ELE16 Preliminary Learning Module 2022

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ELE16: Content & Pedagogy in Mother Tongue
PRELIMINARY TERM
Learning Module 1
Historical Background of the Language Policy in the Philippines

& Legal Bases of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education
(MTB-MLE)
Overview
This module will inform you about the historical development of language
policy in Philippine schools that experienced several shifts. Further, this module
dwells also on the legal bases of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-
MLE). The Kindergarten Act of 2011 (R.A. 10157) mandates the other tongue as the
primary medium of instruction for teaching and learning in the kindergarten level
while the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (R.A. 10533), more known as the K-
12 Law mandates the use of the mother tongue as primary medium of instruction not
only in kindergarten but up to Grade 3.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, you should be able to:
 Trace the historical development of the language policy in the
Philippines.
 State the legal bases of MTB-MLE.
 Name the fundamental requirements for a strong MTB-MLE.
 Identify the provisions of DepEd Order.
Discussion
Have you heard of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education or MTB-MLE
before? What was the first language which you uttered when you started to talk?
English? Tagalog? Ilokano? Cebuano? Hiligaynon? Chabacano? Bisaya? or other
languages n the Philippines? Do you understand what you are saying when you
speak the language that you use at home? The language that you use at home is
your first language which is also called the mother tongue. It is the language that
child knows best and uses most because it is the first language of the learner.
As future teachers, why do you need to learn and use the mother tongue in
the lower primary grades in school? Why did the Department of Education require
schools to use the mother tongue as a subject and as a language for teaching and
learning from Kindergarten up to Grade 3?
Why MTB-MLE? The laws and other related documents can shed light on the
spirit behind the institutionalization of MTB-MLE to the delight of many but
consternation of perhaps a few. These legal documents are national and international
in origin.
Historical Development of Language Policy in the Philippines
First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

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During the Spanish period, Spanish was the primary language in schools. The
Educational Decree of 1863, which established formal education in the Philipppines,
decreed the use of Spanish in schools. Due to an elitist system, only a few people
learned to speak Spanish (Gonzales, 2003). In effect, local languages were widely
spoken in most regions of the country.
The 1896 Constitution of Biak-na-Bato maintained Spanish as the temporary
official language along with the local languages. The 1898 Malolos Constitution
recognized Spanish.
During the American colonial period (1898-1946), President McKinley
Ordered the teaching of local languages in schools but later decided to require the
teaching of English in schools for Filipinos to be taught about democracy and the
American system. In his Instruction to the Philippine Commission on April 7, 1900.
President McKinley stated, “In view of the great number of languages by the different
tribes, it is especially important to the prosperity of the islands that a common
medium of communication may be established and it is obviously desirable that this
medium should be English Language” (Cena, 1958). Beginning 1900, all Philippine
schools used English as medium of instruction. The use of Philippine languages was
prohibited in schools (Sibayan, 1985)
The Monroe Commisison of 1925 reported that, “In adopting English as a
medium of instruction, the Philippines has organized system of education unique in
the world”, (Cena, 1958). The report of the UNESCO Educational Mission to the
Philippines in 1949 may shed more light on the meaning of unique education system.
UNESCO wrote, “The difficulties created by the use of a foreign language as the
primary medium of instruction in the schools have confronted educators with a most
perplexing problem (Cena, 1958).
In 1935, the Philippine Constitution mandated the adopting of a national
language. Tagalog was adopted as the national language, although the intention was
to create a new language that should evolve from the various Philippine languages
which would be a difficult process. It was only in 1937, when the National Language
Institute was established under the Romualdez Law, the National Language Law of
1936, that the colonial government began to formulate a language policy that
established a national language. In 1939, after years of heated debates about the
matter, Tagalog was officially proclaimed as the national language of instruction. By
an executive order, the teaching of Tagalog as a subject became a must in all
schools in 1940 but English remained to be the primary language of instruction. The
national language, based on Tagalog, was renamed Pilipino in 1959 then renamed
Filipino by the 1973 Constitution which was retained by the 1987 Constitution.
When the Japanese forces invaded the Philippine in 1942, the Commander-
In-Chief of the Japanese Imperial forces prohibited the use of English. Despite this
prohibition, English and Tagalog were still taught in schools but Japanese became a
mandatory foreign language until the end of World War II IN 1945 (Gonzales, 2003).
The 1943 Constitution under Japan recognized the national language, i.e. Tagalog.
With Philippine Independence in 1946 (although independence had been
declared by Filipinos themselves on June 12, 1898), English continued as the
medium of instruction until June 1974 but government allowed the use of vernacular
for Experimental Bilingual Education, a clamor of nationalists. In the bilingual
scheme, some subjects were taught in the national language and others in English.

