published magazines of the company that could help their talent be discovered all around the world. To be able to use digital communication, there are online polls to be made for voting which group shall win the Best Promotional Poster of their performance.

The proceeds of the competition shall be used to purchase English literary books from bookstores around the globe which features different countries and their culture. The books will be donated to the library of San Isidro National High School, San Isidro, Leyte, three months after the event.

San Isidro National High School is a developing school which already achieved several remarkable awards from area to national level competitions. However, the academic aspect of the school is yet to be improved more and to be greatly focused of specially that there are students that are still slow readers. Currently, the school is focusing in building more classrooms to accommodate students and is yet to focus on purchasing more learning materials.

The project serves as an act of thanksgiving, love and charity to the two of the chairwomen’s alma mater.

This is a help to the youth of San Isidro to connect around the world through reading and learn values of globalization. They would be able to have the basic knowledge and ways of communication to able to vibe in the foreign style. They would be able to apply the positive influences of globalization and multicultural literacy to the community and elevate the local culture and arts. It is the company’s achievement to initiate a change in the society.

 III.             Objectives

These activities aims to:

a.       promote the positive influences of globalization and multicultural literacy through chamber theatre contest

b.      strengthen communication between the Filipinos and other  foreign citizens

c.       develop English as our second language through donation of English books

d.      engage the youth on uplifting themselves towards English and globalization

e.       provide an opportunity for the youth to enhance and showcase their potentials

f.        exercise digital communication through inviting foreign stakeholders to judge the contest

g.       generate a target amount of P250,000.00 from the competition

  IV.              Activities/ Committees/ Roles

 Activities

Persons Responsible

Roles

1.       Identification of the  literary pieces to be adapted as chamber theatre performances

Unit Chairwomen

Select the  literary pieces to be used

2.       Identification of:

·          Judges

·          MC of the Program

Unit Chairwoman 1

1.      invite  5 foreign stakeholders and 5 national stakeholders as well, to judge the  competition

2.      invite  2 radio personalities in Tacloban to serve as MCs

3.       Invitation of the  identified judges and MC.

Unit Chairwoman 2

1.       Prepare and send letters  of invitation for and to the judges

2.       Arrange for the judges’  trip, food, and accommodation

3.       Meet the judges’

4.       Facilitate provisions for  judges’ needs and concerns

4.       Preparation of the  Program and Prizes

Unit Staff

Prepare the  program and prizes for the Chamber Theatre winners

5.       Venue and Technical  Preparation

Unit Staff

Book and prepare the venue and technical  equipment needed for the contest.

6.       Secretariat

Unit Secretary

1.       Prepare registration  forms of the contestants

2.       Facilitate registration  (a month before the contest)

7.       Accounting

Unit Auditor 1

1.       Process all documents for  the release of funds for the contest as well as the liquidation report for  the funds raised from the contest and the overall expenses

8.       Finance

Unit Auditor 2

1.       Purchase materials needed  and distribute to end users

2.       Purchase the books needed  for the donation project

 9.       Overall Preparation and actual contest

All the staff of the Theatre and  Performing Arts Unit

1.       Work for all of the things needed for  the contest

  I.                   Budgetary Requirements:

Specifications

Budget

1.       Food for the judges and MC  (300/per day x 2) (12)

P 7,200.00

2.       Honorarium of the Judges

FREE

3.       Honorarium for MC (2,000 x 2)

P4,000.00

4.       Opening Program

a.        Tarpaulin

b.       Decorations (Balloons and Decorative  Props)

c.        Programme Copies, Prompters backstage  (10 Manila papers and 2 reams Bond papers)

d.       Certificates and frames (12 frames and  5 packs Specialty paper)

 P1,000.00

P 3,000.00

 P30.00 (Manila  Paper)

P500.00 (Bond  papers)

 P900 (Manila paper)

P240 (Specialty  paper)

5.       Prizes

a.       Personalised  Plaque (P 500 x 3)

b.      Cash  prizes

1st  prize

2nd  Prize

3rd  prize

 P 1,500.00

 P10,000.00

P 5,000.00

P 2,500.00

6.       Rental of the Gymnasium and Equipment  (P15,000.00 /day)

P 20,000.00

7.       Contestants

a.        IDs

Yarn  (20 Rolls P7.00)

Cards  (Folders 10 boxes)

b.       Registration slips (bond papers)

 P5,000.00

P 140.00

P1,000.00

P250.00

8.       Miscellaneous

P10,000.00

Total

P72,260.00

  Prepared by:

 LEEVI L. CABRADILLA

This write-up aims to synthesize ideas and concepts about the emergence of grammar during the process of language acquisition as well as the frameworks of Second Language Acquisition −Linguistic, Psychological, Social. This paper compiles researches gathered from different published articles online and electronic books. The purpose of this concept paper is to explain huge concepts and examples that define the said topics and to synthesize various theories from linguistics to correlate linked ideas.

Emergentism

Emergentist theories, such as MacWhinney's competition model, posit that language acquisition is a cognitive process that emerges from the interaction of biological pressures and the environment. According to these theories, neither nature nor nurture alone is sufficient to trigger language learning; both of these influences must work together in order to allow children to acquire a language. The proponents of these theories argue that general cognitive processes sub serve language acquisition and that the end result of these processes is language-specific phenomena, such as word learning and grammar acquisition. The findings of many empirical studies support the predictions of these theories, suggesting that language acquisition is a more complex process than many believe.  (MacWhinney, 1999)

Yule (2005) explained in his book entitled The Study of Language the process of acquiring grammar.

Cooing and Babbling

The earliest use of speech-like sounds has been described as cooing. During the first few months of life, the child gradually becomes capable of producing sequences of vowel-like sounds, particularly high vowels similar to [i] and [u]. By four months of age, the developing ability to bring the back of the tongue into regular contact with the back of the palate allows the infant to create sounds similar to the velar consonants [k] and [ɡ], hence the common description as “cooing” or “gooing” for this type of production. Speech perception studies have shown that by the time they are five months old, babies can already hear the difference between the vowels [i] and [a] and discriminate between syllables like [ba] and [ɡa].

Between six and eight months, the child is sitting up and producing a number of different vowels and consonants, as well as combinations such as ba-ba-ba and ga-gaga. This type of sound production is described as babbling. In the later babbling stage, around nine to ten months, there are recognizable intonation patterns to the consonant and vowel combinations being produced, as well as variation in the combinations such as ba-ba-da-da. Nasal sounds also become more common and certain syllable sequences such as ma-ma-ma and da-da-da are inevitably interpreted by parents as versions of “mama” and “dada” and repeated back to the child.

As children begin to pull themselves into a standing position during the tenth and eleventh months, they become capable of using their vocalizations to express emotions and emphasis. This late babbling stages characterized by more complex syllable combinations (ma-da-ga-ba), a lot of sound-play and attempted imitations. This “pre language” use of sound provides the child with some experience of the social role of speech because adults tend to react to the babbling, however incoherent, as if it is actually the child’s contribution to social interaction.

The one-word stage

           Between twelve and eighteen months, children begin to produce a variety of recognizable single-unit utterances. This period, traditionally called the one-word stage, is characterized by speech in which single terms are uttered for everyday objects such as “milk,” “cookie,” “cat,” “cup” and “spoon” (usually pronounced [pun]). Other forms such as [ʌsæ] may occur in circumstances that suggest the child is producing a version of  “What’s that” so the label “one-word” for this stage may be misleading and a term such as “single-unit” would be more accurate. We sometimes use the term holophrastic (meaning a single form functioning as a phrase or sentence) to describe an utterance that could be analyzed as a word, a phrase, or a sentence.

The two-word stage

Depending on what we count as an occurrence of two distinct words used together, the two-word stage can begin around eighteen to twenty months, as the child’s vocabulary moves beyond fifty words. By the time the child is two years old, a variety of combinations, similar to baby chair, mommy eat, cat bad, will usually have appeared. The adult interpretation of such combinations is, of course, very much tied to the context of their utterance. The phrase baby chair may be taken as an expression of possession (= this is baby’s chair), or as a request (= put baby in chair), or as a statement (= baby is in the chair), depending on different circumstances.

The child not only produces speech, but also receives feedback confirming that the utterance worked as a contribution to the interaction. Moreover, by the age of two, whether the child is producing 200 or 300 distinct “words,” he or she will be capable of understanding five times as many, and will typically be treated as an entertaining conversational partner by the principal caregiver.

Telegraphic speech

Between two and two-and-a-half years old, the child begins producing a large number of utterances that could be classified as “multiple-word” speech. The salient feature of these utterances ceases to be the number of words, but the variation in word forms that begins to appear. Before we investigate this development, we should note a stage that is described as telegraphic speech. This is characterized by strings of words (lexical morphemes) in phrases or sentences such as this shoe all wet, cat drink milk and daddy go bye-bye. The child has clearly developed some sentence building capacity by this stage and can get the word order correct. While this type of telegram-format speech is being produced, a number of grammatical inflections begin to appear in some of the word forms and simple prepositions (in, on) are also used. By the age of two-and-a-half, the child’s vocabulary is expanding rapidly and the child is initiating more talk while increased physical activity includes running and jumping. By three, the vocabulary has grown to hundreds of words and pronunciation has become closer to the form of adult language. At this point, it is worth considering what kind of influence the adults have in the development of the child’s speech.

Developing morphology

By the time a child is two-and-a-half years old, he or she is going beyond telegraphic speech forms and incorporating some of the inflectional morphemes that indicate the grammatical function of the nouns and verbs used. The first to appear is usually the -ing form in expressions such as cat sitting and mommy reading book.

The next morphological development is typically the marking of regular plurals with the -s form, as in boys and cats. The acquisition of the plural marker is often accompanied by a process of overgeneralization. The child overgeneralizes the apparent rule of adding -s to form plurals and will talk about foots and mans. When the alternative pronunciation of the plural morpheme used in houses (i.e. ending in [-əz]) comes into use, it too is given an overgeneralized application and forms such as boyses or footses can be heard. At the same time as this overgeneralization is taking place, some children also begin using irregular plurals such as men quite appropriately for a while, but then try out the general rule on the forms, producing expressions like some mens and two feets, or even two feetses. Not long after, the use of the possessive inflection -’s occurs in expressions such as girl’s dog and Mummy’s book. At about the same time, different forms of the verb “to be,” such as are and was, begin to be used. The appearance of forms such as was and at about the same time, went and came should be noted. These are irregular past-tense forms that we would not expect to hear before the more regular forms. However, they do typically precede the appearance of the -ed inflection. Once the regular past-tense forms (walked, played) begin appearing in the child’s speech, the irregular forms may disappear for a while, replaced by overgeneralized versions such as goed and comed. For a period, the-ed inflection may be added to everything, producing such oddities as walkeded and wented. As with the plural forms, the child works out (usually after the age of four) which forms are regular and which are not. Finally, the regular-smarkeronthirdpersonsingularpresent-tenseverbsappears.It occurs first with full verbs (comes, looks) and then with auxiliaries (does, has).

Developing syntax

There have been numerous studies of the development of syntax in children’s speech. In the formation of questions and the use of negatives, there appear to be three identifiable stages. The ages at which children go through these stages can vary quite a bit, but the general pattern seems to be that Stage 1 occurs between 18 and 26 months, Stage 2 between 22 and 30 months, and Stage 3 between 24 and 40 months. (The overlap in the periods during which children go through these stages is a natural effect of the different rates at which different children normally develop these and other structures.)

  Forming questions

In forming questions, the child’s first stage has two procedures. Simply add a Wh- form (Where, Who) to the beginning of the expression or utter the expression with a rise in intonation towards the end, as in these examples:

Where kitty? Doggie?  Where horse go?  Sit chair?

In the second stage, more complex expressions can be formed, but the rising intonation strategy continues to be used. It is noticeable that more Wh-forms come into use, as in these examples:

What book name? You want eat? Why you smiling? See my doggie?

In the third stage, the required movement of the auxiliary in English questions (I can have … ⇒ Can I have …?) becomes evident in the child’s speech, but doesn’t automatically spread to all Wh-question types. In fact, some children beginning school in their fifth or sixth year may still prefer to form Wh-questions (especially with negatives) without the type of inversion found in adult speech (e.g. Why kitty can’t …? instead of Why can’t kitty …?). Apart from these problems with Wh-questions and continuing trouble with the morphology of verbs (e.g. Did I caught …? instead of Did I catch…?), Stage 3 questions are generally quite close to the adult model, as in these examples:

Can I have a piece? Did I caught it? Will you help me? How that opened? What did you do? Why kitty can’t stand up?

Forming negatives

In the case of negatives, Stage 1 seems to involve a simple strategy of putting No or Not at the beginning, as in these examples:

no mitten

not a teddy bear

no fall

no sit there

In the second stage, the additional negative forms don’t and can’t appear, and with no and not, are increasingly used in front of the verb rather than at the beginning of the sentence, as in these examples:

He no bite you

I don’t want it

That not touch

You can’t dance

The third stage sees the incorporation of other auxiliary forms such as didn’t and won’t while the typical Stage 1 forms disappear. A very late acquisition is the negative form isn’t, with the result that some Stage 2 forms (with not instead of isn’t) continue to be used for quite a long time, as in the examples:

I didn’t caught it

He not taking it

She won’t let go

This not ice cream

The study of the developing use of negative forms has produced some delightful examples of children operating their own rules for negative sentences. One famous example (from McNeill, 1966) also shows the futility of overt adult “correction” of children’s speech.

CHILD: Nobody don’t like me.

MOTHER: No, say “nobody likes me.”

CHILD: Nobody don’t like me.

(Eight repetitions of this dialog)

MOTHER: No, now listen carefully; say “nobody likes me.”

CHILD: Oh! Nobody don’t likes me.

Developing semantics

It seems that during the holophrastic stage many children use their limited vocabulary to refer to a large number of unrelated objects. One child first used bow-wow to refer to a dog and then to a fur piece with glass eyes, a set of cufflinks and even a bath thermometer. The word bow-wow seemed to have a meaning like “object with shiny bits.” Other children often extend bow-wow to refer to cats, cows and horses. This process is called over extension and the most common pattern is for the child to overextend the meaning of a word on the basis of similarities of shape, sound and size, and, to a lesser extent, movement and texture. Thus the word ball is extended to all kinds of round objects, including a lampshade, a doorknob and the moon. Or, a tick tock is initially used for a watch, but can also be used for a bathroom scale with around dial. On the basis of size, presumably, the word fly was first used for the insect and then came to be used for specks of dirt and even crumbs of bread. Apparently due to similarities of texture, the expression “sizo” was first used by one child for scissors, and then extended to all metal objects. The semantic development in a child’s use of words is usually a process of overextension initially, followed by a gradual process of narrowing down the application of each term as more words are learned. Althoughoverextensionhasbeenwell-documentedinchildren’sspeechproduction, it isn’t necessarily used in speech comprehension. One two-year-old used apple, in speaking, to refer to a number of other round objects like a tomato and a ball, but had no difficulty picking out the apple, when asked, from a set of round objects including a ball and a tomato. One interesting feature of the young child’s semantics is the way certain lexical relations are treated. In terms of hyponymy, the child will almost always use the “middle”-level term in a hyponymous set such as animal – dog – poodle. It would seem more logical to learn the most general term (animal), but all evidence indicates that children first use dog with an overextended meaning close to the meaning of “animal.” This may be connected to a similar tendency in adults, when talking to young children, to refer to flowers (not the more general plants, or the more specific tulips). It also seems that antonymous relations are acquired fairly late (after the age of five). In one study, a large number of kindergarten children pointed to the same heavily laden apple tree when asked “Which tree has more apples?” and also when asked “Which tree has less apples?”  They just seem to think the correct response will be the larger one, disregarding the difference between more and less. The distinctions between a number of other pairs such as before/after and buy/sell also seem to be later acquisitions.

  The emergence of parts of speech

Based on an electronic book entitled The Emergence of Languge by Brian Macwhinney in 1998, psycholinguists working in the standard symbolic tradition (Chomsky, 1965; Fodor & Pylyshyn, 1988; Lachter & Bever, 1988) have pointed to the learning of syntax as a quintessential problem for connectionist approaches.  One of the key abilities involved in the learning of syntax is the abstraction of syntactic classes or “parts of speech”, such as nouns, verbs, or prepositions. In the theory of universal grammar, these categories are innately given.  However, their actual realization differs so much from language to language that it makes sense to explore accounts that induce these categories from the input data. Bates and MacWhinney (1982) and MacWhinney (1988) emphasize the extent to which the assignment of words to syntactic classes is heavily dependent upon semantic category structure.  Although not all nouns are objects, the best or most prototypical nouns all share this feature.  As the category of “noun” radiates out (Lakoff, 1987), non-central members start to share fewer of the core features of the prototype.  Maratsos and Chalkley (1980) point out that words like “justice” and “lightning” are so clearly non-objects that their membership in the class of nouns cannot be predicted from their semantic status and can only be inferred from the fact that the language treats them as nouns.  Although Bates and MacWhinney (1982) and Maratsos and Chalkley (1980) staked out strongly contrasting positions on this issue, each of the approaches granted the possibility that both cooccurence and semantic factors play a major role in the emergence of the parts of speech. At this point, language researchers are primarily interested in exploring detailed models that show exactly how the parts of speech and argument frames can be induced.  Elman (1993) has presented a connectionist model that does just this.   The model relies on a recurrent architecture of the type presented in Figure 3.   This model takes the standard three-layer architecture of pools A, B, and C and adds a fourth input pool D of context units which has recurrent connections to pool B.   Because of the recurrent or bidirectional connections between B and D, this architecture is known as “recurrent backpropagation”.

