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Ethnolinguistic Vitality And Rootedness In Language And Identity Among Philippine Indigenous Communities
[Full Text]
AUTHOR(S)
Rene Bonifacio, James Vincent Minguez, Desryll John Mongado, Dinver Monte De Ramos, Ma. Abbygale Ojales, Tamarra Jamme Ong
KEYWORDS
ethnolinguistic vitality, identity, indigeneity, indigenous communities, indigenous languages, language, language preservation
ABSTRACT
Ethnolinguistic vitality is the ability of a group to further preserve and maintain its existence in time without the threat of cultural assimilation. This article reviews the literature evaluating the ethnolinguistic vitality of indigenous communities in the Philippines in terms of rooting their language and identity. We focused on six (6) indigenous communities: the T'boli, the Mandaya, the Higaunon, the Talaandig, the Manobo, and the Subanon, as they were the ones that had been surveyed for ethnolinguistic vitality studies. We extracted the details of each community and categorized them into five (5) discussions: history, ethnolinguistic vitality, language, and identity, variables, standard model, and indigeneity. Only the Mandaya showed significant ethnolinguistic vitality, an observation supported by them also being the only group reported to have met the standard model. The T'boli managed to preserve their customs until discrimination against indigeneity and poor access to education and healthcare threatened assimilation. We found that dying ancestral oral traditions and an absence of written documents had been responsible for the Higaonon’s fading linguistic distinctiveness and the Talaandig’s language being neglected, respectively. We also found that the loss of speakers and outright rejection of the language and/or identity had, for the Manobo, come from a lack of institutional aid, failure of elders to teach the language, and, especially for the Subanon, prejudice. In conclusion, low vitality groups face cultural assimilation; indigenous peoples in the Philippines, in general, lack in the variables to maintain their ethnolinguistic vitality, and discrimination discourages indigenous people to identify as indigenous.
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