Maria
21 Aug 2010

Re: Pangasinan language gasping for last breath

The preservation of the Pangasinan dialect is absolutely important, or any dialect for that matter.

It is the soul, to borrow Gov. Espino’s line, of the Pangasinan region, while the Capitol being its face and heart. It is sad to note that in my opinion, it is highly likely that it is man-made, and not due to any known natural causes of its possible demise.

For instance, the yearly December event in Dagupan called “Pawil Dagupan” that welcomes the city’s balikbayans from all over the world is hosted in the English language. While I acknowledge the presence of foreigners being spouses and children of our expatriates and therefore we might feel obliged to cater to them in the spirit of hospitality by speaking in the language they can understand, we are forgetting that by doing so we are removing the very essence of the event itself, not to mention the slight reminder that the name of the event carries – ‘pawil’ – which means ‘to come back’ yet boldly written in the dialect.

I particularly appreciated a gift given to guests in 2008- a dictionary of all known Pangasinan words and their meanings.

I am proud to be a Pangasinense. I’m proud of the Pangasinan language/dialect. Some quarters might comment why I wrote this in English and not in Pangasinan. I did it for expediency but I will gladly rewrite it if you may.

Thanks and regards,
 Kumusta kayo lan amin ed Dagupan tan Pangasian. Masantos ya agew.

Maria Cabinta Cardelli

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