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In 1948, the Bureau of Public Schools started experimenting with local
languages to put an end to the language issue. The Iloilo Experiment in Education
through the Vernacular conducted by Dr. Jose V. Aguilar (1948-1954) showed that
learning in the home language puts one at an advantage in the learning of English
(Sibayan, 1967). There was a second Iloilo experiment in 1961-1964, and the Rizal
Experiment in 1960-1966.
In the 1950s, Clifford Prator, a visiting linguist, conducted studies in the
Philippines. These studies resulted to the implementation of the 1957 Vernacular
Teaching Policy.
Drawing form the findings of these experiments, the Bureau of Public Schools
implemented the Revised Philippine Education Program (RPEP) by making local
languages as primary component in the early design curriculum to suit the local
needs of schools and communities (Gonzales, 1998). Within this context, the
Revised Philippine Education Program used local languages as language of
instruction starting grade three and was taught as a separate subject starting Grade
1. Local languages were auxiliary languages of instruction in grades three and four
while the national language was the auxiliary medium in grade five and six.
ThE Philippines implemented the Bilingual Education Policy (BEP) since 1974
when then Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) issued Dept. Order
No. 25 titled: “Implementing Guidelines for the Policy on Bilingual Education”. This
policy signified the use of both Filipino and English in education. Both Filipino, the
national language, and English were used as medium of instruction but separately for
the subjects indicated below:
Pilipino for Social Studies, Work Education, Character Education, Music,
Health and Physical Education (Pilipino domain)
English for Math, Science and Technology (English domain)
The bilingual policy allowed the used of local vernaculars as auxiliary
languages until grade three. This policy was revised in 1987 following People Power
Revolution in 1986, Article XV, Section 3 (2) of the 1973 Constitutions states: “The
Batasang Pambansa shall take steps towards the development and formal adoption
of a common national language to be known as Filipino, (3) Until otherwise provided
by law, English and Filipino shall be the official languages.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution resolved the issue on wahat national
language is. The 1987 Philippine Constitution states:
“The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it
evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of
existing Philippine and other languages. Subject to provisions of law and
as Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to
initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official
communication and as language of instruction in the educational system.
(Section 6)
For purposes of communication and instruction, the official
languages of the Philippines are Filipino and until otherwise provided by
law, English.

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The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in
the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction, therein
(Section 7).
The 1987 Constitution retained and further strengthened this policy through
Department Order No. 53, series of 1987, entitled: The 1987 Policy of Bilingual
Education.” This policy aims for Filipino citizens to achieve competence both in
English and in Filipino. It states that, “The aspiration of the Filipino nation is to have
its citizens possess skills in Filipino to enable them to perform their duties and
responsibilities as Filipino citizens and in English in order to meet the needs of the
country in the community of nations. “Furthermore, the Bilingual Education Policy
aims to: 1) enhance learning through two languages; 2) propagate Filipino as the
language of literacy; 3) develop Filipino as a linguistic symbol of national unity and
identity; 4) cultivate and elaborate Filipino as a language of scholarly discourse; and
5) maintain English as an international language for the Philippines and as a non-
exclusive language of science and technology, (D.O. No. 53, s. 1987) As a result,
there were two languages used inside the classroom –Filipino and English.
In 1991, the Congressional Commission for Education (EDCOM) was
formed. EDCOM’s advice was all subjects be taught, except English in Filipino. This
recommendation was not implemented.
In 2004, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made a return to English
as the primary language of instruction in schools. She issued Executive Order No.
210 on May 17, 2003 to establish a policy to strengthen English as second language
in the educational system Then President Arroyo asserted there was a… need to
develop aptitude, competence and proficiency of our students in the English
language to maintain and improve their competitive edge in emerging and fast-
growing local and international studies, particularly in the area of Information and
Communication Technology” (Arroyo, 2003).
In 2006, Representative Eduardo Gullas proposed an English Only Bill in
Congress to make English as primary language of instruction in schools.
In 2008, Representative Magtanggol Gunigundo proposed a multilingual
education bill that called for the use of local languages in Philippine schools from
grades one through six.
Congress was divided over these two language bills and so were stalled for
many years.
In 2009, DepEd issued DepEd Order No. 74, s. 2009, Institutionalizing
Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MLE). DepEd Order 74, s. 2009
defined Mother Tongue Based-Multilinugal Education (MTB-MLE) as “effective
use of more than two languages for literacy and instruction”. The same DepEd
Order institutionalized MLE as the fundamental policy and program.. the whole
stretch of formal education including pre-school and in the Alternative Learning
System (ALS). This means that the learners’ first language is used as the primary
medium of instruction from pre-school until grade three in addition to the teaching of
Filipino and English as separate subjects.
DepEd Order No. 74 s. 2009 was strengthened by the declaration of the
President of the Philippines, Benigno Simeon Cojuangco-Aquino, Jr. when he said

