Friday, March 06, 2009
What's up in Saudi this Friday?
(Here I am again wallowing in sheer boredom on a Friday. Since I woke up this morning, and after taking a very light breakfast of coffee and egg sandwich, I've been Buddha-sitting in front of my computer trying to find that inspiration for today's post).
So they are now trying to incorporate a second language subject (either English or French) in elementary schools in Saudi.
Supporters of the move said it's better to teach children English at a young age because 'they have a unique ability to build first-rate verbal processing skills'. Oppositions retort that this may impact a child's ability to learn their mother tongue.
You know what (Randy Jackson's favorite line in American Idol), I totally agree with both positions.
I remember in the Philippines when I was in grade school, we were not allowed to speak in Tagalog during our English subject, otherwise we would pay a five centavo fine for every Tagalog word we utter. Most of us would do sign language instead or just be silent for an hour unless spoken to by the teacher.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't we taught our first alphabets as EY-BEE-SEE-DEE-EEE-EF-GEE, not ABAKADAE?
Did this better our English proficiency? Maybe not. Maybe yes. But it surely didn't better our correct usage of Tagalog. We have so much taken Tagalog for granted that most us cringe when we read or hear someone speaking in proper Tagalog.
Napagtanto kong mali ang aking ginawa.
Instead, we would say:
Na-realize ko mali pala ko.
There's also an added concern that learning a foreign language (English, for example) at a young age would make children less committed of their identity and culture.
In the Philippines, correct me if I'm wrong, we regard lowly our kababayans who speak broken English (and why we call it English carabao bothers me so much). In Philippine media, there's this portrayal of English as being for rich people and tagalog for the poor. Tagalog news reporting (exclusive for tabloid newspapers) are baduy and English (for broadsheets) are elite.
Hence, maybe the move to exclude English in elementary schools in Saudi has a point.
What say you?
Second pitstop: Saudi Gazette makes me ask whether Saudi is now unsafe
Saudi Gazette reports about the rising robbery cases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Arabia is divided in three regions: Eastern, Central and Western. Alkhobar and Dammam are in the East, Riyadh is in Central Region and Jeddah is in the West. I wonder where the Southern region is?).
And so times are now a-changing?
I used to feel Alkhobar (where I'm based) is more secured than Manila. Here, you don't encounter 'news' of theft, burglaries, snatchings or similar cases as much as being reported by TV Patrol, say for example, in Quiapo. Apparently, not anymore.
This news of rising crimes in the Eastern Province bothered me, particularly because we are helpless in such a situation. I've heard of reports from kabayans who were burglarized but remained silent because of fear.
You see, we expatriates in Saudi (especially Filipinos) dread any encounter with police authorities primarily because of language barrier. Most of them do not speak in English; most of us are poor in Arabic.
In general, we only get to meet Saudi police in a traffic violation or vehicular accidents.
That is why if the speed limit is 60kph in a traffic-less highway, we go 60kph regardless. Okay, maybe some us go beyond the limit but as much as possible, we, like meek lambs, always strictly follow regulations here in Saudi.
If caught speeding in the highways of Saudi, a driver languishes in jail for one day and a Saudi jail is not a pleasant place to be in. If in a vehicular accident, no matter how small the damage is, you have to wait for the police authorities so he could inspect your car and make his own report. We cannot get repairs for our cars outright because no car workshop will take your vehicle for repair without any police report.
What's my take on the issue? There's this forum on how safe Saudi is and you may be surprised how some expatriates regard Saudi as a safe place to be; restricted, but safe. I guess we'll just have to be extra careful and super vigilant. Accidents happen but they can always be prevented.
For me, learning both languages (Filipino and English) is equally important.
Kapag sa Pilipinas ang trabahong makukuha ng isang Pilipino lalung-lalo na kapag sa media, at iba pang sining, kailangan niya ang husay sa wikang Filipino. Nakikita naman natin ngayon, napakaraming mga tanyag na mga mamamahayag at mga kilalang palabas at mga lathalaing gumagamit ng ating sariling wika, na nabibigyan naman ng katumbas na mga karangalan maging sa pandaigdigang mga pagkilala.
In the international setting, English language is necessary. We are now in the period when global competitiveness is both a trend and a challenge; global trade and modernization undeniably uses English as medium of communication. My personal observation would prove that those who are good (not even excellent) in English language are the ones who are given the promising positions in the multi-national or foreign-operated businesses because they have the much-needed skill in the micro- and macro-operation of a particular industry.