A recurrent backpropagation network encodes changes over time by storing information regarding previous states in the pool of units labelled as D.  Consider how the network deals with the processing of a sentence such as “Mommy loves Daddy”.  When the first word comes in, pool C is activated and this activation is passed on to pool B and then pools A and D.   The complete state of pool B at Time 1 is stored in pool D.  The activation levels in pool D are preserved, while pools A, B, and C are set back to zero.  At time 2 the networks hears the word “love” and a new pattern of activations is established on pool C.   These activations are passed on to pools B, C, and D.  However, because pool D has stored activations from the previous word, the new state is blended with the old state and pool C comes to represent aspects of both “Mommy” and “love”. Processing in a network of this type involves more than just storage of a superficial sequence of words or sounds.   For example, in the simulations of sentence processing developed by Elman (1993), the output units are trained to predict the identity of the next word.   In order to perform in this task, the network needs to implicitly extract part of speech information from syntactic co-occurrence patterns. Alternatively, the output units can be used to represent comprehension decisions, as in the model of MacWhinney (1997).  In that model, part-of-speech information is assumed and the goal of the model is to select the agent and the patient using a variety of grammatical and pragmatic cues. The training set for the model consists of dozens of simple English sentences such as “The big dog chased the girl.” By examining the weight patterns on the hidden units in the fully trained model, Elman showed that the model was conducting implicit learning of the parts of speech.  For example, after the word “big” in our example sentence, the model would be expecting to activate a noun.  The model was also able to distinguish between subject and object relative structures, as in “the dog the cat chased ran” and “the dog that chased the cat ran”.

The following information below is a synthesized information about the second language acquisition especially on its study foci or frameworks.

Second-language acquisition (SLA)

Second-language acquisition (SLA), second-language learning, or L2 (language 2) acquisition, is the process by which people learn a second language.  Second language refers to any language learned in addition to a person's first language; although the concept is named second-language acquisition, it can also incorporate the learning of third, fourth, or subsequent languages. Second-language acquisition refers to what learners do; it does not refer to practices in language teaching, although teaching can affect acquisition. The term acquisition was originally used to emphasize the non-conscious nature of the learning process, but in recent years learning and acquisition have become largely synonymous. (Wikipedia.com)

According to a research synthesis of Wikipedia under linguistics series, research on how exactly learners acquire a new language spans a number of different areas. Focus is directed toward providing proof of whether basic linguistic skills are innate (nature), acquired (nurture), or a combination of the two attributes.

Study of SLA can be categorized as primarily based on linguistic, psychological, and social frameworks. We should keep in mind that there are extensive interrelationships among them.

Cognitive Factors/ Psychological Framework

           Cognitive research is concerned with the mental processes involved in language acquisition, and how they can explain the nature of learners' language knowledge. This area of research is based in the more general area of cognitive science, and uses many concepts and models used in more general cognitive theories of learning. As such, cognitive theories view second-language acquisition as a special case of more general learning mechanisms in the brain. This puts them in direct contrast with linguistic theories, which posit that language acquisition uses a unique process different from other types of learning. (Wikipedia.com)

There’re three foci in the study of SLA from a psychological perspective: languages and the brain, learning processes, and learner differences (individual differences).

Languages and the brain

The location and representation of the language in the brain has been interest to biologist and psychologist since the nineteenth century. Lenneberg (1967) generated great interest when he argued that there is a critical period for language acquisition which has neurological basis, and much age-related research on SLA is essentially grounded in this framework. (Moslem, 2013)

Learning processes

The focus on learning processes has been heavily influenced by computer-based Information Processing (IP) models of learning. Process ability is a more recently developed framework which extends IP concepts of learning and applies them to teaching second languages. Connectionism is another cognitive framework for the focus on learning processes. (Moslem, 2013)

Learner differences (individual differences)

The focus on learner differences in SLA has been most concerned with the question of why some learners are more successful than others. It arises in part from the humanistic framework within psychology, which has a long history in that discipline, but has significantly influenced second language teaching and SLA. (Moslem, 2013)

Computational model

The computational model involves three stages. In the first stage, learners retain certain features of the language input in short-term memory. (This retained input is known as intake.) Then, learners convert some of this intake into second-language knowledge, which is stored in long-term memory. Finally, learners use this second-language knowledge to produce spoken output. Cognitive theories attempt to codify both the nature of the mental representations of intake and language knowledge, and the mental processes that underlie these stages. (Wikipedia.com)

In addition, the mental processes that underlie second-language acquisition can be broken down into micro-processes and macro-processes. Micro-processes include attention;[ working memory; integration and restructuring. Restructuring is the process by which learners change their interlanguage systems; and monitoring is the conscious attending of learners to their own language output. Macro-processes include the distinction between intentional learning and incidental learning; and also the distinction between explicit and implicit learning.

Other cognitive approaches have looked at learners' speech production, particularly learners' speech planning and communication strategies. Speech planning can have an effect on learners' spoken output, and research in this area has focused on how planning affects three aspects of speech: complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Of these three, planning effects on fluency has had the most research attention. Communication strategies are conscious strategies that learners employ to get around any instances of communication breakdown they may experience. Their effect on second-language acquisition is unclear, with some researchers claiming they help it, and others claiming the opposite.

 Social Framework

Ellis identifies three types of social structure that affect acquisition of second languages: sociolinguistic setting, specific social factors, and situational factors. Sociolinguistic setting refers to the role of the second language in society, such as whether it is spoken by a majority or a minority of the population, whether its use is widespread or restricted to a few functional roles, or whether the society is predominantly bilingual or monolingual. Ellis also includes the distinction of whether the second language is learned in a natural or an educational setting. Specific social factors that can affect second-language acquisition include age, gender, social class, and ethnic identity, with ethnic identity being the one that has received most research attention.  Situational factors are those that vary between each social interaction. For example, a learner may use more polite language when talking to someone of higher social status, but more informal language when talking with friends.

            Social Identity Theory argues that an important factor for second language acquisition is the learner's perceived identity in relation to the community of the language being learned, as well as how the community of the target language perceives the learner.

Gender, as a social factor, also influences SLA. Females have been found to have higher motivation and more positive attitudes than males for second-language acquisition. However, females are also more likely to present higher levels of anxiety, which may inhibit their ability to efficiently learn a new language

Schumann's Acculturation Model proposes that learners' rate of development and ultimate level of language achievement is a function of the "social distance" and the "psychological distance" between learners and the second-language community. In Schumann's model the social factors are most important, but the degree to which learners are comfortable with learning the second language also plays a role.

Gardner's socio-educational model, which was designed to explain classroom language acquisition, focuses on the emotional aspects of SLA, arguing that positive motivation contributes to an individual’s willingness to learn L2; furthermore, the goal of an individual to learn a L2 is based on the idea that the individual has a desire to be part of a culture, in other words, part of a (the targeted language) mono-linguistic community. (Wikipedia.com)

According to Moslem in 2013, there are two foci for the study of SLA from this perspective micro social and macro social.

Microsocial Focus

           The concern within the microsocial focus relate to language acquisition and use in immediate social contexts of production, interpretation, and interaction. The frameworks provided by Variation Theory and Accomodation Theory.

Macrosocial focus

The concerns of the macrosocial focus relate language acquisition and use to broader ecological context, including cultural, political, and educational settings. The Ethnography of Communication framework extends the notion of what is being acquired in SLA. The frameworks provided by Acculturation Theory and Social Psychology offer broader understandings of how such factors as identity, status, and values affect the outcomes of SLA.

Linguistic Framework

           According to Moslem in 2013, there have been foci for the study of SLA from linguistic perspective since 1960: Internal and external.

Internal Focus

The first linguistic framework with an internal focus is Transformational Generative Grammar (Chomsky 1957, 1965). The appearance of this work revolutionized linguistic theory and had profound effect on the study of both first and second languages. This framework was followed by the Principles and Parameters Model and the Minimalist Program, also formulated by Chomsky.

External Focus

The most important linguistic frameworks contributing to an external focus on SLA are categorized within Functionalism. Approaches based on functional frameworks have dominated European study of SLA and are widely followed elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, Wikipedia.com explained that linguistic approaches to explaining second-language acquisition spring from the wider study of linguistics. They differ from cognitive approaches and sociocultural approaches in that they consider language knowledge to be unique and distinct from any other type of knowledge. (Van Patten & Benati, 2010)

Two main strands of research can be identified in the linguistic tradition: approaches informed by universal grammar, and typological approaches. (Ellis, 2008)

Typological universals are principles that hold for all the world's languages. They are found empirically, by surveying different languages and deducing which aspects of them could be universal; these aspects are then checked against other languages to verify the findings. The interlanguages of second-language learners have been shown to obey typological universals, and some researchers have suggested that typological universals may constrain interlanguage development.

The theory of universal grammar was proposed by Noam Chomsky in the 1950s, and has enjoyed considerable popularity in the field of linguistics. It focuses on describing the linguistic competence of an individual. He believed that children not only acquire language by learning descriptive rules of grammar; he claimed that children creatively play and form words as they learn language, creating meaning of these words, as opposed to the mechanism of memorizing language. (Sole, 1994)

It consists of a set of principles, which are universal and constant, and a set of parameters, which can be set differently for different languages. The "universals" in universal grammar differ from typological universals in that they are a mental construct derived by researchers, whereas typological universals are readily verifiable by data from world languages. It is widely accepted among researchers in the universal grammar framework that all first-language learners have access to universal grammar; this is not the case for second-language learners, however, and much research in the context of second-language acquisition has focused on what level of access learners may have. (Van Patten & Benati, 2010) 

Conclusion

           Despite the fact that the child is still to acquire a large number of other aspects of his or her first language through the later years of childhood, it is normally assumed that, by the age of five, the child has completed the greater part of the basic language acquisition process. According to some, the child is then in a good position to start learning a second (or foreign) language.

Cognitive approaches to SLA research deal with the processes in the brain that underpin language acquisition, for example how paying attention to language affects the ability to learn it, or how language acquisition is related to short-term and long-term memory. Sociocultural approaches reject the notion that SLA is a purely psychological phenomenon, and attempt to explain it in a social context. Some key social factors that influence SLA are the level of immersion, connection to the L2 community, and gender. Linguistic approaches consider language separately from other kinds of knowledge, and attempt to use findings from the wider study of linguistics to explain SLA. 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-language_acquisition#Definitions

Moslem. M.H. 2013. Introduction to SLA. https://www.slideshare.net/pinkbluestarholicluphjb/sla-nurul-first-language

Yule, G. (2005). Chapter 13. The study of language.4th ed. [E-book version] (pp. 139-199) Retrieved from https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/cambridge.the_.study_.of_.language.4th.edition.apr_.2010.ebook-elohim.pdf

This write-up aims to initially define language by offering definitions and sayings of different linguists and experts in neurolinguistics. Next, it compiles researches about the nature of language gathered from different published articles online and electronic books. Then, another research synthesis is presented about the language and the brain including the concepts of the language center of the brain as well as lateralization and contralateralization concepts. The purpose of this concept paper is to explain huge concepts and examples that define the said topics and to synthesize various theories from linguistics to correlate linked ideas.

Defining Language

           According to Professor Naeem (2010) of Neoenglish, language is a very complex human phenomenon; all attempts to define it have proved inadequate. In a nut-shell, language is an ‘organised noise’ used in actual social situations. That is why it has also been defined as ‘contextualised systematic sound‘.

In order to understand a term like life, one has to talk of the properties or characteristics of living beings (e.g. motion, reproduction, respiration, growth, power of self-healing, excretion, nutrition, mortality, etc. etc.). Similarly, the term language can be understood better in terms of its properties or characteristics. 

Similarly, Merriam- Webster dictionary defined language as audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs. They initially refer language to sounds.

Robins (1985) said that “Language is a symbol system based on pure or arbitrary conventions… infinitely extendable and modifiable according to the changing needs and conditions of the speakers.” Therefore, language is a symbol system and every language selects some symbols for its selected sounds. 

 Another definition, according to Sapir (1921) explains that “Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols.” Therefore, only humans possess language and all normal humans uniformly possess it. 

Wardhaugh (1986) as well as Bloch and Trager (1942) explained that language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of communication.

 With the use of the definitions given, Prof. Neem (2010) of Neoenglish synthesized concepts about the nature of language.  The following characteristics are below:

Language is a Means of Communication

Language is a very important means of communication between humans. A can communicate his or her ideas, emotions, beliefs or feelings to B as they share a common code that makes up the language. Language is so important a form of communication between humans that it is difficult to think of a society without language. It gives shape to people’s thoughts and guides and controls their entire activity. It is a carrier of civilization and culture as human thoughts and philosophy are conveyed from one generation to the other through the medium of language. Language is ubiquitous in the sense that it is present everywhere in all activities.

Language is Arbitrary

Language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no inherent relation between the words of a language and their meanings or the ideas conveyed by them (except in the case of hieroglyphics where a picture of an object may represent the object). Selection of these words in the languages mentioned here is purely arbitrary, an accident of history. The choice of a word selected to mean a particular thing or idea is purely arbitrary but once a word is selected for a particular referent, it comes to stay as such. It may be noted that had language not been arbitrary, there would have been only one language in the world.

Language is Primarily Vocal

Language is primarily made up of vocal sounds only produced by a physiological articulatory mechanism in the human body. In the beginning, it must have appeared as vocal sounds only. Writing must have come much later, as an intelligent attempt to represent vocal sounds. Writing is only the graphic representation of the sounds of the language. There are a number of languages which continue to exist, even today, in the spoken form only. They do not have a written form. A child learns to speak first; writing comes much later. Also, during his life time, a man speaks much more than he writes. The total quantum of speech is much larger than the total quantum of written materials.

It is because of these reasons that some linguists say that speech is primary, writing is secondary. Writing did have one advantage over speech—it could be preserved in books or records. But, with the invention of magnetic tapes or audio-cassettes, it has lost that advantage too.

Language is a Social Phenomenon

Language is a set of conventional communicative signals used by humans for communication in a community. Language in this sense is a possession of a social group, comprising an indispensable set of rules which permits its members to relate to each other, to interact with each other, to co-operate with each other; it is a social institution. Language exists in society; it is a means of nourishing and developing culture and establishing human relations. It is as a member of society that a human being acquires a language. We are not born with an instinct to learn a particular language––English, Russian, Chinese or French. We learn a language as member of the society using that language, or because we want to understand that society, or to be understood by that speech-community. If a language is not used in any society, it dies out.

Language is thus a social event. It can fully be described only if we know all about the people who are involved in it, their personalities, their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge of the world, relationship to each other, their social status, what activity they are engaged in, what they are talking about, what has gone before linguistically and non-linguistically, what happens after, what they are and a host of other facts about them and the situation they are placed in.

Language is non-instinctive, conventional

No language was created in a day out of a mutually agreed upon formula by a group of humans. Language is the outcome of evolution and convention. Each generation transmits this convention on to the next. Like all human institutions languages also change and die, grow and expand. Every language then is a convention in a community. It is non-instinctive because it is acquired by human beings. Nobody gets a language in heritage; he acquires it, and everybody has been provided with an innate ability to acquire language. Animals inherit their system of communication by heredity, humans do not.

Language is systematic

Although language is symbolic, yet its symbols are arranged in a particular system. All languages have their system of arrangements. Though symbols in each human language are finite, they can be arranged infinitely; that is to say, we can produce an infinite set of sentence by a finite set of symbols.

Every language is a system of systems. All languages have phonological and grammatical systems, and within a system there are several sub-systems. For example, within the grammatical system we have morphological and syntactic systems, and within these two sub-systems we have several other systems such as those of plural, of mood, of aspect, of tense, etc.

Language is unique, creative, complex and modifiable

Language is a unique phenomenon of the earth. Other planets do not seem to have any language, although this fact may be invalidated if we happen to discover a talking generation on any other planet. But so far there is no evidence of the presence of language on the moon. Each language is unique in its own sense. By this we do not mean that lan­guages do not have any similarities or universals. Despite their common features and language, universals, each language has its peculiarities and distinct features.

Language has creativity and productivity. The structural elements of human language can be combined to produce new utterances, which neither the speaker nor his hearers may ever have made or heard before any, listener, yet which both sides understand without difficulty. Language changes according to the needs of society. Old English is different from modern English; so is old Urdu different form modern Urdu.

Duality

           The language that human beings use consists of two sub-systems – sound and meaning. A finite set of sound units can be grouped and re-gourd into units of meaning. These can be grouped and re-grouped to generate further functional constituents of the higher hierarchical order. We can produce sentences through this process of combining units of a different order. Animal calls do not show such duality, they are unitary.

An addendum of the concept of duality is from Yule (2005) that explains, human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. This property is called duality (or “double articulation”). In speech production, we have a physical level at which we can produce individual sounds, like n, b and i. As individual sounds, none of these discrete forms has any intrinsic meaning. In a particular combination such as bin, we have another level producing a meaning that is different from the meaning of the combination in nib. So, at one level, we have distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings. This duality of levels is, in fact, one of the most economical features of human language because, with a limited set of discrete sounds, we are capable of producing a very large number of sound combinations (e.g. words) which are distinct in meaning.

Productivity

A speaker may say something that he has never said before and be understood without difficulty. Man uses the limited linguistic, resources in order to produce completely novel ideas and utterances. Fairy tales, animal fables, narratives about alien unheard of happenings in distant galaxies or nonexistent worlds are perfectly understood by the listeners.