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Learn English well and connect to the world,
Learn Filipino well and connect to your country,
Learn your dialect and connect to your heritage.
As such, MTB-MLE is the effective use of more than two languages for
literacy and instruction. Local and international studies have validated the superiority
of the use of mother tongue first in improving learning outcomes and promoting
Education for All.
In order to provide a strong MTB-MLE program, there are TEN
FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS needed according to DepEd Order 74, s. 2009.
These are
1. A working orthography (alphabet and spelling) for the local language that
is acceptable to the majority of the stakeholders and promotes intellectualization of
that language.
2. Development, production and distribution of inexpensive instructional
materials with special priority to beginning reading and children’s literature. As much
as possible, the materials should be original, localized in terms of people, events,
realities and appropriate to the language, age, and culture of the learners.
3. The use of the learner’s first language (L1) as the primary medium of
instruction form pre-school until at least Grade 3. It shall be the main vehicle to
teach understanding and mastery of the subjects.
4. Mother Tongue of the first language (L1) as a subject and a language for
teaching and learning will be introduced in grade one for conceptual understanding.
5. The inclusion of additional languages such as Filipino or English and other
local or foreign languages shall be introduced as separate subjects in a carefully
planned pacing programs.
6. In secondary level, Filipino and English shall be the primary medium of
instruction The learners’ L1 shall still be utilized as an auxiliary medium of
instruction.
7. Other than English, Filipino or Arabic for Madaris schools, the choice of
additional languages shall be at the behest of parents and endorsed by local
stakeholders and as resources permit. When the pupils are ready, Filipino and
English shall be gradually used as MOI no earlier than grade three. However, L1
shall be effectively used to scaffold learning.
8. The language instruction for teaching shall also be the primary language
for testing in all regular school-based and system-wide examinations and in all
international benchmarking and assessment exercises. It shall be maintained that
the focus of educational assessment shall be specifically on the learners’
understanding of the subject content and not be muddled on language testing.
9. There must be a continuing in-service training (INSET) in partnership with
MLE specialists on the effective use of L1 as language of instruction (teaching) to
facilitate reading, cognitive academic language proficiency, and development of
cognitive and higher order thinking skills (HOTS) of the learners. INSET shall

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likewise equip educators to develop cultural sensitivity and enhance appreciation for
cultural and linguistic diversity.
10. Ensuring critical awareness, maximum participation, and support from
the Local Government Units (LGUs), parents, and community for the implementation
of the language and literacy program strategy.
The institutionalization of MLE demanded the training of teachers to
implement MLE. DepEd issued D.O. 18, s. 2011, Guidelines on the Conduct of
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Training.
The Department of Education issued DepEd Order 16, s. 2012, Guidelines
on the Implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education
(MTB-MLE).
Starting School Year (SY) 2012-2013, The Mother Tongue Based-
Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) shall be implemented in all public schools,
specifically in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 as part of the K-12 Basic Education
Program. The MTB-MLE shall support the goal of Every Child-A-Reader and A-
Writer by Grade 1”
The following twelve (12) major languages or Lingua Franca were utilized
as language of instruction and were offered as a learning are for S.Y. 2012-2013:
 Tagalog
 Kapampangan
 Pangasinense
 Iloko
 Bikol
 Cebuano
 Hiligaynon
 Waray
 Tausug
 Maguindanaoan
 Maranao
 Chabacano
DepEd did not stop with the twelve languages of instruction. In support of
MTB-MLE, DepEd issued DO 28 in 2013, Additional Guidelines to DepEd Order No.
16, s. 2012), Guidelines on the Implementation of the Mother Tongue Based-
Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) In addition to the eight and four other languages
of instruction mentioned in DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2012 the following languages
were used as the languages of instruction for Grade 1 pupils who speak the same
languages in the specified regions and divisions starting School Year 2013-2014.
Mother Tongue and Region Geographical Location

other Languages
1. Ybanag Region II Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Isabela
2. Ivatan Region II Batanes Group of Islands
3. Sambal Region III Zambales
4. Aklanon Region VI Aklan, Capiz

