EVERY August, this country I'm in commemorates the father of our national language (Manuel L. Quezon) by having what is called, "Buwan ng Wika" (Language Month). Yeah, I'm in the Philippines and the national language is Filipino (an amalgamation of several leading dialects, actually, but prominently Tagalog-based). Of course we speak English, considered our second language, because of several reasons (the top ones would be since the economy's also depending on foreign trade and since it provides jobs to call boys and girls. puns intended. Hehe) =P
During the "Buwan ng Wika", everyone is enjoined to speak the national language as a sign of respect for that which is considered the nation's soul. However, as oil can't be mixed with water, there are several aspects of our day to day existence that just can't go with that flow of patriotism (this blog included, because I think there are those of other nationalities who happen upon it one time or another).
And then came one moment when my idle mind came up with another crazy idea: why not, under the guise of national pride, dedicate a whole day when everyone in the country should use Filipino exclusively? It's plainly absurd, yes, but I have listed down a few things here that could offer some 'compromise.' ^^,
- Telecoms
- Banking and Finance
Really, among the industries that will certainly be greatly affected would be the very same I'm in. This is where my absurd ideas of Tagalizing began, actually, since everyone in the country knows the spiels, whether through voice announcements or through text messages, are in English.
Just picture this, a subscriber dials a number that is out of coverage area. He/she will hear this message instead, "Ang numerong pinindot ay di maabot. Iba na lang ang pindutin." (I won't try to translate this in English, haha! For those who don't understand the message, please come back some other day for the usual stuff.)
And yes, I have a sample message for a text spiel. Remember those call buckets readily available for say, twenty pesos for 5 one-minute calls (or something)? After the sixth attempt, the subscriber's call will not be connected, and he/she will get this text message instead, "Ang iyong kaligayahan ay pinutol na dahil hanggang doon lang ang iyong binayad." =D
Here's another industry heavily dependent on the English language. Business terms are almost always in English, but I think we can have these appear on bank records on that "special" day: "Dagdag", "Bawas", "Pagpaparami", etc. in lieu of "Credits", "Debits", and "Interest" XD
Note: I'll just update this post some other time. I'm quite sleepy now. :)
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