 Displacement

One can talk about situations, places and objects far removed from one’s present surroundings and time. We often talk about events that happened long time ago and at a distant place; bombing incident in Ireland’s Londonderry twelve years’ back, for instance; or the sinking of the Spanish Armada in the sixteenth century. Bees, of course, perform dances about the source of nectar that is also removed from the place of dance (beehive). But they cannot convey what happened in the previous season through their dance features. Human beings, however, can narrate events in which they were not involved.

Yule (2005) explained, when your dog says GRRR, it means GRRR, right now, because dogs don’t seem to be capable of communicating GRRR, last night, over in the park. In contrast, human language users are normally capable of producing messages equivalent to GRRR, last night, over in the park, and then going on to say In fact, I’ll be going back tomorrow for some more. Humans can refer to past and future time. This property of human language is called displacement. It allows language users to talk about things and events not present in the immediate environment. Indeed, displacement allows us to talk about things and places (e.g. angels, fairies, Santa Claus, Superman, heaven, hell) whose existence we cannot even be sure of. Animal communication is generally considered to lack this property.

 Language is both linguistic and communicative competence

A language is an abstract set of psychological principles and sociological consideration that constitute a person’s competence as a speaker in a given situation. “These psychological principles make available to him an unlimited number of sentences he can draw upon in concrete; situations and provide him with the ability to understand and create entirely new sentences. Hence, language is not just a verbal behavior; it is a system of rules establishing correlations between meanings and sound sequences. It is a set of principles that a speaker masters; it is not anything that he does. In brief, a language is a code which is different from the act of encoding; it is a speaker’s linguistic competence rather than his linguistic performance.

Language is human and structurally complex

Human language is open-ended, extendable and modifiable whereas the animal language is not.

Ambedkar (2015) have made a few concepts of the nature of language. The following are:

 Living Language

A language undergoes a continuous and unnoticed change for its refinement and depth. It responds to the demands and requirements of the group that it represents. As the human utterances became complex and varied, a language to be living must move with the group, must grow with the group, should be alive to their needs and aspirations. In this process of change and growth, language acquires new shape, new approach, new significance and new application.

 Sounds and Signals

Sounds produced by human beings differ from the 'signal-like' sounds and actions of the animals. A lot of research is going on to establish if the animals also have similar conventionalised arrangement in their expression. According to Bloomfield, "In human speech, different sounds have different meanings. To study this coordination of certain sounds with certain meanings is to study language". In other words, a study of a language consists in giving meaning to a meaning. The meaning already exists, we have to give it a meaning to be intelligible to us as a language.

Yule (2005) had pointed out another two nature of language. This is reflexivity. The property of reflexivity (or “reflexiveness”) accounts for the fact that we can use language to think and talk about language itself, making it one of the distinguishing features of human language. Indeed, without this general ability, we wouldn’t be able to reflect on or identify any of the other distinct properties of human language. We’ll look in detail at another five of them: displacement, arbitrariness, productivity, cultural transmission and duality.

The other one is cultural transmission. While we may inherit physical features such as brown eyes and dark hair from our parents, we do not inherit their language. We acquire a language in a culture with other speakers and not from parental genes. An infant born to Korean parents in Korea, but adopted and brought up from birth by English speakers in the United States, will have physical characteristics inherited from his or her natural parents, but will inevitably speak English.

A kitten, given comparable early experiences, will produce meow regardless. This process whereby a language is passed on from one generation to the next is described as cultural transmission. It is clear that humans are born with some kind of predisposition to acquire language in a general sense. However, we are not born with the ability to produce utterances in a specific language such as English. We acquire our first language as children in a culture. The general pattern in animal communication is that creatures are born with a set of specific signals that are produced instinctively. There is some evidence from studies of birds as they develop their songs that instinct has to combine with learning (or exposure) in order for the right song to be produced. If those birds spend their first seven weeks without hearing other birds, they will instinctively produce songs or calls, but those songs will be abnormal in some way. Human infants, growing up in isolation, produce no “instinctive” language. Cultural transmission of a specific language is crucial in the human acquisition process.

Language and the Brain      

Language is both a science and an art. The human’s biological body have certain parts of which is the responsible for the language as well as information processing, sounds and communication.

The study of the relationship between language and the brain is called neurolinguistics.

Language Center of the Brain

In a paragraph of the chapter, Language and the brain in the book of Yule (2005) he stated that if we disregard a certain amount of other material, we will basically be left with two parts, the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. If we put the right hemisphere aside for now, and place the left hemisphere down so that we have a side view, we’ll be looking at something close to the accompanying illustration (adapted from Geschwind, 1991). The shaded areas in this illustration indicate the general locations of those language functions involved in speaking and listening. We have come to know that these areas exist largely through the examination, in autopsies, of the brains of people who, in life, were known to have specific language disabilities. That is, we have tried to determine where language abilities for normal users must be by finding areas with specific damage in the brains of people who had identifiable language disabilities.

Broca’s area

The part shown as (1) in the illustration is technically described as the “anterior speech cortex” or, more usually, as Broca’s area. Paul Broca, a French surgeon, reported in the 1860s that damage to this specific part of the brain was related to extreme difficulty in producing speech. It was noted that damage to the corresponding area on the right hemisphere had no such effect. This finding was first used to argue that language ability must be located in the left hemisphere and since then has been treated as an indication that Broca’s area is crucially involved in the production of speech.

Wernicke’s area

The part shown as (2) in the illustration is the “posterior speech cortex,” or Wernicke’s area. Carl Wernicke was a German doctor who, in the 1870s, reported that damage to this part of the brain was found among patients who had speech comprehension difficulties. This finding confirmed the left hemisphere location of language ability and led to the view that Wernicke’s area is part of the brain crucially involved in the understanding of speech.

 The motor cortex and the Arcuate Fasciculus

The part shown as (3) in the illustration is the motor cortex, an area that generally controls movement of the muscles (for moving hands, feet, arms, etc.). Close to Broca’s area is the part of the motor cortex that controls the articulatory muscles of the face, jaw, tongue and larynx. Evidence that this area is involved in the physical articulation of speech comes from work reported in the 1950s by two neurosurgeons, Penfield and Roberts (1959). These researchers found that, by applying small amounts of electrical current to specific areas of the brain, they could identify those areas where the electrical stimulation would interfere with normal speech production. The part shown as (4) in the illustration is a bundle of nerve fibers called the arcuate fasciculus. This was also one of Wernicke’s discoveries and is now known to form a crucial connection between Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas.

The localization view

Having identified these four components, it is tempting to conclude that specific aspects of language ability can be accorded specific locations in the brain. This is called the localization view and it has been used to suggest that the brain activity involved in hearing a word, understanding it, then saying it, would follow a definite pattern. The word is heard and comprehended via Wernicke’s area. This signal is then transferred via the arcuate fasciculus to Broca’s area where preparations are made to produce it. A signal is then sent to part of the motor cortex to physically articulate the word.

 Another detailed concept of the language and the brain is being explained by authors, Springer et al (1981) and Bayles (1981) in a separate study. Below was expounded.

Physical Features of the Brain

The brain is divided into two nearly symmetrical halves, the right and left hemispheres, each of which is responsible for processing certain kinds of information concerning the world around us. These hemi- spheres are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. These nerve fibers make it possible for the two hemispheres to communicate with each other and build a single, coherent picture of our environment from the many different kinds of stimuli-visual, tactile, oral, auditory, and olfactory that we receive.

The brain is covered by a one-quarter-inch thick membrane called the cortex. It has been suggested that it is this membrane that makes human beings capable of higher cognitive functions, such as the ability to do math or use language, and that its development was one of the primary evolutionary changes that separated us from other animals. In fact, most of the language centers of the brain that we will be discussing later in this chapter are contained in the cortex. This is why even minor damage to the surface of the brain, e.g, that caused by a strong blow to the head, can result in language impairment.

The cortex is not flat but covered with bumps and indentations. The bumps on the surface of the brain are called gyri (sg. gyrus) and the de- pressions are called fissures. Scientists use certain fissures to demarcate particular areas of the brain. One of the most prominent of these is the Sylvian Fissure, the large horizontal fold located in the middle of each hemisphere separating the temporal lobe from the frontal lobe of the brain. Several portions of the cortex are specialized to perform particular functions that play a role in language use. The first that we will introduce is the auditory cortex (in the figure referred to as "Primary Auditory Area"), located next to the Sylvian Fissure. The auditory cortex is responsible for receiving and identifying auditory signals and convérting them into a form that can be interpreted by other areas of the brain. A second special area is the visual cortex (in the figure referred to as "Primary Visual Area"), located in the lower back of each hemisphere. This area receives and interprets visual stimuli and is thought to be the storage site for pictoral images. A third is the motor cortex, which is found in the upper middle of each hemisphere, perpendicular to the Sylviah Fissure. The fissure between the motor cortex and the somatic sensory cortex also separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe. This part of the brain is responsible for sending signals to your muscles, including those of your face, jaw, and tongue, to make them move.

(The left hemisphere of the human brain. "Map of the Human Cortex," figure by Carol Donner from "Specializations of the Human Brain," by Norman Geschwind.)

Then there are the language centers of the brain-parts of the cortex that, as far as we know, are used only for the production and comprehension of language. In contrast to the other areas we have introduced here, these centers are found only in the hemisphere that is specialized for language: for approximately 90 percent of the right-handed people and 90 percent of the left-handed people, this is the left hemisphere. The opposing hemisphere does not have these language centers. The first of these language centers that we will introduce is Broca's area. Located at the base of the motor cortex, this language center appears to be responsible for organizing the articulatory patterns of language and directing the motor cortex when we want to talk. (This involves the face, jaw, and tongue in the case of spoken language, and the hands, arms, and body in the case of signed language.)

Broca's area also seems to control the use of inflectional morphemes, like the plural and past tense markers, as well as function morphemes, like determiners and prepositions; this is a very important function with respect to the formation of words and sentences. Next, there is Wemicke's area. Located near the back section of the auditory cortex, this section of the brain is involved in the comprehension of words and the selection of words when producing sentences. Wernicke's area and Broca's area are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the arcuate fasciculus. Like the corpus callosum, these nerve fibers allow the two areas of the brain that they connect to share information; without them, we would not be able to look up words in our "mental lexdcon" (via Werricke's area) and then say them (via Broca's area). (Think of the mental lexicon as a dictionary, located in the brain, containing all the words aun individual knows, including what each word means and how to pronounce it. Recognize, however, that this dictionary is not tangible but rather some abstract network of information scattered throughout the brain. We cannot point to it, but we have strong reasons to believe that it exists.) The final Language center we will introduce is the angular gyrus. This area, located between Wernicke's area and the visual cortex, converts visual stimuli into auditory stimuli (and vice versa), allowing us to match the spoken form of a word with the object it describes; this ability is crucial to the human capacity to read and write.

The Flow of Linguistic Information

Now, how do all these areas of the brain work together to process language? As far as we know, that depends on what type of stimulus (auditory, visual, etc.) is involved and what type of linguistic result (speaking, reading, understanding, etc.) is desired. To produce a spoken word, for example, a person first chooses a word from the mental dictionary. This process activates Wlernicke's area, which then interprets the dictionary entry, identifying the meaning of the word, how to pronounce it, and so on. The phonetic information for the entry is sent via the arcuate fasciculus to Broca's area. Then Broca's area determines what combination of the various articulators is necessary to produce each sound in the word and instructs the motor cortex which muscles to move. To read a word, one first takes the stimulus into the visual cortex via the eyes. The angular gyrus then associates the written form of the word with an entry in the mental dictionary, which releases information about the word into Wernicke's area. Wernicke's area then interprets the entry and gives one the meaning of the word.

Can you figure out how you understand and repeat a word just said to you?

First, the stimulus is brought into the auditory cortex through the ears. That auditory stimulus is matched to a word in your mental dictionary. If you have an image or weitten form associated with the word, the angular gyrus will activate the visual cortex and you will have a picture of the item and its spelling available to you. In the meanwhile, Wemicke's area is activated, interprets the entry from the dictionary, and sends the phonetic information about the word to Broca's area, which coordinates the necessary articulatory commands and gives them to the motor cortex.

Lateralization and Contralateralization

According to Springer et. al. (1989) that each of the brain's hemispheres is responsible for different cognitive functions. This specialization is referred to as lateralization. For most individuals, the left hemisphere is dominant in the areas of analytic reasoning, temporal ordering, arithmetic, and language processing. The right hemisphere is in charge of processing music, perceiving nonlinguistic sounds, and performing tasks that require visual and spatial skills or pattern recognition.

Lateralization happens in early childhood and can be reversed in its initial stages if there is damage to a part of the brain that is crucially involved in an important function. For example, if a very young child whose brain was originally lateralized so that language functions were in the left hemisphere receives severe damage to the language centers, the right hemisphere can develop language centers to compensate for the loss. After a certain period, however, lateralization is permanent and cannot be reversed, no matter how severely the brain is damaged.

The connections between the brain and the body are almost completely contralateral. This means that the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere, while the left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere. It is also important to realize that this contralateral connection means that sensory information from the right side of the body is received by the left hemisphere, while sensory information from the left side of the body is received by the right hemisphere. Sensory information can be any data one gathers through hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, or smelling.

This indicates that the left side of the brain is used to process language in most people, while the right side has much less to do with language processing.

Conclusion

               Language has indeed a very important role in the life of a human being. It is the gate way of expression thoughts through communication. The explained several nature of language signifies that each language is gift from God− it is unique, useful, creative and a systematic system. With the fact that studying language not just focuses on it being an art, it has to deal with science also with regards to the process of information in the brain through the language centers. It has been identified that the center for language in the human brain is the left hemisphere with three main division which are responsible for the linguistic flow. Lateralization and contralatilarization occurs in cases of the brain being damaged and the shift of a language center to another hemisphere of the brain.

References

Naeem, P. (2011). The nature of language and linguistics. https://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/the-nature-of-language-and-linguistics/

 Ambedkar, V. (2015). Language across the curriculum. [e-book version] Retrieved from http://www.bhojvirtualuniversity.com/slm/B.Ed_SLM/bedteb1u1.pdf

 Yule, G. (2005). Chapter 2. The study of language.4th ed. [E-book version] (pp. 31-35) Retrieved from https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/cambridge.the_.study_.of_.language.4th.edition.apr_.2010.ebook-elohim.pdf

 Yule, G. (2005). Chapter 12. The study of language.4th ed. [E-book version] (pp. 176-179) Retrieved from https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/cambridge.the_.study_.of_.language.4th.edition.apr_.2010.ebook-elohim.pdf

 Friederici D. (2011) The brain basis of language processing: from structure to function. Physiol Rev 91: 1357–1392. California: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University

 Bayles, K. (1981) Linguistics: at introduction to language and communication. Edited by Adrian Akmajian, Richard A. Demers, and Robert M. Harnish. Cambridge: MIT Press

Leevi L. Cabradilla

           The social media is the largest virtual space that allows a netizen, as what an internet user call himself, to exchange their thoughts, feelings and ideas in various format through technological media like an image, a text, an audio or video. These social media channels has their various features that allows every netizen to share news, tutorials, personal thoughts and opinions about a certain issue which is available to access everywhere in the world as long as a device is connected. This sharing of media information maybe a tool to have a huge advantage in education, business, politics, society and culture however, they have their own disadvantages.

           Few of the most uncontrollable flaw of the media sharing is the initial terms like phishing, scam, bashing and pornography and specially, cyberbullying. According to stopbullying.gov, it is a form of harassment of an individual through digital devices like cellphones, computers and tablets. It can occur on any social media app, texts and online games. It includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content about someone else. It could be about sharing personal information which causes embarrassment and humiliation.

           The main causes of cyberbullying are a little bit different from the physical bullying. There are some bashers, in specific, that are confident in defaming someone because their identities can be anonymous. Some are confident because they think they could not be punishable by law because it was through social media or texting. Some think that they are allowed because the bully and the victim are not even acquaintances. The root of bullying maybe influence from the others’ act of violence, aggressiveness, and other negative behavioural patterns. Some may be of bad relationships, jealousy, and favouritism, bias in age, race, religion, nationality or politics.

           Cyberbullying, just like any other form of bullying can have bad effects of someone’s life. The mean acts could cause someone to have less confidence, insecurity, shame, humiliation, weaker emotional quotient, anxiety and changes in behaviour from positive to negative. According to US Department of Health and Human Services (2015), worst case would be depression and even suicide because of severe sadness and emotional disturbances.

Leevi L. Cabradilla SE23

           Since I was a kid, reading has been a part of me and it is my favourite hobby. I am fond with books of different genre and I think curiosity led me to explore libraries and everything that can be read. When I was young, I was called a bibliophile but sadly, it changed when my lifestyle, my society and my priorities changed. However, I still have a deep relationship to literature though I lost my interest in reading. My heart still beat so fast whenever I encounter a book which screams, “Hey! Read me!” Honestly, when talking about such things I am passionate about that I already left, it feels so sad. When talking about reading, it drives me back to the old days where I can say that I really am, a mentally active person.

This is in connection to what Stephen Krashen wrote in his article, Free reading: Still a Great Idea that studies confirmed that more reading results to better reading ability, better writing, larger vocabularies, better spelling and better control of complex grammar constructions. I agree with him because our journalism coaches, during my high school days, would always demand us to read and read and read. We, together with my classmates, were always reminded by our Nanay Juvilee to read and to make reading a hobby even food labels, manuals, sign boards and the like. Before, she distributed ebook files and then we were asked essential things about a book and then we try to extract the moral lessons and by that, we were more knowledgeable than before. Just like what Krashen exemplified that Christians, who reported more self-reading of the Bible had more knowledge on the Bible than those who did less reading.