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5. Kinaray-a Region VI Capiz, Aklan
6. Yakan ARMM Basilan Province
7. Surigaonon CARAGA Surigao City and Provinces
To top it all, R.A. 10533, the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 served
as imprimatur of the DepEd institutionalization of MTBMLE. It states:
… Basic education shall be delivered in languages understood by the
learners as language plays a strategic role in shaping formative years of learners
(Section 2)..
As a matter of policy… the State shall create a functional basic education
system that will develop productive and responsible citizens equipped with the
essential competencies, skills, and values for both life-long learning and
employment. In order to achieve this, the State shall among other things…
(c) Make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive
and cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and
communities through the appropriate languages of teaching and learning including
mother tongue as a learning resource. (Section 2, Declaration of Policy)
The same Republic Act, Section 4 states “Education to be delivered in
languages understood by the learners as language plays a strategic role in
shaping the formative years of learners”.
For Kindergarten and the first three years of elementary education,
instruction, teaching materials and assessment shall be in the regional or native
language of the learners. The Department of Education shall formulate a mother
language transition program from Grade 4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino and English
shall be gradually introduced as languages of instruction until such time when these
two languages can become the primary languages of instruction at the secondary
level.
Thus, with R.A. 10533, the language policy in basic education shall be
delivered in languages understood by the learners as the language plays a strategic
role in shaping the formative year of the learners.
There was an earlier MTB-MLE – related law which was passed a year
earlier than R.A. 10533, i.e., the Kindergarten Act, R.A. 10157. The Kindergarten
Act states:
“The State shall hereby adopt the Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual
Education (MTB-MLE) method. The mother tongue of the learner shall be the
primary medium of instruction for teaching and learning in the kindergarten level.”
Other Legal Bases of MTB-MLE

No less than the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) advocates the use of the mother tongue and celebrates
Mother Tongue Day every February 21 of each year. The United Nations, in its
declaration of Education for All (EFA) has included a provision on the use of the
mother tongue to preserve one’s heritage in the Jonmien Declaration.

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The use of mother tongue has gained also the support of the local
government sector. The first provincial government to pass an ordinance for the
institutionalization of its mother tongue as an official provincial language is the
province of La Union. In 2012, Provincial Ordinance 026-2012, an Ordinance
Establishing Iloko as an Official Provincial Langauge of La Union and
Institutionalizing Its Use in Relevant Sectors, alongside Existing National and
Official Languages was passed.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly and widely
ratified international human rights treaty in history. Children are viewed and treated
as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care
and charity. The convention of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the General
Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989.
The implementation of MTB-MLE is rooted on the rights of the child. Hence,
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a legal document on which MTBMLE is
anchored.
It is generally agreed that language and culture are closely related.
Language is a verbal expression of culture. It is used to maintain and convey culture
and cultural ties. Our thinking is influenced by the language which we use. The
values and customs in the community in which we grow up shape the way in which
we think to a great extent. People should not be denied the right to express their
thoughts in their own language. This is precisely the spirit behind MTBMLE.
Evaluation
I. Discuss why in the Philippines there has been flip-flopping in language of
instruction. What factors contributed to the many shifts?
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II. Let’s find out what we have learned. Answer the ten items with YES or No.
_____ 1. Should teachers in K to Grade 3 learn the mother tongue of the learners
where they are teaching?
_____ 2. Is there a need for mother tongue orthography to begin teaching the mother
tongue?

