| Subject: Are we losing the Ilocano language? |
Author: [Edit]
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Date Posted: Fri, Apr 17 2009

A conversation at a fast-food restaurant in the Ilocos
I have noticed that majority of the attendants at places like fast food restaurants and malls in the Ilocos use Tagalog to communicate with their customers. When I was living in the Ilocos, it was not common to hear people talking in Tagalog especially in the smaller towns. I guess it is because there were no fast-food restaurants and malls yet at that time. Because of what is happening in these places today and the influence of peers and the media especially television, the use of Tagalog is now becoming more and more common in places like hospitals(especially in the more expensive ones), offices, school grounds, and many other places. Ilocano is still the primary language in the Ilocos region at the present time but as an Ilocano person, I am concerned that sometime in the future Tagalog could replace Ilocano which might make Ilocano obsolete if we continue to allow it to be neglected. I do hope that Ilocano will never become obsolete in the Ilocos for the Ilocano language is what makes our Ilocano culture. I believe if we lose our Ilocano language we will also lose our Ilocano culture.
Concerning the use of Tagalog by the attendants at the fast food restaurants and malls in the Ilocos, I am not sure why that is happening in those places. In my opinion, I think it is a little out of place. First of all, why would they be speaking in Tagalog if they know that most everyone they are serving speak Ilocano. I could relate if these attendants are the non- Ilocano speakers from the other regions such as the contract workers being sent by the work agencies but most of the time these attendants are Ilocano speakers. Secondly, it is making it more difficult for the customers of these businesses to communicate especially the senior citizens and other folks who have difficulties speaking in Tagalog. At first I thought it was a marketing strategy for these fast-food restaurants and malls so they can attract more customers but I’ve learned that does not seem to be the case according to what I’d found out when I visited a mall in one of my vacations in the Philippines. During that mall visit, I was told to speak Tagalog by one of the sales ladies after talking to her in Ilocano. Curious and a bit annoyed, I asked the sales lady if it was her employer’s policy to have them (her and her co-workers) speaking in Tagalog and she said no. My insistence of not speaking Tagalog was not because that I don’t speak Tagalog for I do speak Tagalog fluently. I just didn’t feel comfortable speaking Tagalog while being in the Ilocano territory.
I don’t have anything against the Tagalog dialect nor I want to have it totally prohibited in the Ilocos area. As we know Tagalog is our national language and it will always be the communication medium we would use when we go to the different regions in the country. I guess I am just for the total preservation of the lIlocano dialect. I don’t have anything against the Tagalog people either. In fact, I appreciate the Tagalog folks for when they come to the Ilocos, they(at least the ones I came in contact with) try to make efforts to speak the Ilocano dialect. They are also very proud of their Tagalog heritage and dialect. In contrast, a lot of Ilocanos seem to be ashame of their own native tongue as I had observed at the fast-food restaurants, malls and other places in the Ilocos. I don’t fully understand why these folks in those places feel that they need to speak Tagalog but my guess is, Ilocanos like to follow trends and those folks perhaps want to be trendy or what they call over there “sosyal”. Fast-food restaurants and malls are considered trendy or fashionable in the Philippines and Ilocano is stereotyped as being associated with being poor therefore in those places, they would not use Ilocano but instead they would use Tagalog since it is usually more associated with being hip, cool, or rich probably because of the influence of the media such as television and others as I have mentioned.
No one can dictate us on what kind of language/dialect to use in the Ilocos or any place for the Philippines is a free country but as true Ilocanos we should also give importance to the preservation and protection of our Ilocano language because it is part of our Ilocano heritage. I think it is beautiful language. We should be proud of it.
Dagitay trabahador ken managers iti fastfood restaurants, malls ken dadduma nga businesses dita Ilocos, no mabalbalin apo ibagay tayo koma met iti panagsao iti Tagalog ta kaasi met dagitay kakabsat tayo nga saan nga nalaing nga agsao iti Tagalog.
Saan tay koma nga ibain iti panagsao iti Ilocano. Taraknen ken ikkan tay koma iti importansiya daytoy pagsasao tayo nga Ilocano tapno manayon ken saan nga madadael daytoy kultura tayo nga Ilocano.
