Pangasinan establishes language orthography
LINGAYEN–Another first was recorded in Pangasinan when it became the only province in the country to come up with an orthography for the Pangasinan launguage.
The proposed Pangasinan orthography was presented last Wednesday to provincial officials together with Jose Laderas Santos, chief commissioner of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF).
Orthography is the study and art of spelling and how letters combine to represent sounds and form words based on a standard set for the language.
While here, Laderas commended the province for its efforts in promoting and preserving its culture and language, which is one of 170 languages and dialects in the country.
“Nararapat lang na magkaisa ang mga dalubhasa sa wikang Pangasinan sa pagbuo ng isang ortograpiya upang mapagtibay ang seguridad ng panitikang lokal,” he said.
The process for establishing the orthography standards based on rules and procedures set by the KWF, according to Santos, involves thorough studies and researches which include public consultation and deliberation before its finalization and approval.
Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan said the project is part of Governor Amado Espino Jr.’s thrust to revive and preserve Pangasinan culture and language.
“To encourage widespread practice of Pangasinan culture and use of Pangasinan dialect remains on top of the priorities of the present administration,” Baraan said.
Under the Espino administration, the founding date of the province was established to be April 5, 1580.
The official Pangasinan orthography will be formally launched on April 11 during this year’s Pangasinan Day celebration.
“It is important that we know where we came from and it is vital for us to have our own cultural identity because as what the Governor always says, people without culture, have no soul,” Baraan said.
Maria Luisa Elduayan, Tourism Operations Division Chief, said the orthography addresses one of the 12 point-agenda of President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III to have a regional language that will be used for teaching as part of the new K to 12 educational curriculum.
“It is a noteworthy project because it allows us to set certain standard when it comes to our alphabet, syllabication, spelling and even terms of punctuation marks,” Elduayan said.
The project was started last year by the KWF with the support of validators from the academe, researchers which include those from non-government organizations, and the group Ulopan na Pansiansiay Salitan Pangasinan.
Elduayan said the Pangasinan language is interesting to study and worthy to teach to the younger generation because of its depth.
“Even the governor is all praise with the project because he finds it essential and basic for every Pangasinense, old or young, to know more of their identity,” she noted, adding that the proliferation of local publications using Pangasinan as the medium of communication is underway.
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