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_____ 3. Should instructional materials used in K to Grade 3 be in the mother
tongue.
_____ 4. Is the mother tongue a subject to be taught starting in Grade 1 to Grade 3?
_____ 5. Is the mother tongue a language for teaching and learning from K to Grade
3?
_____ 6. Is the mother tongue the same as the first language or L1?
_____ 7. Does DepEd Order 74, s. 2009 imply that future teachers should learn the
what and the how in teaching the mother tongue?
_____ 8. Will mother tongue be used as a medium of instruction in Science and Math
in Grade 3?
_____ 9. In high school, if the students cannot express their understanding in
English, can they use the mother tongue to explain?
_____ 10. Do other countries use also the mother tongue as advocated by UNESCO
to achieve Education for All.
III. Write the mother tongue equivalent of the following:

1. Science - ________________________________________
2. Mathematics - ________________________________________
3. Biology - ________________________________________
4. Statistics - ________________________________________
5. Arithmetic - ________________________________________
6. Thermodynamics - ________________________________________
7. Telephone - ________________________________________
8. E-mail - ________________________________________
9. Toothbrush - ________________________________________
10. Charger - ________________________________________
IV. Make an inventory of the words in the mother tongue that you HEAR and
READ and are commonly used in your community. It will help if you can identify its
Filipino and English equivalents. Do this in the format below.
Mother Tongue Words English Filipino

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V. Trace the historical development of the language policy in the Philippines.

Make an outline that completely shows the historical development of the language
policy in the Philippines.
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Reflection
Write your personal reflection about the module. Complete the following
incomplete sentences:
I learned that
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I realized that
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When I become a teacher, I will
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References:
Bilbao, P. et al. (2016). Mother Tongue: for Teaching and Learning. Lorimar
Publishing, Inc. Boston Street, Cubao, Quezon City.
Giron, Paraluman R. et al. (2016). Teaching and Learning Languages and
Multilitiracies: Responding to the MTB-MLE Challenge. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
Boston Street, Cubao, Quezon City.
Young, Catherine et al. (2016). Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education: Mother
Tongue Filipino. Lorimar Publishing, Inc. Boston Street, Cubao, Quezon City.

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Learning Module 2
The Benefits: Why Use the Mother Tongue
Overview:
This module presents the necessity of the mother tongue as a subject and as
a language for teaching and learning. Further, this explores the benefits that will be
derived from using the mother tongue.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this module, you should be able to:
 Enumerate some benefits of the use of the mother tongue for learners
and future teachers.
 Discuss what sample studies have said about the benefits of the use
of the mother tongue
Discussion
You are very fortunate to be a teacher who will re-use the mother tongue as a
medium for teaching and learning in school subjects. This practice is not new
because as early as 1948-1954, School Superintendent Dr. Jose V. Aguilar had been
popularly cited to have started the mother tongue experiment in the use of Hiligaynon
(the mother tongue of Iloilo) as medium of instruction in Grades 1 & 2 in the Division
of Iloilo. His advocacy in the use of the vernacular was an offshoot of the community-
school movement which engaged the farmers to double their harvest. As a school
superintendent, Dr. Aguilar started an experiment on the use of the vernacular in the
first two grade levels. This was approved by the Bureau of Public School. Other
provinces like Rizal Province followed suit and used Tagalog as the medium of
instruction in Grade 1 in 1960-1966.
For a while, the use of the mother tongue or vernacular was placed at the
back seat of Philippine basic education until the First Language Component-Bridging
Program (FLC-BP) on transitional education was put in place by the Department of
Education from 1966-1993. This was followed by the Lingua Franca Education (LFE)
pilot study in 1999 to 2002. This study is defined and implemented the National
Bridging Program from mother tongue to Filipino to English using four largest lingua
franca in the Philippines.

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A long story indeed but the journey of the mother tongue has to continue. It
will continue with you as future teachers.
But why do we have to master our first language (L1) or mother tongue before
we learn our second (L2) or third (L3) language? Let us consider the benefits.
In the Philippines, studies have been implemented to strengthen the
understanding and identify the benefits in the learning and use of the mother tongue.
Let us look at these benefits on the four aspects of development. Study the
matrix that follows:
Benefits of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education

Aspect of Benefits of MTB-MLE
Development
1. Language a. Education begins with the use of the first language of the
learners, a language that they understand.
b. The macroskills in communication are developed for effective
meaning-making and accuracy
 Listening – Learners listen to understand and use
what
they hear
 Speaking – Learners speak with understanding to
communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly.
 Reading- Learners read to understand, apply,
analyze, critique and use information form printed or
digital materials.
 Writing – Learners write creatively to communicate
thoughts and feelings clearly and accurately to others.
c. School children will have a good language bridge to the next
language which is needed to succeed in school and for lifelong
learning.
d. The first language that children master will provide a strong
educational foundation.
2. Cognitive a. The first language becomes the language of thinking, doing,

applying, and creating.
b. School children in the early years learn beyond the who, what,
when, and where and progress to higher order thinking skills
because they use the first language.
3. Academic a. Beginning school learners express themselves easily and

freely.
b. School learners participate actively in class activities.
c. Learners are able to process instruction easily without doing
mental translation.
d. Beginning school learners academically perform better than
those using the second or third language.
e. Parents are more likely to participate in the children’s
learning.
f. Teachers can easily scaffold the learning of children.