Kaya dapat habang hinuhubog pa natin ang mga kabataan, kung saan hindi pa natin alam kung saang bahagi sila ng mundo mapadpad kapag sila'y nasa wastong gulang na para magtrabaho, kinakailangan ang tamang pagtuturo at angkop na mga pagsasanay sa parehong sariling wika (ng isang bansa, Arabic halimbawa dyan sa KSA) o sa Ingles. Kailangang maging handa sila sa ano mang hamong darating sa makabagong panahon.
Huhmn... Sa blogging po, ano po ba Kuya Nebz ang mas may dating, ang blog na gumagamit ng wikang Filipino o English? o",)
Sa akin, I completely disagree sa mga pag babago ng mga salitang English to make it sounds or appear to be Tagalog like "Nars", "Servis",etc... Kung ganyan bakit di na lang pati "Teybol" at "Geyt" di ba?
Against ako dyan. It makes us "BoBo' sa Spelling, masyadong confusing sa mga bata at even sa mga adult. Hindi maganda yan sa mga Filipino (people).
May mga words kasi sa Tagalog na di na ginagamit so pinapalitan ng English at Spanish words, OK lang siguro yun dahil sa pagbabago ng panahon pero hiniram na nga lang iniba pa ang spelling. Pati Alphabet nating magulo.
hi nebs nice one.oh friday madness syndrome ha!!! learning english is so important as what dan brown mentioned in his novel that english is the Lengua pura and the language of man to be used for a better and peaceful world and for our mother tongue our very own language the Filipino is a must for pinoy to understand and to be used in communicating amidst our lots of dialect but here in saudi i developed the english-barok style in communication specially in dealing with saudis lol
saudi arabia geography east-khobar,west-jeddah,central-riyadh,north-tabouk,south-abha lol
Buti ka pa bakante pag Friday. Ako walang off. Hmmm..masarap pa din magtagalog pero malimit di maiwasang mahaluan ng salitang Ingles. Nakasanayan na kasi. Pero mas gusto kong magbasa ng love letters na Tagalog mas romantic heheh.
Yes, kahit ako aminado sa panlilibak ng mga Pilipinong hindi ganon ka-fluent mag-English. :(
At kamusta naman ang Taglish ko? Sa totoo lang ngayon mas pinipilit ko ng magsalit ng purong Filipino kasi ang pangit naman kung sinisita ko yung iba sa pagta-taglish nila pero ako ginagawa ko rin.
Salamat po sa inyo pagdalaw!
RJ: Naniniwala ako sa mga points mo. Pero hindi kaya ang naging dahilan ng ating pagkawalang-kaalaman sa ating kasarinlan ay dahil sa pagiging maka-Kanluranin natin na (sa tingin ko) ay nagsimula nang itaas natin ang ating pananaw sa mga taong 'magaling mag-Ingles'. Heavy!
Kung alin ba ang mas mainam sa blogging? Kung alin ang mas mainam sa iyo, dahil doon ka mas makakapag-express ng sarili mo. And the more you are able to connect to people, the better a blogger you are. Parang ikaw.
JV: True. Minsan ko nang narinig ang term na Filipinismo pero hindi ko na nalaman ang development nya. Personally, mas hanga ako sa mga taong hindi naghahalo-halo ang Ingles at Tagalog lalo na sa pagsasalita. Last week, may nagtanong sa akin kung ano raw ang tagalog ng bubble gum, ang sagot ko: babul gam. Hindi ko kasi alam e.
Mightydacz: Salamat sa info. So Southern pala ang Abha...
Oo nga. Dito sa Saudi, nabarok din ako. Pero hindi dapat d ba? Kaya lang hindi ko mapigilan kaya madalas maririnig mo ako ng ganito: Where you put the paper? Under table or over? Weird no?
Joyce: Magastos pag tagalog binabasa ko e. Ilang araw lang tapos na kaagad. E pag English, siguro mga four weekends. I'm still waiting for the choco cake. Mukha syang masarap. Hehe.
Sir Badong: Parang ako. Nakasanayan ko na kasi. Kahit nga sa comments, para din akong nagte-text. Hindi dapat db? (o ayan na naman!). Sige, mula ngayong oras na ito, hindi ako magbibigay ng kuro-kuro sa taglish. Ita-try ko...(aaahhh!).
The second item on the rising crime rate in the Eastern Province caught my eye for obvious reasons... and also because we were just talking to a friend from Khobar recently whose stories seem to jive with the article...
Oh well, as you said, better safe than sorry. And yes, the article notwithstanding - I still agree: I find this place "restricted, BUT SAFE". And for a parent, anywhere safe is where I would want my children to be. :)