Philippine English

PhlE is used extensively in different domains by educated Filipinos throughout the Philippines. As early as 1969, studies were conducted describing Philippine English as a variety of General American English and recommending that it be taught instead of gAmE in Philippine schools. T. Llamzon (1997: 43), a pioneer in establishing the existence of Standard Filipino English and describing it, pointed out in one of his more recent studies that Filipinos are willing to copy American English, but only up to a point especially where spoken English is concerned:

… an approximation of the English formal style is what they want. They retain something of their identity – in their lack of the nasal twang, in the careful articulation of individual syllables, and in their refusal to use the “reduced signals” of the informal conversational style of American English. … when educated Filipinos speak to their fellow Filipinos, they speak English the Filipino way.

The status of Standard Philippine English was also taken up by McKaughan (1993: 52), who pointed out that “Philippine English has emerged as an autonomous variety of English with its own self-contained system. It has its own distinct accent. The differences in form in Philippine English are not deficiencies but distinct forms belonging to the Philippine English speech fellowship … As to accent, any of the varieties, so long as they are from educated Filipino speakers can model good Philippine English.”

Socio-political developments resulting from changes in language attitudes characterized by objections to a monolithic or single standard of language performance in English, along with the current emphasis on varieties of English, have brought to the fore renewed interest in Philippine English which has been evolving through the years.

I describe the phonological features of Philippine English citing whenever possible, reasons to explain differences between PhlE and its `matrilect’ gAmE.