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4. Socio-Cultural a. School learners bring to the class prior knowledge, lived
experiences, language, and culture.
b. Lessons incorporate the best of cultural values in arts, music,
literature, tradition and others.
c. The daily experiences of the learners are included and
developed in the various concepts in the curriculum.
d. Learners preserve their heritage and culture.
More Benefits
Classroom observations have shown that children who are using the first
language to communicate are more participative and confident and have higher self-
esteem. They show increased motivation, initiative, and creativity. It is because L1
classrooms allow children to be themselves and develop their personalities as well as
their intellects.
Several studies found out that the decrease in dropout rates and increase in
retention rate in schools have been attributed to the use of the first language. When
the language of home and school are the same, children tend to be interested to
going to school every day.
Simply put, the use of mother tongue in learning enables the learner to:
 Listen with understanding
 Speak with understanding
 Read with understanding
 Write with understanding
 View with understanding
Understanding means making meaning out of what has been heard, read,
spoken, written, or seen.
It has also been observed in many countries that without the use of the
mother tongue in teaching and learning, children’s potentials are often wasted. This
condition tends to result to less development or even educational failure.
Evaluation
I. Thinking Further Our First Language
1. Why is it important to use mother tongue?
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2. Why do we have to embrace MTB-MLE in our teaching and in learners’
learning?
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3. Will learning with the use of the mother tongue hamper the learning of the
second language? Why or Why not?
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4. Will it be difficult for the mother tongue learners to learn higher order
thinking skills in the upper elementary grades or even in high school? Why or Why
not?
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II. Understanding Further Our First Language
In the Philippines, RICE is our staple food. We eat RICE more than three
times a day. Let us use RICE as an example to study our first language.
Answer the questions that refer to RICE with answers in the mother tongue.
Question Answer in Mother Tongue

1. What is RICE in your mother tongue?
2. What is UNMILLED RICE called?
3. What name do you give to STICKY RICE?
4. How does your family call BROWN RICE?

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5. What is UNCOOKED RICE in your mother

tongue?
6. What is COOKED RICE in your mother
tongue?
7. How do you call LEFTOVER RICE?
8. What is the word for FRIED RICE in your

mother tongue?
9. What is the term used for RICE BRAN?
10. What is the term used for RICE HUSK?
Reflection
I learned that
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I realized that
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References:

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Tongue Filipino. Lorimar Publishing, Inc. Boston Street, Cubao, Quezon City
Learning Module 3
Language & Its Structures
Overview:
This module is designed to make you understand what language is and the
components that comprise it. You will be introduced to the rich linguistic culture of the
Philippines as well through a guided reflection of your own mother tongue in the light
of its phonemic and syntactic structures, its orthography and its peculiarities. This
would lead you to strengthen of your own mother tongue.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
 Define what language is and describe its components.
 Compare the phonemic and syntactic structures of language
 Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of language to human
lives and society.
Discussion
Having a language is perhaps one major attribute that makes human beings
far different from animals. To understand our humanity, we need to understand the
nature of our language for this makes us human. Knowing a language and using it to
communicate one’s thoughts, sentiments, desires, fear, among others is a necessary
tool to survive in our society.
Let us get to know more about language.
What exactly is language? Language is a system of human communication
which consist of structured arrangement of strings of sounds (or their written
representation) that are put together to form a code. This labels a concept or an
object and which can be put into larger units such as words and utterances

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(Richards, 1993). It can be any particular system of communication such as the
English language, the Filipino language, the Hiligaynon language and the
Kapampangan language.
In recent years, teachers like you, who may not be majors in linguistics, make
an effort in understanding the technical terms of linguists when studying language. It
will be very helpful to adopt these terms to describe the elements or components of a
linguistic system.
Linguistics deals with human language, including deaf sign languages. It is
highly diverse and interdisciplinary field dealing with the concrete details of physical
acoustics to abstract logical argument, from concise grammatical structure to rich
observations on culture and society. As a field of study, it has different subfields,
each of which is concerned with particular elements of language.
1. Phonetics, the study of how sounds are made, how they are classified,
how they combine and interact with each other, and how they are perceived.
2. Phonology, the study of organization and structure of sounds their
distribution and conventions.
3. Morphology, the study of how words are formed.
4. Syntax, the study of organization of words into sentences and how
sentences are understood.
5. Semantics, the study of meaning of language.
6. Pragmatics, the study of meaning and how it can be interpreted in context.
The Phonological System