I have also read a part of this Article of Krashen’s about the cognitive benefits of reading. He had a similar point with my concept paper about bilingualism which we have encountered from our Language Acquisition class before. In the Philippines, we are highly exposed to literature written in a language far difficult to understand than our mother tongue. So, we are learning the language’s complexity while reading and it makes our brain grow and expand. The more inputs our brain absorbs, it accommodates it by expanding the gray and white matter. With regards to coffee, I don’t think I can relate to that one because I was advised by the doctor not to drink coffee. I palpitate whenever I drink.

           I think free reading can help us enjoy whatever we are reading. When we find pleasure of reading, we will repeatedly do it until it becomes a hobby. If we are forced to read something out of interest, we will eventually get tired and bored.

Everyone was carefully and wonderfully made by God. He crafted the Earth for His most special creature, the human being. As years went by, the human race have become subject for studies because of the differences each human have in terms of physical aspects, talents, skills, capabilities as well as limitations and boundaries. In general, the human race is diverse. It maybe because of environmental-geophysical factors, influence, nature and genes.

Nevertheless, we are all equal to His eyes. We are given the heart to be equal in the society where opportunities are given whether you are physically capable or not.

In a classroom setting, too, a teacher cannot have a complete set of students with the same physique and capabilities. Each learner has its learning style, learning techniques and strategies that will help them enhance learning which is also based on their physical and mental capability. These all resorts to diversity of learners.

There are seven kinds of abilities or disabilities and diversity factors. They are the following: (1) Learners with self-care difficulty (2) Gifted and talented children (3) Learners with difficulty seeing (4) Learners with difficulty hearing (5) Learners with difficulty communicating (6) Learners with difficulty in walking and (7)  Learners with difficulty focusing and remembering.

Pre-service teacher like us must know the detailed information about the kind of learners which was mentioned to be able to adjust and include them in the normal classroom setting. As per mandate of the government that this learners should be given extra inclusion and care, they should have also the feeling of assurance that they will be taken care of in the classroom.

Learners with self-care difficulty

Children and youth with disabilities may need extra support to follow hygiene rules and routines. They may struggle reading social cues and knowing when to fix a hygiene issue such as smelly breath. Also, if a youth has a physical disability they may need extra help with personal care.

 Although parents are likely the main educators when it comes to hygiene and self-care, service providers can make a difference when they reinforce the messages given by parents. Service providers are in a unique position to support both parents and children/youth through the process of puberty. Consistent messages from both parents and service providers can make great impact when it comes to the management of hygiene and self-care. Hygiene is important for health but also for social reasons such as smelling and looking good. Good hygiene and self-care is considered to be a positive social quality and can help us feel good about ourselves.

 Gifted and Talented Children

Concept of Gifted Children The term ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’ are used interchangeably. The gifted child shows his excellence in performing some special tasks their behaviour in classroom is above average or very high. The psychologists have identified gifted children on the basis child show them best on any one ability is known as gifted child.            

The psychologists in various ways have defined the term ‘giftedness’ They have stated the term with help of intelligent quotient, social potentialities or social efficiency and also statistically. Some of the important definitions of ‘giftedness’: According to W.B. Kolesnik: “The term gifted has been applied to every child who, in this group is superior in some ability which may make him an outstanding contribution to the welfare and quality living, in our society.” However, this case may be difficult for him to conform the other students, the government shall have a curriculum suit for them.

According to an Australian School research 2019, Gifted and talented children have different learning needs from other children the same age. This is because they’re very curious, they learn quickly, and they like more complex ideas than other children their age. They don’t need to go over things as often as others do. And they’re often ready for activities, games, books and puzzles earlier than other children of the same age. Learning is important to the wellbeing of gifted and talented children. When you support your child’s learning in the areas that interest her, you’re also supporting her overall wellbeing. Support for your gifted child’s learning starts with noticing his strengths and natural abilities. When you know more about your child’s strengths and abilities, you can give her everyday experiences that offer new learning opportunities. This doesn’t have to be expensive – there are lots of homemade toys and free activities that can extend your child’s play and learning. When you’re choosing toys for younger children, you can look for things that encourage your child to play using imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills – for example, blocks, balls, cardboard boxes, dress-ups and crafty bits and pieces like coloured paper, washable markers, crayons and stickers. If you choose toys designed for older children, age recommendations are still important for safety – for example, some toys might contain small parts that toddlers could swallow. In these cases, it’s wise to follow the age recommendations, even when your child’s natural abilities are advanced beyond this age. Offering a range of learning opportunities will keep your child stimulated. It might also lead to him developing talents. For example, playing outdoors can prompt imagination and problem-solving, develop physical skills, and provide opportunities to play with others. Watching birds, learning about trees or collecting autumn leaves could be the start of a scientific interest. Reading books is a great way to answer your child’s questions, guide her learning and extend her interests. You can borrow books from your local library, or use the library’s online resources. You could also let family and friends know that books make great birthday presents for your child.

Learners with Difficulty Seeing

When you are teaching a visually impaired or blind student, it is important to clearly explain all visual materials. For example, if you are showing a picture to illustrate a point, you should describe the image. You should also get in the habit of dictating what you are writing on the chalkboard or whiteboard. This way students who are unable to see the board can still follow along with the material and take notes. Do not provide your students with a hand-out that contains assignment instructions. Visually impaired or blind students in your class may have difficulty seeing the words and learning what is expected. Instead, you should always give oral instructions for every assignment and activity.

Many classrooms rely on visual cues in order to ask questions or get the teacher’s attention. It is very traditional for students to raise their hand if they want to speak during a lesson. Visually impaired or blind students may not notice when their peers raise their hands. Instead, you should replace visual cues with audio cues. You should try and incorporate tactile learning experiences whenever possible. For example, instead of talking about rocks and showing images of different types of rocks, you should actually have physical rocks available in the classroom for the students to touch and handle.

 Learners with Difficulty Hearing

Packer (2018) said in her article for children with special needs, according to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), 1.3 out of 1000 8-year-olds have bilateral hearing loss (loss of hearing in both ears) of 40 decibels (dB) or more. And 14.9 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 have hearing loss of at least 16 dB in one or both ears. Even hearing loss in only one ear has a tremendous impact on school performance; research shows anywhere from 25 to 35 percent of children with unilateral hearing loss are at risk of failing at least one grade level.

Hearing ability is critical to speech and language development, communication and learning. Hearing loss causes delays in the development of speech and language, and those delays then lead to learning problems, often resulting in poor school performance. Unfortunately, since poor academic performance is often accompanied by inattention and sometimes poor behaviour, children with hearing loss are often misidentified as having learning disabilities such as ADD and ADHD.

According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), children who have mild to moderate hearing loss but do not get intervention services are very likely to be behind their hearing peers by anywhere from one to four grade levels. And for those with more severe hearing loss, intervention services are even more crucial; those who do not receive intervention usually do not progress beyond the third-grade level.

The learners with difficulty hearing has given the special ability to be able to work using his eyes. As the old saying goes that a human has five senses and if one is lost, the others will reinforce. Customizing teaching strategies will help them learn. Teachers should encourage students with a hearing loss to seat themselves toward the front of the lecture and use assistive listening devices such as induction loops, hearing aids which may include transmitter/receiver systems with a clip-on microphone for the lecturer and provide written materials to supplement all lectures and tutorials.

Learners with Difficulty Communicating

Children with speech and language problems may have trouble sharing their thoughts with words or gestures. They may also have a hard time saying words clearly and understanding spoken or written language. Reading to the students and having her name objects in a book or read aloud to the teacher can strengthen her speech and language skills. When you read to the child, you are helping her brain to develop. Read the same story again and again. The repetition will help her learn language.

According to Psychology Today’s site, language disorder, as defined by the DSM-5, is marked by "persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language across modalities (i.e., spoken, written, sign language, or other) due to deficits in comprehension or production." Such deficits include limited vocabulary, limited ability to form sentences, and limited capacity to use language to communicate relative to what is expected for one's age.

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder involves "difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication," such as a lack of ability to alter communication to fit particular contexts (e.g., a classroom), to grasp normal rules of conversation, or to understand nonliteral meanings of language. Some of the symptoms are the following:

One category of speech disorder is dysfluency. 

Childhood-onset fluency disorder (formerly referred to as stuttering) is characterized by a disruption in the flow of speech and includes repetitions of speech sounds, hesitations before and during speaking, and/or prolongations of speech sounds.

Articulation difficulties are commonly found in people who have speech disorders. The term refers to problems forming and combining sounds, usually by omitting, distorting, or substituting them.

Voice disorders include difficulties with the quality, pitch, and loudness of the voice (prosody). Individuals with voice disorders may have trouble with the way their voices sound, and listeners may have trouble understanding a person with this speech pathology.

Auditory Processing (Hearing)

Central auditory processing disorder, as described by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), is "characterized by impairment of the auditory processing, resulting in deficiencies in the recognition and interpretation of sounds by the brain." This disorder is not included in the DSM-5. The best way to approach treatment for a communication disorder is to focus on prevention and early intervention.

Parents should be aware of the typical age at which their child should be reaching each developmental milestone. "The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills," according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. By 4 to 6 months, a baby typically babbles in a manner that resembles speech, using a variety of sounds, and responds to changes in voice tone. After one year, it is normal for a child to, for example, understand some simple words for items, to communicate with physical gestures, and to use one or two words. From ages 1 to 2 and beyond, children regularly pick up new words and begin to use multiple words together.

If a parent has concerns about their child's speech or language development, they should talk to their family doctor, who may refer them to a speech-language pathologist trained to treat communication disorders. Treatment may involve interactive, communication-based activities for parent and child and, potentially, group or individual therapy.

Learners with Difficulty in Walking

Children with physical disabilities, once taught in separate classes and even separate schools, now learn beside their peers in regular classrooms. As types of physical disabilities vary in degree of impairment, teachers will find a general knowledge of various conditions and how they affect children helpful. Assistive technology can level the effects of these impairments by allowing students to participate in classroom activities more easily and independently. Specific classroom and instructional strategies, as well as accommodations and modifications, also assist students in achieving their best individual educational outcomes.

According to Australian Disability House’s site, there is a range of inclusive teaching strategies that can assist all students to learn but there are some specific strategies that are useful in teaching a group which includes students with physical impairment.

The fact that students have a mobility disability may not always be immediately apparent. Needs will vary, and difficulties may fluctuate. Some students will choose to disclose their disability; others will not. At your first lecture, you might invite any students who have a disability to contact you for a confidential discussion of their specific learning needs. You might also ask students what, if any, information would need to be shared with other members of staff, or with other students in the class. Below are some further suggestions:

·         Students who use wheelchairs, callipers or crutches, or who tire easily, may find it difficult moving about within the constraints of lecture timetables. Absence or lateness may be a result of the distance between teaching venues, so at the end of a lecture you may need to recap any information given at the beginning.

·         Check that academic activities which take place off-campus (such as industry visits, interviews or fieldwork) are accessible to people with a mobility disability. Consider supplementary laboratory practical, films or videos as alternative options to field trips.

·         Students with a mobility disability may sometimes wish to use their own furniture, such as ergonomic chairs or sloped writing tables. Extra space may need to be created in teaching rooms, but this should be done unobtrusively.

·         Some students with back problems may prefer to stand in lectures or classes, rather than sit.

·         Some students may need to use a tape recorder or note-taker in lectures. Extra time is involved in processing information acquired in this way. It is common practice in some departments to routinely tape all lectures. This is a practice which will assist a variety of students, including those who may be absent from time to time because of their disability.

·         Students may need extensions to deadlines for work involving locating and using library resources. Provide reading lists well before the start of a course so that reading can begin early.

·         Academic isolation may be an issue for students who are unable to participate in some class activities. One-to-one sessions with a tutor may help fill this gap in participation.

 Speaking from experience since I had a classmate, a friend and neighbour whom are in wheelchairs, they have difficulty, actually almost all school activities especially in early education where physical activities could cause euphoria and much learning. However, to control such and to accommodate them properly, everyone in the class should customize their activities.

Learners with Difficulty Focusing and Remembering

For the students to take everything slowly to grasp a lesson, he may use the technique in breaking down tasks into smaller more manageable chunks – dividing up questions/tasks between pairs/groups and then asking learners to share their answers with each other encourages collaboration and peer support. Keep the classroom a clutter free zone. Remove any unnecessary notices and posters from the walls as they will only add to distraction. The teacher may let the student play memory/concentration games can help students learn to focus better and longer.

To address problems in memory and to enhance memory skills, Loveless (2018) in Education Corner suggested effective memory strategies for students with special needs.

Mnemonics is a learning strategy where students associate familiar words, rhyming words or phrases, or songs with terms they're struggling to remember.

Rote Practice Exercises is used. Repetition is one of the best ways to learn and retain new information, so teachers should constantly review concepts with students struggling with memory loss problems. Teachers can create drills students can complete on their own, or conduct drills with the entire class. Whatever strategies teachers employ, if they repetitively review curriculum in their classrooms, students will retain more information.

After students become familiar with a concept, they can further their knowledge through hands-on learning. For example, students can learn about an insect and then conduct a dissection to study its anatomy. Students can also learn about a historical event that occurred in their community and then tour a historical site associated with it.

One of the best things you can do to help with memory is to take your time and present information as slowly as possible. Give the child time to fully process a small chunk of information before you add onto it. This may mean having to review the material several times before moving forward, but getting that information to find a place in the long-term memory will help greatly. Much of what we teach children is based on previously learned concepts. This is especially true with math.

Recommendations

When a child has an impairment of one of his senses, as a teacher, make sure to make use of his other senses well because it all works together for it to fulfil the duty of the impaired ones. I recommend to have a research that could make an innovation of instructional materials with the use of technology as what we called Assistive Technology so that it will be easy for them to help themselves and even their assistants to learn.

For students will difficulty seeing, the teacher may not always use gadgets and presentations that uses light or radiation. It would be harmful for their health. Traditional ways of presenting outputs, giving oral and less visual instructions or hand-outs may help them catch up with learning.

“Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”−Plato

( Ang Panukalang Pagbaba ng Criminal Liability Age sa Pilipinas)

Leevi L. Cabradilla

Naalala mo pa ba noong ikaw ay musmos pa lamang? Alam kong katulad ko’y wala ka pang masyadong alam sa mundo. Wala kang ibang pinaniniwalaan kundi, ang buwan ay lumalabas lamang tuwing gabi. Wala kang ibang kinalilibangang gawin kundi ang pagahahbulan sa iyong mga kaibigan, pagtulong sa gawaing bahay at pagsasanay sa bahay kung paano magbasa ng Alpabeto. Naniniwala ako na sa murang edad na 9 o kaya’y 12 ay hilaw pa ang kamalayan at maaring mahubog ang kanyang isipan sa dalawang konsepto- ang tama at ang mali. Ngunit sa pabago-bagong ikot ng kapalaran nating mga Pilipino, nadagdagan ang mga bagay na maaring makakakaapekto sa pag-iisip ng isang musmos na bata. Ito ay takot.

Alam kong totoong mahina pa ang sistema ng isang bata dahil ako mismo, isang batang Pilipina rin, nakaranas maging bata at di nalalayo ang kultura at kagawian ko sa nakararaming Pilipinong bata sa panahon ko. Kahit paman ay may mga bata na lumaki na malawak na aang saklaw ng pwersa ng teknolohiya ay hindi parin maaring sabihin na kaya nan g isang bata na gumawa ng mga disisyong makakapagpabago sa takbo ng kanyang buhay. Isang patunay ditto ay ang mensahe sa likriko ng isang sikat na kanta galing sa isang sikat na banda na kung tawagin natin ay Apo Hiking Society.

Sa kanilang awitin, isinaad doon, “Batang-bata ka pa at marami ka pang kailangang malaman at intindihin sa mundo, yaan ang totoo. Nagkakamali ka kung akala mo na ang buhay ay isang mumunting paraiso lamang. Batang-bata ka lang at akala mo na na alam mo na ang lahat na kailangan mong malaman. Buhay ay di ganyan. Tanggapin mo na lang ang katotohanan na ikaw ay isang musmos lang na wala pang alam. Makinig ka na lang makinig ka na lang.”

Ngayon, mapapansin natin na an gating demokratikong bansa ay unti-unti nang nagababago. Mula ng umupo si Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte bilang komander an gating bansa ay maraming pagbabago ang nangyari hindi lang sa ating sistema sa gobyerno kundi pati na rin sa ating lipunan at s kapaligiran. Mula sa isyu ng droga, sa kontrabersiya tungkol sa Kalayaan Group of Islands, sa mga Karapatang Pantao hanggang sa pagmamanipula sa mga utak ng senado upang magsagawa ng batas.

           Bilang mag-aaral, ako’y lubos na nasiyahan at abot langit ang aking pasasalamat sa mga bagong batas na ipatupad ng ating gobyerno lalo na ang libreng edukasyon sa mataas na edukasyon at mga padagdag sweldo sa iilan sa mga kawani ng gobyerno. Ngunit isa sa mga itinaas na panukala ang parang baton a inihagis sa aking likuran na siyang nagpalingon sa akin na may bakas ng galit sa mukha.  Ang isyung ito ay ang pagbaba ng criminal liability age o ang tinatawag nilang Lowering of the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility ( MARC)  na ipinanukala ng senado at itinaas sa House Committee on Justice sa pangalang Batas Republika Bilang 10630  o mas kilala bilang Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act na nagsasaad na ang mga may idad na 15 pataas ay maaring maiharap na sa polisya kung lalabag sa mga batas.

