Patois: Speaking it the Right Way

We would often outset a conversation with a stranger with a simple “Hi” or “Hello” and conclude them with a good riddance of “Goodbye’s.” “Goodbye” is a good riddance when we are talking to the people whom we really don’t know and for those who have different patois other than the patois we have in our countries. Difference in language is a big factor in a conversation which may sometimes lead to a speechless conversation or for being parsimonious of words we would like to utter. Patois is a possible barrier in building a good relationship towards other people of other nationality.

Language. It is a thing that can bind people altogether for when there is only one language spoken, the people will understand each and every one of them. Of course, who would understand a German speaking person in an English community if not even one of those English men studied German? No one. English is the world’s second most spoken language in the world. The patois of the Philippines, my country, on the other hand is Filipino. It is good to know that the people of my country can speak either English or Filipino without even having proper education on such languages. This I may say based on my experience. But wouldn’t it be better if we would master speaking both languages? Learning, either bad or good is still beneficial.

Two or so decades back, Filipinos were the most fluent English speaking people even though it is not our language at all. But because of the different slang's which rose from different classes of uneducated people that rose here and there, the record fell out of the hands of the Filipinos. Apparently, it is likely to go back to where it came from, coming back to our cradle again. My school, the Ilocos Sur National High School, found a way and it is none other than a “Speak to me in English or in Filipino with Kindness” campaign. This campaign aims to train the students in speaking English and or Filipino with kindness, to make us, students, fluent speakers and also to have our country globally competitive again. We all know that it takes a lot of courage for an ordinary child or even a teenage girl to go up on stage in front of the crowd and perform her oratorical piece and thus, this campaign can help us a lot. English language is known in every part of the world and Filipinos are known all over the world. It would be nice to hear a Filipino speaking in English fluently and kindly and upon hearing that person, we would be proud that he is a Filipino. Such language is so easy to learn and yes it is only in our heads that after sometime, we may run out of words to utter when speaking to a foreigner or a speaker of such language. Learning is quite fun and so is speaking. No doubt about it. We can never hide the fact that the people who have their jobs overseas are mostly speakers of the English language. This is just a proof that language doesn’t only have one or two help to all of us, but a great many. There are ways wherein we can learn either of the two languages. One is by going to school who offers both languages. Another is just by reading any book with either language. Another one is by just by talking to our friends using language or talking to people on the internet who speaks English and Filipino language. Who knows, someday, somehow, we will never know, we might not only be fluent speakers but also a great teacher of this language and we might get a credit out of it. One thing we have to put in mind is to keep ourselves composed and not be rude when speaking, for when we speak kindly, we earn the respect that is right for us.

On the other hand, let us not forget our own language. As what Dr. Jose Rizal said, “one who doesn’t love his own language is worst than an odorous fish.” These words that he has uttered are true. We wouldn’t want our fellow countrymen just speaking other countries’ language. It is just shameful to hear and see one if so. Filipino is the patois of the Philippines. We might not know it but different people who visit our country want to learn our language also. It is because these people find comfort and they feel welcome in our country so they would want to keep us close. We may sometimes be wrong in our grammatization but we can improve it in time. Practice draws us closer to perfection. Language is most likely pertaining to just talking and talking and just doing the talk and accompanying it with shouting is boastful.

Being one who can speak a great number of languages and boasting about it is such a wrong doing. Humbly sharing your learning on speaking different patois with kindness is kindness to itself. Remember, language is speaking and speaking without acting is nonetheless, nothing. So when in a conversation, speak it the right way, speak it in a kind way.