The phonological system of a language is composed of speech sounds
known as phonemes. They are divided into segmental phonemes and
suprasegmental phonemes. Segmental Phonemes are the vowel sounds, the
consonant sounds, diphthongs, and triphthongs, Suprasegmental Phonemes include
the stress, the intonation, pauses, and junctures. There are rules that combine
phonemes to form words and to express something based on the tune of the
utterance, all of which can affect the meaning intended by the speaker.
A word of reminder: For the common understanding of the phonemes in any
language that will be analyzed and studied, this module will be using the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols as a common code. Brackets [ ] will
be used for phonetic transcription using the IPA.
International Phonetic Alphabet
The IPA is a universally established and standardized set of codes or system
that can be used to represent the sounds of human speech. It can be employed in
transcribing the speech sounds of any language.
There are varied phonemes in language: vowels, consonant, diphthongs,
triphthongs, pauses or junctures, stress and intonation.

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1. Vowel Phonemes are the sounds produced by the articulation of the
mouth without any oral impediment
2. Diphthongs and Triphthongs

Diphthongs are two vowel phonemes combined to produce the correct sound
of a syllable while triphthong is a monosyllable that contains three vowel phonemes.
Diphthongs are present in some of the local languages Triphthongs are apparently
not part of the Philippine languages.
3. Consonant Phonemes are basic speech sounds that are produced

through the articulations of the mouth but with certain oral impediments. A consonant
phoneme can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable.

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The Morphological System

The second component of language is the morpheme. The morphological
system studies the smallest unit of meaning and meaningful morphological unit of a
language that cannot be further divided (e.g., in, come, -ing, forming incoming).Free
morpheme which functions independently and is considered as the root word, e.g.
pencil, rain, study. Bound morpheme which must be used with other morphemes
such as affixes or inflections.
Examples:
-s in pencils, -ing in raining, -ied in studied
The Syntactic System
The third component of a language is the syntactic system. It is the
grammatical structure or the word order in language. This expresses an idea or
content as captured by what the words mean. It includes the governing rules of word
formations as well as the rules explaining the relationship of words within a sentence
or between and among sentence structures.
The Content
It is the meaning intended by the speaker. The word meaning of an item or
concept may vary across cultures because members of speech community capture
their view of reality using the morphemes or words as labels of their experiences.
How they perceive things and their practices vary; hence, language is a rich
representation of their world and of reality.
To the Filipinos, rice is staple food. It is significant commodity that is present
in every meal or every Filipino household. You may know several words or labels of
the different ways of naming, preparing or eating rice. Other parts of the world, the
concept of rice may be limited; hence, they may not have a word in their language
that has reference to the word rice.
The Use of Language

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Knowing that message is carried by the form and the content of language,
one can use the medium to communicate language is therefore used to negotiate
meaning and achieve the intention that primarily drives the speaker to talk. The study
of how speakers use language to accomplish tasks is called pragmatics
Pragmatics is a branch of linguistic which studies those aspects of meaning
which cannot be captured and predicted from linguistic knowledge alone. It deals with
how the listeners arrive at the intended meaning of the speakers. It tries to explain
how interlocutors (speaker-listener) observe the principles of communicating by
applying various language devices to reach a common understanding.
Every utterance or speech act has an intended function. Halliday identified
the seven language functions of young language learners. These functions tend
to show the personal, social, and academic aspects of human development.
1. Instrumental
Children use language to express his needs or to get things done.
Example: I want my toy.
2. Regulatory
Children use language to influence the behavior of others such as
persuading/commanding/ordering to do things.
Example: Please give me the ball.
3. Interactional
Children use language to develop social relationships and facilitate the
process of interaction.
Example: Will you play with me!
4. Personal
Children use language to express personal preferences and individual
identity.
Example:
I am going to be a marine biologist when I grow up.
5. Representational
Children use language to convey information. They are connected with relaying or
requesting facts and information.
Example:
I saw a green turtle in the pond.
6. Heuristic
Children use language to learn and explore the environment to be able to
understand it. This may be questions and answers.
Example: What is the most dangerous shark?

