Nyah DeValle
Language and Colonial Power in the Philippines
This learning module is a great way for high school teachers to introduce students to colonization in a way that can inspire their curiosity rather than rejection. This lesson plan offers an alternative to the Western perspective that is often taken when teaching about the Philippines. This learning module focuses on language as a tool of colonization to take an unexpected approach to a topic that can raise strong emotions and responses. This module does not touch directly on the violence and destruction that colonization caused, but explores how language served as a tool of American colonization in the Philippines.
The information presented below is something that high school students can understand, but will also create questions about colonization that may not have been asked before by your students. If you are looking for a way to introduce the topic, but are unsure of how to do so, this lesson plan is a great place to start.
Structure
The downloadable lesson plan can be used for one or two class sessions, depending on how much time the teacher has to talk about this material.
Part 1 of the module will include a class lecture about language in the Philippines, followed by a Q&A. If the teacher only has one class session to present the information, then I recommend that they combine both parts of the learning module and design the Q&A to lead into a moderated discussion, which will end the session. The moderated discussion will give students a chance to ask more questions and hear the perspectives of fellow students. If teachers have more time, I recommend changing the Q&A section into a homework assignment, where teachers present the questions listed in the lesson plan for students to think about and answer in writing.
During the second class session, the teacher will then lead a moderated discussion based on students’ responses to the questions. If teachers feel like this is too much time to spend on a single subject, or if they do not have the flexibility to cover this topic in-depth, they are welcome to combine and keep the lesson plan to one class period.
Nyah DeValle is majoring in Global Studies and Human Rights at the University of Chicago.
Learning Resources
Download the Language and Colonial Power in the Philippines Lesson Plan
I have chosen the sources below for two different reasons. First, each resource relates to the topic of language as a tool of power in the Philippines. I have split the resources to equally cover the use of English and Spanish in colonizing the country. Second, the resources are a mix of open-access and paywall-protected sources. Teachers are free to review and decide what materials they want to use.
Reports of the Taft Philippine Commission (9 pages, 1901)
Read from “Education Under Spanish Rule” (p 105) until the end of the section titled, “Destitute and Criminal Children” (p 113). This primary source is very broad, but I have included it because it touches on the native languages in the Philippines along with both Spanish and English. It is a good source to see how the Americans viewed their language as superior, but also as inherently “different” from the colonial language of Spanish.
Yule, Emma Sarepta. “The English Language in the Philippines.” American Speech 1, no. 2 (1925): 111–20
This paper expands on the Taft report to further explain how English was implemented as a tool of colonization. If your institution provides access, you can download from the publisher here.
“The Spanish Period” (Encyclopædia Britannica)
This article explores the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and touches on language.
Rafael, Vicente L. “The War Of Translation: Colonial Education, American English, and Tagalog Slang In The Philippines.” The Journal Of Asian Studies 74, No. 2 (2015): 283–302.
This paper is about how Filipino people attempt decolonization through native languages. This paper can be used to show how people fight against colonization through the use of their own language. If your institution provides access, please download from the publisher here.
Thinking Machines Data Science. “The Language Landscape of the Philippines in 4 Maps” (2016)
This is an accessible, easy-to-understand website that gives an overview of the Philippines’ language diversity. It serves as the main resource for this lesson plan.