Bakit nga ba nagpanukala sila ng ganito?

Ayon kay House justice panel chairperson at  Unang Representatib g Distrito ng  Oriental Mindoro na si Salvador Leachon ang bill na ito ay maprotektahan ang mga kabataan sa oras ng pagpapatakbo ng negosyo ng mga nagpupuslit ng droga dahil maari din silang gawing alipin nito.  Ngunit paano ang kabaliktarang mangyayari? Hindi ba sila natatakot sa maaring paradox na mangyayari? Maraming ahensya rin ng gobyerno ang tumutol sa panukala. Maraming grupo at mga eskperto tulad ng mga social workers ang naglahad ng depensa nila kung bakit komplikado ang nasabing bill.

           Unang una, ito ay labag sa karapatang pantao. Ang sabi ng Artikulo XV ng Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas, Seksyon 3. The State shall defend the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development. Ayon sa ulat ni Camille Elemia sa Rappler, nasabi ng mga social workers na totoo nga na may mga sindikatong gumagamit ng mga bata ngunit itong mga sindikato ang dakpin, hindi ang mga bata.

“May mga instances na nagagamit pero kung iko-compare sa bulk ng CICL, di siya significant. Siguro 20%, so babalik pa rin tayo. Kung yun ang problem, di ganun ang solusyon. Ang pinaparusahan mo dun ay yung bata e hindi yung nangbibiktima sa kanila,” (Paundong, 2018) Ayon rin kay (Acdog, 2018) “Ang hahabulin yung matatanda hindi ang bata. Kundi kung sino yung nag-influence, huwag bata ang parusahan.”  Si Rowelyn Acdog ay isang  social worker sa Yakap-Bata Holding Center.

Ayon naman kay Nina Patricia Sison-Arroyo, miyembro ng Council for the Welfare of Children and of the global board of International Justice Mission na “The bill would only discriminate against less fortunate kids – a deeper symptom of a disturbing societal condition in the country. She added that children’s minds are not yet fully developed and are not able to fully discern consequences of their actions.”  Ibig sabihin, ng panukala ay hindi pabor sa mga batang hindi gaanong marangya sa buhay. Ang isipan ng mga bata ay hindi pa gaanong kalinang at hindi pa sila malay sa maaring kalalabasang ng kanilang mga ginagawa.            Inilahad din ng UNICEF o ang United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund na, “Studies show that brain function reaches maturity only at around 16 years old, affecting children's reasoning and impulse control."  Sinuportahan naman ito ng Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) na sinabing “This means that changes in areas of the brain, which are responsible for impulse control, decision-making, regulating emotions, and evaluating risks and rewards are still taking place. Unlike adults, children are less able to consider and understand the long-term consequences of their actions.” At dagdag pa “Discernment between right and wrong requires intellectual, emotional, and psychological maturity. This is a tall order for children who are still in the process of developing in all aspects. Younger children, therefore, need protection from the law and should not be held criminally responsible for their actions.” (Philippine Pediatric Society, 2018  Ibig sabihin nito na ang isipan ng bata ay iba sa nakakatada dahil palinang pa lamang ang buong isipan at kamalayan.

Kaya nga, sa edad na tres o kaya naman ay 5 ay maagang ipapaubaya ng magulang ang kanilang mga anak sa mga primaryang paaralan upang malinang ang kanilang isipan lalo na ang kakayahang gumawa ng mga bagay na tama at bigyan ng pangunahing mga kasanayan na maglilinang sa kanilang kalaaman sa paggawa ng tamag disisyon. Idagdag pa ang kamalayan sa pagkatuto kung paano ikontrol ang sarili at pagharap sa mga maaring maging kalabasan ng kanilang mga ginagawa. May sinabi si Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian tungkol ditto. Ani pa niya, “Lowering down the age of criminal responsibility to nine years old is not the most effective solution to curb criminality in our communities. The focus should be on rehabilitating child offenders through more constructive and nurturing means than outright imprisonment.” Dagdag pa niya, “Children belong in schools, not in jails. Kung ang dahilan sa kagustuhang ibaba ang minimum age of criminal responsibility ay ang pagdami ng mga batang nagiging kriminal dahil sa ilegal na droga, then we need to strengthen our juvenile justice system through stricter implementation of existing laws that prosecute adults who coerce children to engage in criminal behavior,” (Legaspi, 2019)

Ito’y nangangahulugang nararpat lamang ang paghihigpit ng Juvinile System upang mabawasan ang mga kabataang nasasangkot sa pagpupuslit ng pinagbabawal na droga. Naririto na naman ang mga hakbang nilang hindi makatao. Lalo lamang itong tinutulak ang mga pobre at taga uma sa kadiliman.

Mas marapat gawin na kung mangyari mang may nadakip silang mga kabataan na nasasangkot sa masasamang gawain, ay tulungan silang magbago sa isang rehabilitation center kagaya ng mga ginagawa nila sa mga binibigyan ng pagkakataong makapagbagong buhay na malayo sa droga.

Bigyan ang mga bata ng mga benepisyo na maaring magtulak sa kanila na mag pokus sa pag-aaral, recreation at sining, halimbawa. Isa sa mga dahilan ng pagkalulong ng mga kabataan sa masasamang gawain, lalo na yung mga wala sa puder ng magulang, ay ang pagkawala ng interes sa pag-aaral, ang kompyuter games at ang impuwensya ng matatanda.

           May isang pagbabahagi na naihayag sa Facebook ang isang netizan : “Kahit ano pang proteksiyon sa mga bata ang ipangako ng mga mambabatas na ito sa panukalang ibaba sa 9 years old ang criminal liability, ito pa rin ang naiisip ko: Kung anak ka ng mayaman, aaregluhin agad iyan ng magulang mo, o pipiyansahan ka kaagad, ikukuha ka ng abugado de-kampanilya, lalagyan ang judge, puro reset ang hearing mo, hanggang sa matabunan ng daanlibong kaso sa korte, hanggang sa mabaon sa limot o maipahugot. Bago ka pa man lumaki, makakalimutan mo na na nagkaroon ka nga pala ng kaso noong ikaw ay 9 years old. Kung anak ka ng mahirap, lalo na kung sobrang hirap, makukulong ka. Hindi ka mapipiyansahan. Wala kang abugado—o kahit sinong libreng abugado na lang, puro reset ang hearing mo, hanggang sa matabunan ng daanlibong kaso sa korte, hanggang sa mabaon sa limot. Tatanda ka na sa kulungan. Hindi mo na kailanman mararanasan ang maging bata.” (Bautista, 2018)

Ito naman ang pinakamalakas na pagtutol galing sa Commission on Human Rights: “Inuulit namin ang aming lubos na pagtutol sa panukalang babaan sa 9 ang edad ng may kriminal na pananagutan. Ang rason na binanggit ng mga nagpanukala ay upang proteksyonan ang mga bata mula sa mga sindikatong gumagamit sa kanila. Kung gayon, ang dapat pagtuunan ay ang pagtugis sa mga sindikato at pagtiyak na mapatawan sila ng mabigat na kaparusahan sang-ayon sa batas.

Ang pagpasa ng responsibilidad at pagpataw ng kaparusahan sa mga bata para sa pagkakamali at pang-aabuso ng iilang tao at sindikato ay taliwas sa responsibilidad ng Estado na pangalagaan ang interes at kapakanan ng mga bata. Bukod pa dito, hindi pa napapatunayan na ang pagbibilanggo sa mga bata ay makapipigil sa paggawa ng krimen, bagkus ay nakasasama sa kanila ayon na rin sa mga pag-aaral. Ilan sa mga masamang epekto nito sa mga bata ay stigmatisation; ang posibilidad na maging repeat offender; at iba’t ibang masamang epekto sa pisikal, mental, at emosyonal na pag-unlad ng bata. Samakatuwid, sa halip na pangalagaan, ang naturang panukala ay maaring tanggalan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga batang binabansagang kriminal sa murang edad.” (Commission on Human Rights, 2019)

  “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”, ani pa ni Dr. Jose Rizal. Anong pag-asa ang hinuhubog niyo, Senator?

 Talasanggunian:

Apo Hiking Society.1980. Batang bata ka pa.https://genius.com/Apo-hiking-society-batang-bata-ka-pa-lyrics

Official Philippine Gazette.2006. Republic Act 10630 .https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/10/03/republic-act-no-10630/

Capeda, M. 2019. House panel okays lowering criminal liability age.https://www.rappler.com/nation/221497-house-panel-approves-bill-lowering-minimum-age-criminal-responsibility-january-21-2019

 Elemia, C. 2016. Juvenile justice law.https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/152185-problems-juvenile-justice-law-cicl

 Tomacruz, S. 2019. Reasons experts strongly oppose lowering of criminal liability age  https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/222628-reason-experts-strongly-opposing-lowering-minimum-age-criminal-responsibility

Suan, A. 2019. On https://www.facebook.com/angelrosesuan/posts/2284449241589842

 Legaspi, A. 2019. More senators oppose lower age criminal liability. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/682295/more-senators-oppose-lowering-age-of-criminal-liability-to-9-years-old/story/?fbclid=IwAR1_LWco1fBprEsj63UYCahAfN3VWJ_yMUWqbw3tR4c4gQ8Id2YYUuqlhcw

 Cepeda, M. 2019. I am for Lowering of age for criminal liability. https://www.rappler.com/views/227282-i-am-for-lowering-minimum-age-criminal-liability

Pinoy Scope. 2019. Kiko rejects lower criminal liability age. https://www.pinoyscoop.website/target-crime-rings-not-kids-kiko-rejects-lower-criminal-liability-age/

           At these times of the pandemic, various controversial societal issues have surfaced in all the parts of the world. The most critical issues were centralized on the government with regards to finances, medical assistance, closing of borderlines as well as the data on number of affected individuals, recoveries and death due to this alarming Corona Virus Disease also known as COVID-19. In the Philippines, which is a democratic country, in all parts of politics and in governance, there are divisions. There are leftist as well as supporters of the administration. Funny is it today that leftists are tagged as makadilaw  o dilawan though they are, perhaps, not and on the other hand, supporters are tagged as mga troll ni Digong, DDS o Die-hard Duterte Supporters though some are not die hard. There are people who are neutral but the social media tags every people based on what they initially believe unless you say you are neutral.

           A Facebook live, more of a discussion session was made by Mr. Rogelio Braga. He is a literary expert, a writer and an instructor of a prestigious university in Luzon. He was outside the Philippines when he conducted the live video but a native Filipino, grew up in Samar and a native Waraynon. His usual basement is in Manila, where in the video, he shared a piece that transforms Manila as a place the listeners have visited. An overview to the content of his live session, he explained things on reading and comprehension, reading with comprehension, literature, words and society as well as giving critics on the Duterte administration labelling his regime as matapobre.

           On the first part of his live video, he highlighted that reading and giving meaning to a text read can give the citizens power. Being able to understand what we are reading without any affective filters opens our horizon to a lot of perspectives. The Filipino society have more than 90% literacy rate but the question is, how effective their reading skills are? You would be directed to another question, are all the literate individuals know how to read properly? However, the point is, as what I have understand, and as what the speaker is trying to impart, that the Filipinos tend to just let the government work without watchdogs by agreeing to everything as well as bashing the media for checking their work status because they did not fully understand what they have been reading! For example, on the current issue on the Anti-terrorism Bill, many Filipinos, most of them were DDS, view it as a safeguard to the President. They were thinking that they are exempted to the drawbacks of the bill because they are supports but actually, not. They read and understand only what is applicable to them and then turn into some things they hardly believe.  This is the least of my opinion, well, thinking about the cyber set ups and all. It is connected to the problem the speaker said in the video. He said, “Paano ang pagbabasa at processo ng pagpapakahulugan bilang pagsangga sa pasistang proyekto ni Duterte?” in English, “How can reading and the process of giving meaning can shield us from the pessimist projects of Duterte?” He discussed further and I got his point that words in the Filipino language or labels are changed because of politics as well as other societal changes.

           I don’t know if the report on Rappler, about Filipinos having poor reading comprehension have a survey/ research to support the idea that Filipinos can be a victim of the pessimist projects of our administration has because of poor reading comprehension but it is a true claim, the Malacanang Palace has said, through AsianJournal and PhilStar that the Philippines scored the lowest on reading comprehension in the Programme for International Student Assessment conducted on 2018 and is a reality which needs to be faced. There would be a possibility that one factor that can build and as well ruin the progress of the Filipinos in connection also to the responses and critics we gave to the government is our lack of understanding of every issue, news, announcement or order.

           In the live video, Mr. Braga shared a story entitled, “Mga” a part and parcel of the literary compilation or mga katha written by the speaker himself “May Rush Hour ba sa Third World Country”. He made a copy available to the public through donating an e-file to the Balangiga Press on March 2020. It can be found on pages 181-198.

           The short story is very rich of meaning, controversy and power. On the first part of the story was the travel of a provincial guy named Lipoy. It was in the story that he came that time to Manila in a busy day and it was his first time. With plain innocence, he was patiently sitting in the bus waiting to arrive at his destination but unaware of the fact that there are robbers that surrounded him. He saw that the other passengers in the bus are full guarded of their belongings but he was caught up in a situation where all he could think of is his destination. He was robbed and his money for financing everything went robbed.

            It was also described in  the story how Manila is a place where you need to watch you every step as well as guard your every possession. It was also described there that Manila is smoky, much polluted, dusty and hot specially during the noon and inside an overcrowded public vehicle would kill your peace. The speaker in the live video said that the story talks about Manila and he highlighted that it was a mirror of Manila and the Maynilenos.

           I agree to the author about the possible things could happen on and off the road of that huge city, even if I had never experienced Manila but as what I can see in news, movies and TV shows, those were true. Even storied from people in our place, Manila, according to them is scary, especially to the people who stepped on its gates for the first time. All we need is awareness and carefulness.

           In this part of Lipoy’s life, there is a mention of an elephant but I don’t seem to fully understand the symbolism behind it. All I have think of is the underlying issue that I think that scenario implies, is that, people is very aggressive especially when it comes to money and survival that they can sometimes consider killing. Even on the innocent ones are never spared. And that happened in Manila.

           The second part of the story was the story of Yvonne. She was a girl who suddenly lost her body, her hair and everything that made her invisible. She is a mistress of a married man. The scenario took place also in Manila. She had an aim that she wants to meet the man before she turns totally invisible. She went across streets of Manila and another man saw him half-naked but she was lost in her sight because she went totally invisible.

           I think that she, being invisible, is a feeling that she is already an outcast of the society or that she, does not belong to the people around her because she is a mistress of the man he is to meet. The voices around her, the judgements shed off her real identity.

           I was also thinking that the other man who saw her symbolizes the people that despite everything, there are people who can see through you and will look at the brighter side of you. In our society, that is happening. There are people that choose to believe the goodness in you whether they know your story or not. On the other hand, there are people who choose to believe what they wanted to believe and will make you the worst villain.

           In connection to that I have observed that there are people that whatever thoughts that are fed to them that came from a powerful and influential being, they would tend to believe it right away and be convinced easily whether it is right or wrong. Some political issues were about money, specially in elections, like vote buying and such. And not only on personal decisions that these politicians are making changes. They can change the way the people view literature and local colors.

           There are several points I understand why the speaker tags the regime of President Duterte as to matapobre and pessimist. Of being matapobre, I heard a lot of words like, “gago” or insane to Filipinos. “Bobo” or stupid/ dull can be heard during SONA. The president spoke it himself. There are Cebuano words like “yawa” or evil, “putang ina” or “piste” that literally means so much of a cuss. Most of the times, these words were addressed to activists, human rights advocates and lawyers as well as to the criminals.

           However, the biggest issue why his administration is being called matapobre is that it is easy for him to execute, order a shoot-to-kill and demote people who violated the law in the marginalized section of the society rather than the big bosses, masterminds and officials guilty of crimes. There were a lot of issues occurring about minors being killed by policemen, drug users who already surrendered are still being killed and the like. He was thrown with stones because instead of creating programs to feed the poor, he initially increased salaries of the policemen and give huge incentives to those who can kill drug users and the like. And thinking who can the policemen easily kill? I bet the poor. Issues like human rights violation can greatly affect the society and so the mind-set of the Filipinos can be changed event from event depending on what they can largely see.

           I agree with the speaker. The president is matapobre and pessimist. I think he is pessimist in such a way that he does not believe in people who are against him. He thinks they cannot do the right thing and that people who commit crimes don’t have second chances. A letter from the Human Rights Concern was sent to the president saying, “As president, it is your responsibility to protect the universal rights and freedoms of all Filipinos. You wield great influence in ensuring that security forces respect and enforce the rights and freedoms embodied in both the Philippine constitution as well as international human rights instruments. What you say in support of rights and freedoms can have significant influence around the country. That is why we are encouraged by your June 30 inauguration address pledge that your “adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising” and that you will ensure that “the Republic of the Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations.” We also note that in your July 25 State of the Nation Address you stated that “rule of law must at all times prevail” and that government is obliged to “fulfill the human rights of our citizens.”  