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- I'm proud to be an Ilocano and I will speak my tougue as I please. When in Ilocos I will speak Ilocano, when I'm in Manila, I will speak in Tagalog. We shouldn't be obligated to speak tagalog when we are in the Ilocos region and I for one will freely speak my dialect when I'm in Ilocos. I'm an FBI till I die (NT) -- Taga Pula, Sat, Apr 18 2009
- Larry no maminsan nasayat met if they learn and speak Tagalog even if they are in the Ilocos region. You know why in the USN it is a fact and a joke all the time even now a days, an Ilocano immigrated in Hawaii joined the military. They asked him if he is a Filipino? His answer is I am an Ilocano. Any Filipino U.S. Navy knows this story very well. If I become Governor in Ilocos Sur which will never happen because there is no dual citizenship I will encourage people to speak both Ilocano and the National Language. Here in the USA if you met a pinoy you always communicate with him in Tagalog. (NT) -- Paul L. Villanueva, Sat, Apr 18 2009
- Kasta met dagitay dadduma nga balikbayan. Agabroad da iti sumagmamano nga tawen ket no agawid da, dida metten ammo iti agsao iti Ilocano wenno laok laokan da iti Inglis diay Ilocano da. Adday pay pa oh my God na....he-he-he. Agriing ka kunak la koma ngem saan to met nga mabalin ta pagsawsaw-an dak to pay. (NT) -- FBI, Sat, Apr 18 2009
- Narabawen dagitay sarita nga ilocano itikadaguitoy nga paniempo,Idi da tao iti ubbing,agkakauneg iti madeng-dengeg mo nga sarsarita,nagpukawen ngamin daguidi appong tayo nga baak.. (NT) -- PP2 SISON, Sun, Apr 19 2009
- Ilocano dialect - tagalog -- "hawaiian immigrant", Tue, Apr 21 2009
- Isunga dakayo nga agpo-post iti agkakauneg nga inglis,panga-asi yo man met apo ta tiraen yo met basit it ilocano tapno maawatan mi met nga ilocano puro,ala ngarud kuykuyem ta doyog mon ta bungaren tayon,isaganam ta rak-rakipan ta agpapa-itan tayon. (NT) -- PP2 NOSIS, Tue, Apr 21 2009
- PROUD TO BE ILOCANO . . . NAPINTAS , NAANOS , NAGAGIT , NASINGPET , NALAING NGEM SAAN NGA KURIPOT KEN SAAN NGA NANGISIT ITI SIKO NA , GUGOT NA NANGNANGRUNA ITI SILLANG NA ! (NT) -- NAGWAPO ( KUNAN TATANG KO ) TI PULI ME, Tue, Apr 21 2009
- ania kayon aya, no napan kayo idiay Pangasinan ta "antoy saliwen yo " kona diay tindera ania ngata ti isungbat yo. Mapilitan kayo nga agTagalog ta ammoyo nga agkinnaawatan kayo. Siak nga maysa, uray no ania Ilokano, Tagalog English Spanish no agkinnaawatan kayo agkubri latta. Diyo la tultuladen ni Manny P kunana" He is speed but I'm speeder" saan yo nga sintiren ti pinagEnglish wenno panagTagalog, no isu ti like ti tao, you teach? (NT) -- Apo Mitir, Tue, Apr 21 2009
- Ti ilocano nga lalaki nataer ti panagtaktakder na,maton iti pannagna na,bigay todo iti inom na,no bumanat nga mangan saan nga mabain nga agkammet ken iti pannakigayyem sigurado uray ania man nga sukisok iti lubong talkem...agbiag dagiti ilocanos.. (NT) -- Taga amianan ti kapilya, Wed, Apr 22 2009
- Pangalatok Woman asking an Ilocana what she is selling: Pangalatok: Antoya? Ilocana: Wen a Toyang ti naganko. Pangalatok: Pigara? Wen a pigar na dayta. Nakikitakakan aya ti paltat nga awan ti pigarna? Pangalatok losing her patience to the hard communication: Huh, anak na lasi. Ilocano: Saan nga nalangsi daytoy lacok ta sucsucatac diay danum nga ayanna nga kanayon kasanguan nga immay inlaco. Pangalatok now really frustrated with the communictation: Bao! Ilocana: Ay awan ti bao diay balaymi ta adda pusami. Result of the miscommunication due to lack of knowledge ot each others dialect: No sale and no catfish on the table. (NT) -- Joke copier, Wed, Apr 22 2009
- Tagalog lady wants to buy frogs from Ilocana tindera: Tagalog: Magkano ho ang palaka? Ilocana: Sinkwenta't maysa nga ubon. Tagalog: Ang mahal mahal eh ang papayat naman. Ilocana: Padasem nga ipayat-payat ta kitaem. (NT) -- bong, Tue, Apr 28 2009
- hahahahahahahahahahaa urayak la nga naltutan, Ilokano, umaykan ta pukisankan, Tagalog, bastos nito, Ilokano, nagbayagkan, Tagalog , ay naku, sa kabila na nga akong magpagupit, Ilocano, kabilinnak ta kitaem,hahahaha (NT) -- Sarah, Wed, Apr 29 2009
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