Oxford Dictionary editor stresses Philippine English is legitimate

As far as the world English editor for the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is concerned, Philippine English is a legitimate variety of the English language.

During a webinar organized by the Philippine Embassy in Spain over the weekend, Dr. Danica Salazar emphasized that Philippine English plays an important role in the development of the English Language.

“What OED does is it tells the history of the English language through the development of its words, and that story is not complete if we don’t tell the part that Philippine English plays,” Salazar explained.

“Philippine English, just like American English or British English, or Indian English or Singapore English, are all part of the same story,” she added.

Salazar, who proudly hails from the Philippines, stressed that Philippine English is “not slang, not wrong, not carabao English, or any other derogatory word that’s been used over the years.”

The language expert also shared her insights about the Philippine English accent, emphasizing how it reflects the Filipino identity.

“We don’t need to sound American to speak English correctly,” Salazar said.

“We don’t have to waste our time in the classroom trying to twist our students’ tongues in shapes that they can’t make,” she added.

The Oxford English Dictionary has made room for several Filipino words over the past few years.

“Bongga,” “mabuhay,” and many other terms from the Philippines are currently part of the OED. – RC, GMA News