           And even on children, he has no exemption. “Attacks on schools by the military and its paramilitary group continue to be a concern. On September 1, 2015, the Magahat paramilitary group allegedly attacked a tribal school in Surigao del Sur province, torturing and killing an educator and two tribal leaders. The attack caused an estimated 4,000 residents to flee their homes.” This was an issue that schools are educating children to be more aware of the law as well as raising awareness of the works of the government that can be a threat to the human rights.

           Literature was greatly influenced by this societal events. The sign-signifier and the signified object in a pattern of words are changed. As what the speaker said, “activists” will be called as “rallista”. “Chino” is called “friend/ally/supplier. If there would be cases that if there would be drug users, Filipinos would think it is better to kill them to avoid more horrible crimes. And even if in a certain text on textbooks, instead of running away from prosecutors as a human survival instinct, they would say “nanlaban” and many more examples.

Leevi L. Cabradilla BSEd English SE15

Sosyedad at Literatura

August 31, 2018 TF 7:30-9:30

I have read a play entitled Cadaver by Alberto Florentino which talks about how a certain character named Torio, experienced hatred towards the dead and how he died because of a small wound due to a scratch from a cadaver’s bone that he and his friend Carding, have been disturbing in order to steal wealth that was buried with it. This play highlights the negative traits Filipinos have when drowned by poverty as well as their positive traits towards the sick.

It is seen in reality that there are Filipinos who wants to earn a living easily through immoral ways like selling illegal drugs, human trafficking, gambling and the like. These ways are similar to how Torio and Carding rob the riches of the dead. These activities are ‘fast-money businesses’ without processes that requires extra effort. They would never stop until they die. They would keep on complaining than working.

In the other angle, the play reflects how some of the government workers respond to the needs of the people and how the society tolerate them. Some of the workers value money over compassion just like how the doctor neglected Torio’s situation and Torio being stubborn for not going to the dispensary for a treatment. In addition, I think that superstitious beliefs specially about an individual being wounded by a cadaver’s bone will die, strongly influenced the mind set of Torio for not going to the hospital anymore though he keeps on saying that he will be fine soon.

In the other hand, the play also reflects the positive traits of the Filipinos specially on taking care of the sick. Filipinos are known to be compassionate and considering family ties and brotherhood as a very important thing in their lives. This was shown by the treatment of Carding and Marina towards Torio.

I believe that this play’s purpose is to give moral lessons specially about respecting the dead. Though the belief of dying when disturbing the dead is not proven true at all instances, it is very important to respect them.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”- Proverbs 22:6

That quote relates to my own view about the video I watched entitled Three Letters form Teddy by Elizabeth Silance Ballard. The story in the video is about a teacher who changed the life of a depressed young boy named Teddy due to his mother’s death. I believe that the video emphasizes that a child’s development is a reflection of his experiences and the society’s action towards him. Also, actions and words could create a difference in someone’s life.

In the story, Teddy transformed from a brilliant child to an uninterested one. At a very young age, there is a big possibility that loneliness, loss and such experiences can affect their holistic health specially their mentality. It gotten worse when the teacher carelessly marks large F and X in his papers. I think that Teddy’s mind set as of that moment is that he can be as active in class as before if his mother is still in his family.

    However, the teacher realized that she must be sensitive and must do an action for this kind of child when she knew his experience. That realization is the start of life for the teacher and a healing for Teddy. The teacher’s encouragement, appreciation and kindness helped him heal. Teddy grew up forever grateful to his teacher. Imagine a child who was hurt and became uninterested of his studies have become a doctor. It was amazing. See how powerful his teacher is.

I, too, experienced this kind of life twist. At the age of 15, with so much innocence of things outside the school, I was damaged because of pressure, negative words of criticism, health issues and heart break. I suffered those until I reached 18 and got the greatest healing by only having a new life companion, care and tender words. Just like Teddy, I was given love, encouragement and appreciation. I was given a faith that I will be free, someday. I am a living evidence of the healing power of compassion.

In the last part of the story it says, “You can never tell what type of impact you may have on other’s life by your actions or lack of actions.” As an individual who chose a profession that has a calling to make an impact on others, I learned that I must be kind, respectful and compassionate. It feels great to receive a letter saying, “Thank you for believing in me.”

For the first time since the Regional Press Conference 2017 happened, I was given a regards by manuscripts to be edited and copy editing seems like very new to me. Perhaps, because I am now a college student and I need to perform so much of what I usually do with erroneous manuscripts or maybe I was afraid because I was thinking that they will expect so much from me since I am an experienced copy reader. Actually, I hate that they think I can do well with this job. It was fully then that I hate it. I don't know.

Not to brag about my experiences but I want to share that  I was also our school paper's copy reader and headline writer for 6 years. However, I that long journey did not make me a pro. I lack training and I was not able to focus on this category because I perform many roles in our school publication. Though I was able to reap an award every Press Conference and went to Regionals twice, I still cannot perfect my grammar.

I felt I was being fed properly now that I had this course, the Structures of English.

After few grammar lessons with Sir Tex, we were given an assignment, in groups, to edit manuscripts from his BSTHRM classes. Honestly, I love editing and I loved it more now that I am a level higher than me as a copy reader before.

The biggest challenge that I consider in accomplishing the task was my anxiety. I am honestly conscious  in giving suggested sentences to replace their sentences with errors because I might change the real meaning of their sentences. I also found it hard to construct tenses because usually, the writers do not have consistency in their tenses.

We worked as a group. We divided the papers fairly. Though we encountered a problem with regards to the papers assigned to one of our group mates, we overcame the problem by a strong and willful collaboration.

The task taught me not to hesitate to ask questions and suggestions from our group mates because they can help you fill your lapses. Working in a group saves time, energy and wealth.

The task is the most  perfect activity to apply all that we have learned in Structures of English. It helped me understand that the level we should reach must be up to its superb specially on the case of tenses and rephrasing thoughts. The task helped me to understand that the program we are in, Bachelor of Secondary Education in English, is indeed a hard battle. We have to be specific and accurate in choosing the right words and symbols just how this program is designed for us to be well equipped with the necessary skills. It also helped me realize that being an English teacher is a job that needs patience and an eye that can easily hook errors in manuscripts.

The learning that I got is significant for me as a communicator inside the classroom because it helped me be mindful of the structure of my sentences in speaking and in writing. It helped me choose the correct and specific words to be used in a sentence depending on its context and the theme of manuscript and speech.

As a future professional, the lessons will lead me to aim for more and deep understand of the subject matter. It inspired me to reach a higher level of knowledge and understanding about the English language and its structure. The skills will make me more professional.

As a human being, the lessons helped me and will help me speak in a correct manner to avoid conflicts. It will inspire me too to strive for excellence.

#ELECTION2019 

#Relates2017

Nothing's left but a lost body, not even trying to follow directions. 

Depressed. Depressed. Depressed. 

No one to lean on too. 

Nobody cares. Nobody tried to care. 

“Taho… Taho.. Taho mo diha, Manoy!” “Pandesal init pa!”

Haaaaay! Puryagaba. Adlawan na pud. Mao gyud ni permi mabatian nako na singgit sa gawas sa among balay nga makamata na hinoon ko. Sayo pa gad sa kabuntagon. Ako dayong gisugat ang banwag sa mga adlaw sa may bintana nga nag mug-ot ang dagway. Pasensya na gyud intawon, adlaw. Hayag na apan makaluya gihapon ang mag pinuyo diri dapit lugara. Ambot ba pero basig pila ko katuig diria, diri pa gani ko nagdako ngano man gyud na makabatyag man kog kalaay diria.

Akong gihinay hinay ug kuso kuso akong mata. Mikanaog sa higdaanan ug hinay hinay apil sa pagbira sa habol ug gipilo kini. Dayon, gipatung-patong ang mga unlan. Wala ko’y labot ug nasunod-sunod ba ni gikan dagko padung gagmay basta mao nani. Laay man paminawon na kada adlaw, sukad na muili ko diria sa San Isidro, balik balik ra ang akong gibuhat. Ig mata, maligo human kaon tas mutambay. Mura ba’g wa may thrill oy. Ganahan unta ko makig laag sa akong mga classmates pag high school kaso asa naman intawon to sila mapalgan karon? Naa nasad to silay tagsa tagsa nga gikabusyhan unya usa pa pud,  basain kachawan nasad ko nila bahin sa mga kabuang ra gud namo sa unta sa kadtong mga bata pa mi. Bagritis man gud ko. Dali ra kayo ko mapikon. Maayo lang ug ako ang manungog.

Kay wala mna lagi ko’y lain mahimo, gibuhat nalang nako akong mga buhatonon kada adlaw. Gitawag kog pamahaw ni Nanay. Dali-dali kong minaog sa among hagdanan na perti na kalisud again karon. Lahi ra atong bata pa ko na hala basin pag magpadidit pako diria, kaya ra kayo nako. Lahi na gyud ug matiguwang nata. Pagabot ko pa sa lamisa, kalami naman lang gyud sa akong naabtan. Di gyud ko kahimo ani ug sayon sayon lamang sa siyudad kay maconvenient eater naman ka labaw na ug nag boarding house raka tas strikto imong landlady, dili ka luto, basig pag magrice cooker lang ka kay mahal lagi daw ang kuryente. Nagluto si Nanay ug sinangag nga naay gihiwa-hiwa na hotdog ug naay sagol itlog pud. Among sud-an kay pinirito na Tuloy, paksiw na Tuloy, tas buwad pud na tuloy. Bahala na ug puro Tuloy basta lami pagkaluto. Taga Barangay Banat-I ko pero nahigugma gyud ko sa Tuloy na gipalit pa namo adto sa Motor.

“Ting, suroy gad pud panagsa sa lungsod. Dad-a lang gud nang motor. Lantaw- lantaw sad sa SI ba.” Ingon akong Nanay samtang nagsagol sa patis ug suka nga sawsawan namo. “Na ayaw lang usa ma oy, basin naay makakita nako ba. Kagwapo baya kayo nako basain dagsaon ko’s mga fans nako” Nakatawa akong Nanay sa akong joke basig waley kayo. Wa lang, mao man gyud na siya labaw nag makabatyag siya na wala pa gyud ko ulii sa akong kasakit.

Samtang nag kaon ming Nanay sige siya ug hisgot ug mga butang. “Ting, kahinumdom paka kadtong nanuroy mo sa balay sa imong classmate sa may tumoy sa Cabungaan? Nagdala man gani ka adtog tuba diris balay na puti, lami gani kayo to.” “Kinsang classmate nako nay ba?” Maayo pa si Nanay kay wa kalimot sa akong mga aligre na panahon. “Nakalimot nasad ko nak. Dugaya na baya adto. Nakahinumdom ka ani, kadtong gisugilon nimo sa ako tungod atong perti ninyong dagana kay gigukod mos kabaw na gitugway sa may ubos sa inyong skwelahan? Kadtong nanlakaw mo sa imong mga classmate sa Baras kay mang Kodak mo ug starfish? Naa pa gani moy bidyu bidyu adto nak…”

 Daghan pa kaayong gisugilon ug pangutana si Nanay nako. Na, wa nalang nako panumbalingi kay mao lagi, ug ibalik pa nato ang kagahapon, ug kutkuton pa gyud nato ang mga katawa ug istorya sa kadtong panahon na wala pa ta sukda ug asa gyud ta kutob niining kinabuhi, masakitan rata ug balik. Mag maoy lamg gihapon ta.

 Nahilom ko, mao usab si Nanay. Iya lang kong gitutukan kahuman niya ug butang sa iyang kutsara ug tinidor. “Ting, sakit gihapon?” Narurat ko gamay sa pangutana ni Nanay apan ako rang gihinayhinay ug sandig akong likod sa lingkuranan. “Nay, dugay naman ta nagstorya ana na wala na. Humana man to Nay.” “Pero ngano mang makakita man ko nimo, nak na maglantaw sa iyahang Kodak?” “Basig sa Facebook ra gad to Nay. Nalabay ra sa news feed ba. Dili na big deal sa akoa”

Dili gyud ko ganahan maghisgot pa maong gihipos nalang nako akong kinan-an ug misaka dayon balik sa kwarto. Pag abot nako sa kwarto, dayong ginhawa ug lawom ta’s gikab-ot dayon nako ang botilya sa tubig ta’s  miinom. Nakita nako ang mga libro kabahin sa Calculus, naa pay Electronics, Volleyball ug Music. Midool ko adto, naglaum na naa lang koy mabasa basa, pangpawala sa kalaay. Kay imbis mutambay ko’s gawas kay makistorya s mga silingan, makawala ug gana ang mga pangutana ni Nanay, puryagaba. Gipunit nako ang libro na brown ta’s naay bookmark na murag laso ba ug mismo sa may gimark nako naablihan. Nakurat ko na naay natagak gikan sa libro nga us aka larawan. Napalingkod ko sa may kilid sa kutson ug nagsugod akong hunahuna ug byahe padung sa kaniadto.

 “Hoy! Pangari namo kay taob na!” “It’s summer timeeee!” Singgit sa ka-excited ang akong nabatian sa akong mga kaklase. Nagpunko ako sa may ilalom sa mubo nga lubi. Kay summer, init man, nag higot ako ug sarong sa akong abaga ug nag sul-ot ug shades. Ako gilantaw ang kadagatan na mura ba’g namira nako sa kablue niini. Syempre, ulit sad pud ko ug dagat. Nahunong akong panagtasya sa dagat nga naay mikuhit nako.

“Hoy, Trick! Ngano naa raman ka diha! Tara!” paglingi nako, si Andrea diay. Syempre, mipahiyum ko samtang ako gihubo akoang shades ug milantaw niya. Akong gi tudlo ang lugar sa akong kilid, bali sinyas na palingkuron usa nako siya. “Kay ngano man? Maligo nata na!” “Dli usa diria ba”. Mao to milingkod siya tapad nako. “Masulob-on nasad ka no? Ngano man kuno ka?” Nangagho ko ug pinalawm kaayo unya misulti ug “Haaaaay… makabagrit man gud Ding. Wala pa gyud ko sugta sa akong gipanguyaban ba! Na kay lagi daw, nahadlok siya sa iyang Mama basin daw mahibaw-an na nag uyab uyab siya niya iyahang uyab kuno kay tulo ka yuig ang kamaguwang sa iyaha.” Sumbong ko pa kang Andrea.

“Na, ingon bitaw ko nimo nga ayaw lagi panguyab ug mas bata pa nimo! Hahahaha! Mao siguro na maoy nalang na permi imong love life kay mao man imong bet mura kag manglulutas! Hahaha!”

Basin paman tuod ug buangon ni si Andrea kastorya, makawala gyud ning iyang katawa sa kaguol. Kinsa ba lagi di pud makatawa anang dako kaayo siyag baba ug makatawa na nya di ko kasabot ngano iyahang kinataw-an kay murag mang-gitik sa imohang dunggan ug makabati naka.

“Ambi imohang cellphone.” Ingon pa niya na murag mabasa nimo sa iyahang hulagway nga naa siya’y plano ug naghunahuna ug lawom. Ako sad gikuot sa akong bulsa akong cellphone na makalagot, wa ju’y text gumikan sa akong gipanguyaban. Wala nalang nako siya panumbalinga ug mag unsa siya sa akong cellphone, bahala na siya.

Kini diay si Andrea. Akong pinakasuod na amiga nga babaye. Langas, kiat, kusog kaayo mukatawa, dramahon pud unya ug sapoton,  bungkag tanan kalibutan pero sweet kaayo ni siya, caring, medyo isog pero all in all, buotan gyud kaayo. Wala’y oras na mahilom ni siya, pagkatabian naman gyud. Kauban nako ni siya sa tanan tanan lakaw ug kalipay sa akong kinabuhi. Swerte kaayo ko kay naa siya sa akong kiliran permi.

 “Oh humana! Taraaaaaaa!” Iyang gisuksuk sakong bag nga gamay ang akoang cellphone unya gikuha niya akong shades ug gisul-ot niya. Iyaha kong gibira padung sa dagat. Detalyado man sa akong hunahuna ang nahitabo adtong adlawa apan ang pinakadili nako makalimtan kay dihang pagkagabii ana, gisugot ko sa akong gipanguyaban. Ang sulti sa akong uyab na gahanan kuno siya sa gipanulti ni Andrea bahin nako.

 Kuyog mi ni Andrea sa tanan kabuang. Nakahinumdom pa ko kadtong manimba gani mi, ako na siyang picture-picturan sa kadtong cellphone namo na medyo high-tech na gamay unya kataw-anan kaayo siyag nawng ug mag ampo na seryoso kaayo. Kana ganing murag nag ampo ug medyo imposible gamay na mahitabo. Mao na siya. Masakpan gani ko niya, magginukuray dayon mi unya ilugon niya ang cellphone gikan nako. Unya kay medyo mas taas man ko niya, maglisod sad siya’g kab-ot! Naa puy time na ako nang duwa-duwaan iyang buhok, simhot-simhoton kunuhay unya kaliton lang ug bira. Naa pa gyud to’y time na amo siyang itud sa may baka unya managan mig kalit tanan, biyaan namo siya, sus, mamatay gyud ka’g kinatawa sa iayang nawng ug masuko.  Ambot ba kay gahan gyud ko na pag-tripan siya kay lagi, pikon kaayo. Nakabawos usab siya nako kay dihay kausa na pag 18th birthday nako, gisurprise ko nila. Hastang kurata nako kay ang decoration sa among balay puros Pink unya mga buwak dagahn kaayo nga mura gyud ug debut sa babaye ba. Makatouch gad kaayo kay naay cake pero murag nainis ko gamay kay pink tanan unya naay mga hulagway ni Aurora bitaw, ang Disney Princess. Tapos ang tarpaulin nga naay greetings ug picture nako kay gi edit na naay hearts ug mga swirls na Pink ug Sky Blue. Daghan sila na babaye, pati akong mga barkada na lalaki ang misurprise nako. Si Andrea lagi kuno mastermind adto. Unsa’y pagtoo nila nako, bayot? Hahay.

Usahay, masuko gyud na siya nako ug tinud-anay labaw na ug kabuangan nako siya na iyahang strap sa bra, birahon nako unya buhian dayon. Mura mana siya ug mupitik na sakit kaayo sa abaga. Ug usahay, kawaton nako tanan notes niya sa among klase tas ako’y mag tuon ato kay tamaran kaayo ko magsulat ug notes.

Kauban mi sa tanan laag laag. Ug makahulam mi ug motor, mag cutting mi sa klasse ug mag road trip adto sa mga layo na barangay sa among lungsod. Maabot mig Daja or adto mi’g Busay mag suroy suroy lang kuyog akong uban barkada nga lalaki ug iyaha pud na mga barkada na babaye. Sweet kaayo si Andrea nako. Diha’y kausa na napakong ko pag naog nako sa sidecar ta’s nakakita siya, iyaha dayong gihapuhap akong agtang basig nag sige siya ug katawa. Kay danghag ra gyud ko ato. “Basin ug malumping ni imong agtang.” Ingon pa niya. Athlete pud ko sa Volleyball. Ug naa koy duwa, magtigom na siya ug mga tawo aron mucheer sa amoang team. Kusog kaayo na mushagit ug naa pa’y tyansa na maka-solo na siya ug shaget, makatawa gyud ko. Komportable kaayo akong kinabuhi kay naa siya. Tabangan ko niya sa tanan tanan kalisdanan nako. Ako pud sa iyaha, syempre dili gyud k aka resist sa imong bestfriend ug mamarayg na sa imoha.

 Milabay ang pipila ka tuig, mao lang gihapon amoang mga trip. Miabot ang time na miangkon si Andrea namo, sa among kinatibuk-ang barkada, na nahigugma siya ug usa ka lalaki na nakaila ra niya sa Facebook. Kay lagi, gwapo daw kaayo unya sweet pa gyud kaayo sa iyaha sa text or sa chat. Kana bitaw gitawag nila ug “pa-fall” karon. Pero nasakitan siya pag-ayo kay nahibaw-an niya na poser lang daw kini unya nawala na daw ilahang komunikasyon. Matud pa niya, okay raman daw unta to ug basin kinsa pa siya basta ipadayon daw nila ilang relasyon na walay label. Sa akong side usab, makatawa ko na maguol sa iyahang sitwasyon kay mura siyag nabag-ohan sa mga ing-ana na butang. Apan, wala nata’y mahimo kay iyaha man sad nang lakaw sa iyahang istorya. Pamati namo, depressed si Andrea.  Sabton nalang namo na mao ug ingon ani lang gyud siguro siya kay mao lagi, buhong si Andrea sa paghigugma namo tanan, gikan sa iyahang pamilya hangtud sa amoa na iyahang barkada ug dili namo makaya na pasakitan siya. Wala siya maenad na biyaan ug tawo.

Siguro kay grabe akong simpatiya diha sa iya, akong gitagaan ug tarong pagtagad si Andrea. Ako siya ihatod sa ilahang balay, naa naman ko’y motor ato. Perminte nami mag chat-chat basin lisod kaayo ang signal sa amoa or usahay, ako siyang bisitaon sa ilahang balay, kuhaon nako siya unya manglaag mi or mag duwa ug Volleyball ug wala mi klase. Mas milawom amoang friendship kay miabot name ug hisgot sa tanan tanan parte sa amoang pamilya, kaugmaon, mga pangandoy na sineryoso na ug mga kasakit sa dili nimo matag-an na makabatyag ka diay ana. Kay lahi naman mi’g section, muadto lang gyud ko sa ilahang classroom inig udto kay makaig dungan ko ug kaon niya. Wala sad ko kabantay sa akong mga nilihokan na mura nako’g na enjoy ang akong gibuhat para niya. Tuod naa siya’y mga babaye na amiga na mucomfort pud niya, mabatyagan nako na mas maayo ug naa sad ko para niya kay aron dili mawala iyahang salig sa mga lalaki. Naa gad gihapon ko’y uyab ato pero wa gyud ko mabag-o kang Andrea. Miabot ang time nawala na akong atensyon sa akong uyab ug gikalimtan nalang sad nako siya.

 Nagkadugay, sa mga barkada ni Andrea, naa na’y mag sige ug sungog nako sa iyaha. Maglibog ko mag huna huna kay mabagrit man ko ug sungogon ko nila sa iyaha. Ang siya jud mas labaw na masuko gyud siya ug sungogon siya sa akoa. Bestfriends ra lagi mi. Naglibog sad ko sa mga tawo kay karon pa sila manungog namo nga dugay name nga ingon ana sa usag-usa. Naay kausa na nangutana ko sa akong barkada na lalaki, common friend namo, ug ngano man sungogon man si Andrea nila sa akoa. Iyahang tubag kay, “Na si Anding kay dili na puro sakit sakit ang iistorya sa amoa. Dili na maoy bahin sa kadtong iyahang nauyab piki! Imong ngalan na permi malitok. Hasta pud ka, naa gyud na permi si Andrea sa imohang mga istorya! Naunsa namo? Hahahaha! Basin nagkadevelopay namo sa usa’g usa?” Pagkadungog nako ana, perti naman gyung katawa nako na pagsugod buhakhak kaayo dayon murag nagtikahilaw. Hala! Gipanaad ko sa tibook kalibutan na wala gyud kog nabatyagan na romantikong pagbati kang Andrea! Hesus ko! Sukad atong mga ginagmay na sungog nila, medyo mi layo layo ko gamay kay Andrea kay di ko ganahan na magpadayon ang sungog sungog kay basin mailang ko kang Andrea na ug tagad, basin malain siya.

 Miagi ang mga buwan, naa mi school activity ug gi ipon ipon ang mga section. Nagkagroup mi ni Andrea. Kuyog nako akong lalaki na barkada, si Dexter ug si Benjie. Naa sad si Jillian, Barbie, Julie, Charmie, Fatima ug Anne. Naa mi nagtrabaho sa usa ka dako na lamisa na medyo kasigo ming tanan, nag atubang ug mga laptop ug naay mga printer sa ubos. Pagkabaho naman lang gyud ug mga papel ug ink sa among gitrabahuan kay naa mi i-produce na research paper. Pila nami ka mga kagab-hion na nag-inungunay sa kalisod niining among proyekto pero lingaw gad kaayo mi basin pag ingon ini na ka lisod.

Misulti si Julie. “Patrick, Dexter ug Benjie, palit mo ngadto ug isnak nato na! Gutom man uy!” Mitubag pud si Benjie, “Kami diay imo suguon? Ari ra ko kay naa si Andrea.” Milingi dayon kong Benjie na naa sa tapad ni Andrea, nagsige ug ngisi nag tan-aw niya samtang naay gi edit si Andrea na parte sa among research. “Jie, malanay gani nas’ Anding sa sige nimo ug tutok.”sulti ko pa. Misabat pud dayon si Jillian, “Hoy! Ayaw ana, Benjie kay naay magselos! Ayeeeeee!” Ug ngakalangas ang mga babaye sa among grupo. Mitan-aw nako si Dexter na dako kaayo’g ngisi. “Ngano ka uy? Ngano mo?” pangutana ko pa sa ilaha. “Nabuang na!” tubag pang Andrea na pukos kaayo sa iyang gitrabaho.

 Milakaw na sila si Dexter ug Benjie para mag palit ug snacks. Wala nalang ko nikuyog kay gabii na baya, walay mahibilin na lalaki diria sa balay nila Anne, wala baya iyahang Mama ug Papa diria. Basin baya ug simbako, naay iro na mamaghot diria.

 Nahilom mi kadyot na mikalit lang ug sulti si Anne. “Julie, kinsaon ra gyud to imong crush? Kadto man to nga magsige ug tawag sa cellphone nimo no? Hahaha!” mitubag pud si Julie ug mga kakilig kilig niya sa iyahang crush hangtud na naabot ang istorya na pud sa ka mutual understanding ba na? Hahah. Ni Fatima na iya lang gipasakayan kay naay motor. Laagan gyud ning mga bayhana. Ako nalang gipahimutang akong kaugalingon sa kilid sa lamisa atbang ni Anne, nag headphones ug nagremix-remix ug mga tukar kay naa pako’y gihulat na gi edit ni Andrea. Ako lang gipahinayan ang tukar.

 “Si Andrea, kumusta naman? Kamo gihapon?” - Anne

“Na, naunsa ba ni si Anne, wa diay kay balita na dugay nana siya napakyas sa iyang gugma atog tawhana!”- Charmie

“Alangan man pud na di naman mo managed nako, nagkabuwag lang gani ug seksyon!”- Anne

“Nana man gud nay bag-ong gugma si Andrea” – Jillian

“Hoy, saba diha!”- Andrea

“Ayeeeeih” – Fatima ug Julie

“Kinsa?” – Anne

“Sekreto, para bibo! Ayeeee!”- Julie

“Tug-ani ko ba, unfair! Di nata friends oy!”- Anne

“Hoy, ayaw ninyo tug-ani si Anne ba, traydor baya na! Hahahah! ” – Andrea

 Mura kog naintriga sa ilahang gipangyawyaw ba samtang naa sila’y gikabusyhan sa laptop, maong gipalong nako ang tukar sa laptop nako pero wala nako hubua ang headphones. Naminaw lang gyud ko nila. Nahilom sila kadiyot ta’s nagkalangas napud ta’s naay gi-hagawhaw si Jillian kang Anne. Human, kanta kanta sila ug dungan ta’s mikalit nasad ug hilom. Milakaw si Andrea padung sa lababo nilang Anne, hinay hinay na gikab-ot ang baso ug nag ipis ug tibig gikan sa pistil.

 “Ayaw lagi tug-ani si Anne ba! Hahaha!” – Andrea

“Naaaaa! Sige na gud ba.” Pamugos ni Anne kang Andrea pero mura ug nana’y idea si Anne kinsa iyahang crush kay murag ang hulagway niini, kasungogon.

“Hoy, Jillian, ayaw lagi naaaa! Magwalk-out gyud ko!” – Andrea

“Ayaw lagi na ninyo sungoga si Andrea ba, mabagrit gani na ron!”- Barbie

Nahibong gyud ko aning Andrea na ngano dili man siya mutug-an kang Anne s iyahang crush. Wa nalang pud ko nag apil-apil kay usapang babae. Pero naminaw ko, how evil. Hahaha!

 Paduko lang ko sa laptop. Milakit lang bitaw na ug sulti si Anne na, “Ding! Sulti nalang gud kay di bitaw kadungog si PATRICK!”  Misinggit bitaw si Faatima ug “PATAY!” sabay tak-om sa iyang baba. Kurata lagi nako na paghangad nako, naka eye to eye mi ni Anne na murag mangunot akong agtang sa iyang gisulti sabay nakabati ko ug bundak sa baso sa gamay na lamisa sa kusina ug miwalk-out padung sa kwarto si Andrea.

 Hala! Na crush siya nako?

   Nakatawa ko na naglantaw niining picture namo. Oo, ang naa sa picture kami tanan na magkagrupo sa research. Apan basin ug nakatawa ko, sakit gihapon para nako na makita ni kay kini nga mga panahona, nasayang nako ang dako kaayong regalo sa Ginoo nako. Akong gi usik usikan ang oputunidad na malipay. Usa kini ka dakong kamahayan.

 Valentine ’s Day celebration sa among school. Tulo na ka bulan sukad naka balo ko na crush ko ni Andrea or siguro na inlove na to sa akoa. Ka-feeler pud nako uy. Sa tinood lang, ilang na kaayo mi sa usa’g usa. Di na gani mi magtinagdanay kay ambot ba, nabatyagan lang gyud siguro nako na dili angay na musabay ko saa kung unsa iyang nabatyagan kay basin pa ug sincere ug tinood akong pag treat sa iya sauna para makalimot siya sa iyahang kasakit, dili gihapon mawa ang kamatuoran na gibuhat to nako sa iya isip kalooy ug inamigo ra gyud. Makabati ko sa mga sulti-sulti sa akong mga amigo na mao lagi, nasakitan na daw si Andrea sa akong treatment sa iya na nabag-o na pero wa man ko’y mahimo. Di ko ganahan mawala among friendship pero wa sad ko kasabot sa akong kaugalingon ug naunsa ko. Siguro, ma-irriate lang ko sa mga sungog pud.

 Naglingkod lang ko sa kilid-kilid kung diin nagkatapok ang mga tawo kay nagkita sa program. Nahibulong nalang ko, taod-taod, na naay nagkalangas sa kilid. Mga shagit sa kilig siguro?  Mitukar ang kanta na Kung Siya Man ni TJ Monterde, gi play sa DJ, minus one. Naay lalaki na mikanta didto sa kilid ug gitapok-an sa mga studyante.

 “Nakapili na ba ka kung kinsa sa among duha?

Ang pilion mong makauban ug ipaila-ilas’ginikanan

Gihatag ko na ang tana ug ihatag ko ang tanan apan

Kung siya man, ang mapilian, wa koy mahimo ana pero

Sakit lang gyud kaayo

Kung siya man, ang maswertehan, mupalayo nako ninyo

Ug ihilak nalang sat ago

Pero ug iya kang biyaan ug iyang binuangan pagmahitabo,

Wala na siya’y balikan” ~

   Nakita ko ang pinaka dakong pagkahitabo sa akong high school life na nagpamatngun sa kamatuoran na naa diay ko’y nabatyagan niining sulod sa akong kasing-kasing na wala ko magdahum na anaa ko niini.

 “Andrea, ako ba imong pilion?”

 Mura ko’g mitikig sa akong gibarugan, naghulat ug tubag ni Andrea sa pangutana ni Benjie. Kusog kaayo ang pitik sa akong dughan na dili na ko hapit kabati sa mga hungihong sa mga studyante. Wa nako kahinumdom pa kaayo sa nangahitabo ug sa mga kasikas sa kumpol sa mga tawo. Ang akong nakita kay si Andrea na midagan nga naghilak padung sa amoang building. Nahilom ang mga tawo ug gisunod sa akong mga ang mga lakang ni Andrea. Naunsa kaha to?

Usa ra gyud akong nakalanayan ato na paghitabo, nasakitan ko’s akong nakit-an.

Nagselos ko.

Naa diay ko’y pagbati kang Andrea.

  Nakadawat ko ug text message. “Amping dihaa, Love!” Napangisi ko sa akong nabasahan na mensahe.  

Usa na ka buwan ang nilabay sukad atong walk-out ni Andrea pag Valentines’. Queen of Walk-outs jud to siya. Kumusta mi? Wala nako kabalita bahin sa iyang emotional status basta makakita rako niya sa ilahang room, pa-music ug medyo mukatawa na siya napud ug kusog. Akong nabalitaan, okay raman daw sila ni Benjie. Sila na pud kuyog manuroy or mutan-aw ug mga kalingawan sa lungsod. Hapit na diay among graduation.

Naa nasad  ko’y uyab. Nagbalik mi adtong napasugot nako tungod kang Andrea. Sa tinood lang, masakitan ko ug makakita ko ilang Benjie mag kuyog kay that should be me. Kami unta kuyog kuyog kaso mahadlok gyud ko. Kaila ko sa kinatibuk-ang Andrea. Basin dili mi mag work-out kung magkakami, tas mahadlok ko na mawala gyud siya nako. Ug magbuwag mi, basin di na mabalik ang sauna. Atleast ron, naa pay chance na marevive namo among friendship ug maulian na siya sa iyang feelings para nako. Mas okay siguro kung naa ko’y uyab para gyud maka move-on siya nako. Basta, wa ko kasabot sa akong perspective ba. Nahadlok ko, naguilty na medyo nauwaw ko. Wa ko kasasbot. Unta di mi magkasakitan niya.

 Gabii na, dia ko sa balay sa akong uyuan sa Baras kay fiesta. Naa sad si Andrea sa balay sa amoang PE teacher kay namista. Naa ko’y nadawat na message. “Gawas usa.” Si Andrea diay. Dali dali dayon ko minaog sa among hagdanan na mura na nakog tarapon among hagdanan, kuwanag nalang mag padidit ko padung ubos arong madali ko’g abot sa mag pultahan. Same excitement ako nabatyagan sa kadtong manlaagay pami.

“Patrick. Magstorya ra gud ta.” Nawala akong excitement. Napulihan ug kakulba. Mura ug nagluha luha na iyahang mata. Mitalikod siya nako, tasa milakaw. Nagtsinelas ko human misnod niya. Didto mi sa may hawan, daplin sa dagat ta’s didto mi nanglingkod sa may hawan kung diin matabunan mi sa pambot.

 Nahilom mi ug kadiyot. Nag punit-punit usab siya sa mga bato ug gibato sa kadagatan. Ako sad, mihangad ug gibatyag ang kabugnaw sa hangin. Milingi ko niya sa dihang misugod na siya ug sulti.

"Naunsa diay ta? Sakit lang gyud kaayo ba. Wa nako kasabot ngano nagkandaleche leche naman noon ning atong mga dughan na hapit nata mu graduate." Mikatawa siya'g kalit. Miduko lang ko. "Wa gyud ko magdahom na maingon ini ta. Kuan ba, akong pasabot, Trick, wa man nako tuyua. Kabalo ko na kini akong nabatyagan alang kanimo kay usa kabetrayal sa atong friendship Apan wala man gud nako tuyua. Oo, muingon sila na nadala ko sa sungog pero ikaw man pud gud. Ngano sweet man kaayo ka nako be? Naglibog ko ug sabot. Kabalo man ko na ingon ini naka sukad pa sa una o basin nalahi ako mindset? Ambot ba. Ngano mas sakit man karon? Babaye pud baya ko."

Nagyawyaw siya na naghilak nga wala sad ko kasabot kung gakson ba nako siya, parehas sa una o mutikig lang ba gyud ko diria. Apan sakit. Sakit kaayo makakita niya na ingon-ani. Sakit kaayo sad sa akong part kay sa akong gibuhat na abi nako ug makaayo sa tanan, mas sakit man hinoon. Kakomplikado ba. Nakahuna huna ko, ug magkakami ni Andrea, kabalo ko na mabuhong gyud ko sa gugma. Bisan pa ug nasayran ko man na maypagbati ko sa iya, dili gihapon nako kaya na musulod sa iyang kinabuhi na lain na akong karakter. Sa tinood lang, basin lang pud ug confusion lang ni akoa. Basin ba ug nadala ra sad ko sa kabaghuan sa mga nahitabo. Basin...basin...

"Ngano man? Sultii ko. Di na gani ka si Patrick na akong bestfriend?"

Naglibog ko unsaon nako pagtubag. Nagkalamukat tanan tanan butang sa akong huna huna.

"Kay dili naman pud ka si Andrea na akong bestfriend"

Nahilom siya nagtutok nako. Grabe kadagko nga mga luha ang midagayday gikan sa iyang mga masulub-on nga mata.

"So baws baws diay ni? Kinahanglan ba diay na mausab ka nako?"

Kabalo ko na sakit akong natubag niya. Kinahanglan ko ning buhaton.

Sorry, Ding. Pero dili gyud ta pwede, ako lang ni ayuhon ang kita sa sunod. Still, as bestfriends.

"Kay imong pag tan-aw nako,nausab. Ding, wala tika ing-atoa pagtreat kay tungod naa koy pagbati nimo. Nalooy ra ko sa imoha, mao to."

"Kaila ko nimo, dili ka ingon-ana."

"Mausab man gud ang tawo, Ding."

Mihilak siya. Taod-taod, misulti siya. "Ayaw lang kalimot nako. Mao lang gyud na akong ihangyo kanimo. Basta, dawaton ko nalang ang tanan."

"Kaya rana nimo, tabangan taka."

 Siguro tinood gyud ilahang giigon anang gaba. Siguro wa lang gyud nako tarunga ug huna huna ang sauna. Nagsalig lang gyud ko ba. Feeling nako na ang kalibutan nagtuyok ra sa akoa.

After graduation, gibatyag kog kalaay sa akong kinabuhi. Nag college ko sa siyudad. Ang akong mga barkada, lahi napud ug skwelahan unya nagkabuwag-buwag na gyud mi. Iba gyud ang high school uy. Tanan tanan kanidot ug kahayahay naa adto pero inig college, tarungon gyud ka ug liso hangtud maporma ka. Basin paman sa tanan kalisod, ako gyud gituman ang hangyo ni Andrea nako na di siya kalimtan. Unsaon man pud nako pagkalimot sa iyaha na basin asa man ko dapita dalhon sa puti man o itom na hangin, makahinumdom gyud ko sa iyang kakiat. Makahinumdom ko sa iyang ka dako ug katawa. Makahinumdom ko sa iyahang ka sige ug reklamo sa kadaghan buhaton sa skwelahan na perminte nako makit-an usab sa mga studyante na college. Wala nami communcation. Ambot ba, na hangtod nag 4th year college nalang ko, wala gyud ko nagkachance na makastorya niya. Layo man pud siya. Dili sad mi magkatiming na makaabot sa among lungsod. Wa ko kasabot, murag siya lang gyud ang babaye sa akong hunahuna kada detalye sa akong upat ka tuig sa college. Mura ba'g naa ko'y gihulat. Mura ug gahulat ko niya. Apan, gitamaran sad ka dala sa dagan sa panahon na dili man sad noon ko magpangutana kung kumusta na siya. Dili lang pud siguro ko ganahan na maing-nan sa tawo na maayo lang ko mupasakit ta's mubalik diay.

Reunion daw namo. Nag uros-uros akong kalipay na magkakita mi ni Andrea. Unta matagaan ko ug tyansa na mainstakto nako tanan sayop nako na disisyon sa una.

Misulod ko sa hall. Astig kayo ang mga decoration ug ang set. Ang kolor sa palibot kay Pink. Makahinumdom noon ko sa dagkong mga ngisi mi Andrea katong gikabuangan ko nila pag birthday nako. Ang mga kabutangan na nagpalibot mga mahalon kaayo. Nagpamatuod lang gyud kini nga akong mga classmates pag high school nagmalampuson sa ilahang mga pangandoy sa kinabuhi. Ang uban, perti na gyung ka dato. Daghang mga tawo ang milamano nako, daghan tawo ang nalipay na makita ko ug makaistorya. Nakasugat nako akong mga barkda. Ang uban, bachelor pa gyud kayo. Ang uban, naa na pu’y gidala dala na uyab, ang uban kinasal na ug naa nay anak. Sa kadaghan sa tawo, usa ra gyud ang gipangita sa akong mata. Si Andrea ra gyud.

“Engineer!” Us aka tingog akong nabatian na gikan sa likod. Tingog sa babaye. Dali-dali dayon kong milingi.

“Tawon ning amoang tulo laway, pahid sip-on sa una, enhinyero na gyud!”

Si Jillian diay kauban si Dexter. “Hoy, buyag tawon. Ayaw sad ko pakauwawi bay oy!”

Nagkinatawa lang kami ug gidala mi ni Jillian sa us aka lamisa, reserved para sa amoang magbarkada. Bisan pa man sa nalingaw ko ug tabi nila, wa gihapon mawala sa akong hunahuna kay Andrea. Naa ko’y plano na mag apologize sa iyaha sa stage.

Sige ko’g pangita sa iyaha pero wala gyud ko kita niya. Maikog gyud pud ko ug pangutana sa uban.

Naglights off. Tapos naay giplay ang DJ na background music na instrumental. Mag sugod na siguro ang program.

Pagpasiga sa suga. Nakit-an ko na. Ang babaye na dugay ko na gipangita, nakaplagan ko na. Ang dugay ko  na nga gimingawan, duol nalang kayo sa akoa. Wa man gyud ko ka appreciate sa iyahang beauty sa una apan karon, pagkagwapa naman lang gyud niya. Medyo taas na siya ug klaro kayo nimo sa iyahang mga mata na malipayon siya. Nahadlok ako niining mga mataha. Kay mura ug pamati nako, dili na ako ang gihandom ni ini. O diay basin malipayon siya kay nagkatapok mi tanan. Wala man lang gyud siya kapangita nako no? O basin pareho ra pud mi ug gibati nga mauwaw sad.

Nagkasugat among mga mata. Nakurat kayo ko. Apan siya, mipahiyum lang gamay. Dili ba parehas sa una nga makakita gani siya nako, mulumpayat dayon na siyag duol kanako ug mu-agbay.

“Mao na siguro ni ang perpekto na higayun. Kauban sa pagsaulog niining atong panagtigum, akong isulti ang dugay na nako angayan isulti.”

Pagkabati nako sa iya giingon, mura kog mananaya sa lotto na naghuwat sa sunod numero na mugawas sa TV.

“Para nako, lisod kayo ug mahigugma ta ug tawo nga walay lain huna huna kung di, iyaha rang kaugalingon. Lisod mahigugma sa tawo na ang hunahunaon kay ug unsa ra ang ikasulti sa palibot. Ug mas lisod mahigugma sa tawo nga mag tud sa imoha na makabatyag nga ang mahigugma kay sala ug dili angay. Lisod mahigugma sa tawo nga fixed sa iyahang ideals, kadtong gwapa, mapuslan ug mas ubos pa ug stado kaniya. Ing-ana akong na agian ug siguro makaingon ko na ingon-ani ka komplikado ug ka tikasan ang kalibutan. Makatawa lang ko kay ako usa ka babaye na dili unta big deal ang mga butang kabahin sa gugma pero wa man ko’y mahimo kay tawo raman sad ko ug basin unsaon pa nato ug ingon na OA or be practical kunuhay, parti gyud ni sa atong kinabuhi. Karon, akong iinsakto ang tanang sayop nako na nabuhat sa kagahapon.”

Wa ko kasabot sa akong gibati. Murag nihuot akong dughan sa akong nabatian. Mura ba ug para to sa akoa? Ako ba to iyahang pasabot? Ako ba ang lisod o basin naa pa’y lain tawo? Apan ngano na sa ako man siya naglantaw?

Naay lalaki na nagbitbit ug guitar sa stage. Miduol siya sa may mic stand ug mikanta. Intermission siguro. Si Andrea naa lang nagbarog sa kilid sa stage. Siya ang MC, diay. Basta wa gyud ko kasabot sa iyahang gipang istorya ganina. Mikanta ug Kung Siya Man ni TJ Monterde. Ug nakahinumdom ko sa kagahapon. Ang mismong lalaki na mikanta sa una, mao pud sa pagkakaron. Torture tanan sa akoa.

“Nakapili na ba ka?

Kung kinsa sa among duha

Ang pilion mong ma kauban

Ipa-ilaila's ginikanan

 Gihatag ko na ang tanan

Ug ihatag ko pa ang tanan

Apan

 Kung siya man ang mapilian

Wa ko'y mahimo ana, pero

Sakit lang gyud kaayo

Kung siya man ang maswertehan

Mupalayo na 'ko ninyo

Ug ihilak nalang sa tago

Pero ug iya kang biyaan, ug iyang binuangan

Pagmahitabo

Wala na sya'y balikan

 Kung pananglitang sa iya

Gyud mas giganahan ka

Maghulat lang ko diring dapita

Basin diay ug mubalik ka

 Gihatag ko na ang tanan

Ihatag ko pa ang tanan

Apan

 Kung siya man ang mapilian

Wako'y mahimo ana, pero

Sakit lang gyud kaayo

Kung siya man ang maswertehan

Mupalayo na 'ko ninyo

Ug ihilak nalang sa tago

Pero ug iya kang biyaan, ug iyang binuangan

Pagmahitabo

 Ang reyna sakong damgo

Tuas laing palasyo

Ug iya kang biyaan

Lingi diri...

Kay akong kang pakaslan

 Kung ikaw man ang magustuhan

Wa koy mahimo ana, pero

Ampingi siya palihug ko

Sa imo man, sya maganahan

Mu palayo na ko ninyo

Ug hatagan tamog respeto

Hangyo lang ay syag pasakiti

Ug ayaw gyud syag byae

Kayg imo syang sayangan

Buhaton ko ang tanan

Wala na kay ay balikan...” ~

(Lyrics Written by Titus John Monterde)

 Wala nakay balikan. Wala nakay balikan…

Muhawa na unta si Benjie sa stage kaso gipugngan siya sa mga tawo sa kilid. Murag gisenyasan siya ug balik ngadto sa tunga.

Gikulbaan ko.

Naay mga babaye na nang gawas gikan sa backstage nagdala ug mga rosas unya naa pu’y mga lalaki nan aka Tuxedo tanan. Is this going to be a show?

Gikuha ni Andrea ang wireless na microphone. Milakaw siya paduol kang Benjie ug kadungan sa duyog gikan sa banda sa kilid sa stage, mikanta siya. Parehas na tuno sa Kung Siya Man.

“Kay ikaw man, ang napilian

Wa ko’y mahimo ani pero

Ikaw man jud ang ako.

Kay ikaw man, ang naswertehan

Mupalayo nako niya

Kay ikaw lagi ang ako.

Pero ug imo kung biyaan

Ug imong binuangan

Pagmahitabo, wala naka’y balikan.

 Ang hari sa akong damgo, nana sakong palasyo

Ug imo kung pangaon, dali diri

Kay ako kang pakaslan.

 Kay ikaw man, ang nagustuhan

Wa koy mahimo ani pero

Ampingi ko palihug

Kay sa imo man nakaganahan

Mukalimot  nako niya

Ug hatagan taka’g respeto

Hangyo lang a’y ko’g pasakiti

Ug ayaw pud ko’g biyai

Ug imong sayangan, buhaton ko ang tanan

Wala naka’y balikan.”`~

 Kadungan sa singgit ug mga hiyaw sa mga tao sa akong palibot, mao sad ang pagtagak sa akong mga luha dayong barog ug hawa sa ilang salida. Pagkasakit ba. Pagkahuot bas a akong dughan na dili na gyud mapugngan na mubakho ko. Misulod ko sa sakyanan na akong gidala ug didto gisumbag-sumbag nako ang manubela. Ginoo ko! Karon pako nakahunahuna na sukad nag disidyon ko na pasakitan si Andrea, kamasulob-on ba diay sa akong kinabuhi. Siguro insakto gyud siya. Ako ra gyung kaugalingon akong gihuna huna. Ug usa pa, wala ko mitug-an sa iya sa tinood nakong tumong sa akong mga disisyon. Wala ko naghuna huna ug mga resulta niini. Wala ko magkugi ug pangita ug tubag sa akong mga pangutana. Wala ko mag huna huna.

Nagmalampuson ko sa akong pag pangita ug posisyon aron makatagamtam ug kalipay nga akong maikabahin sa akong ginikanan ug mga tawo na misuporta nako apan diri ko nagkuwnag ug hatag ug importansya sa babaye na wa gyud ko biyai basin pag misalikway ko niya. Abi ko ug naa ra siya perminte. Abi ko ug ako ra tanan. Ambot ba, kinsa ang angay basulon. Babaye pud siya, lalaki gyud ko. Tao ming duha pero wa ko nagpakatawo. Tarong ba to akong gipanghuna huna? Mabasol ba ko na pagkabata pa pud sa akong huna huna ato. Unsa man ni tanan ron, gitudloan gyud kog leksyon.

 Sauna, si Benjie pa to sige ug kanta sa Kung Siya Man. Karon mura ug mao na siguro na ang theme song sa akong kinabuhi, aw unsa ba?

 Namahid pahid ko sa akong luha na naghinumdom sa kagahapon. Ingon ani gyud ko sukad nahitabo to ug muuli ko diri sa among lungsod. Oo, naa napu’y reunion karon, ambot lang ug mag unsa ko.

Ako na gihipos pag balik akong mga libro. Akong gitagoan ang mga pictures namo na nangatagak. Nakabati ko kang Nanay sa ubos.

“Oy, Attorney! Dia gani ka?”

Hala, kinsa kaha ron? Basin ug gikihaan na ko ani sa sige nako ug maoy maoy diri! Unsa’y sense? Hahaha!

Wala nalang nako panumbalinga ang kasikas sa ubos. Di pud siguro kihaan akong nanay uy.

 Pipila ka minute ang milabay, nakabati ko na naay murag tagaktak sa heel na nagtikaduol, nagtika kusog. Nakurat k okay miabli ug kalit ang purtahan sa akong kwarto ug naay misulti.

 “Naa raman diay ka diha bes oy!”

“Hala, naa gani ka diri? Basig masuko to’s Benjie na naa ka diria!”

“HAHAH! Wa namam mi gud. Tara laag ta?”

The lecture entitled Globalization and Digital Communication Technology gave me some points to ponder about globalization and how it develops through digital communication technology. It emphasizes that this means of communication can reduce the time we allot to a sending information and we call that point as Time and Space Compression. This concept compares how long can our messages reach to our receivers from the traditional times up to the present. Another point is that we can bond to other people without the use of so much time and even space. This concept is the time-space distanciation. Globalization was developed and has widen its horizon. The scope our messages can reach is worldwide without too much time and effort to consume.

 Personally, I am so much grateful to technology regardless of the negative impact it gave to us. I believe that technology is a blessing to us humans. If we look at the positive impact it gave and making use of it properly, it will function the best it can give. Globalization is one of its best results. However, in the lecture, arguments are made because of the issue about cultural imperialism initially brought by digital communication and then by globalization. It was explained that as goods and services sail from other county to ours smoothly, their beliefs, values and attitude are delivered as well. It will somehow stain our real identity because eventually, we will adopt these values and attitude as it take part in our lives daily.

 In my opinion, our culture is a sentiment to us and this is our status quo but as everyone and everything in the world changes, we should not try hard in setting walls between ourselves and the other breed. It is not killing our identity but adding some color to it. It is not only our culture that is influenced but other but theirs also. I mean that this is the essence of the unity of everyone regardless of the difference of race, state and generation we came from. It is true that it is just a matter of perspective.  

 With regards to time- space distanciation, people have many opinions about it.  I have read a text image in Facebook that says, the more we are connected to the people that is far away from us, the more we are disconnected to the people that is physically beside us. I have also read a poem about this matter in the UPCAT reading comprehension test. For me, everything about this connectivity is a personal choice and is subjective to each one of us. There are individuals who prefer relationships virtually like there is less need for them to face a person for a quality time together and there are also individuals who prefer personal face to face closeness. However, we must balance everything because there are people who need our physical presence and if they are far, they also need our virtual presence. Communication, whatever the channels is important.