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7. Imaginative
Children use language to tell stories, express fantasies, and to create an
imaginary environment. These may accompany imaginary worlds or storytelling.
Example: In a faraway place, there lived a hermit.
When communicating using a language, much more is sometimes meant that
what is actually uttered. For example, an utterance spoken can be identified as a
question answerable by a yes or no. Yet, the listener actually can understand the real
intention of the speaker which may not necessarily require a positive or negative
response but something else. Pragmatics is the discipline that tries to explain the
undertones and real intentions behind the linguistic structure.
Evaluation
I. Provide examples in your mother tongue. Identify the morphemes and the
affixes.
Language Free Morpheme Bound Affix/Inflection

Morpheme
English give giving -ing
Filipino bigay ibinigay i-, -ni-
Your Mother
Tongue
II. Given the word RICE, list down as many collocates or associations of the
word as you can. Write them around the word.
RICE
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III. Answer the following items by writing TRUE if the statement

presents a correct idea and FALSE if otherwise.
_____ 1. Language is a code used by a speech community in negotiating
meaning.
_____ 2. Form, content and language use comprise a language.
_____ 3. The phonological system of a language is composed of segmental
and suprasegmental phonemes.
_____ 4. The phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that has meaning.
_____ 5. The study of the sounds of a language also means to study its
structure.
_____ 6. Pragmatics investigates the use of language to negotiate meaning
and accomplish tasks.
_____ 7. The syntactic system of a language looks at the rules governing
word formation and their arrangement within a sentence and among the string
of sentences.
_____ 8. The morpheme is the smallest unit of a word that has meaning.
_____ 9. How more is communicated than what words are uttered can be
explain by pragmatics
_____ 10. The language that a child was raised with at home is his mother
tongue.
IV. Further read on multilingualism and MTB-MLE then write your

thoughts on this. You may use the space provided.
What role can language have in improving education?
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V. Complete the table by providing varied ways of expressing the same idea
and message in selected languages of the country and the world. You may research
for relevant reading materials or interview resource persons to complete this task.
Language Message
English How are you? Thank you What’s your name
Your Mother
Tongue
French
Spanish
Chinese
Korean
German
Italian

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Japanese
Arabic
Mexican
Reflection
I learned that
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References:

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Learning Module 4
My Mother Tongue: The Language I learned First
Overview
In this module, you will be introduced to concepts about languages in the

Philippines. As future teacher in basic education, you need to be equipped with an
enhanced understanding of the structures of your mother tongue as a unique
linguistic system that specifically belongs to your rich cultural heritage, and gain a
better grasp of how MTB-MLE can be implemented effectively.
Learning Outcomes

 Familiarize with the varied Philippine languages
 Differentiate a language from a dialect.
 Describe the features of an identified mother tongue.
Discussion

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The Philippines is multilingual country with more than 180 distinct native
languages. Most Filipinos are bilingual, trilingual, or quadriligual and beyond. Filipino
that are monolingual are very rare. All Philippine languages are Austronesian
languages and Hesperonia (Western Austronesian languages.
Philippine languages belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of the

Austronesian language family. Austronesian language family is the largest existing
language family in terms of number of its member languages that spreads from
Malagasy (Madagascar) to the Rapanui (in Easter Island), and from Formosan
languages (in Taiwan) to Maori in New Zealand (Adelaar & Himmelman, 2005)
Language grows and may become extinct. The dynamism of a language is

made possible by the speech community. If people continue to use the language it
will establish its stability but if members of a speech minority would stop using their
own vernacular and slowly prefer to use another language, their own language will
slowly be overpowered by the other. Through time, the younger generations may no
longer be able to use it.
Almost everybody knows and understands the English word ‘bag’. What is it
called in your mother tongue? There must have been a term that before. It would be
fascinating if you can still use your own mother tongue to name it.
As more innovations are made or more ideas are conceptualized, the demand
to create a label for ideas and concepts is also rising. Development in society
requires language to cope with this growth.
Perhaps most Filipinos would be more interested to know the number of

languages spoken in our country. However, this query is not easy to answer for the
exact number may vary depending on how linguists would categorize them. What is
clear is that there are several languages coming from the various parts of the country
and many of these have dialects which are morphophonemically distinguishable form
their mother tongue.
Languages are not usually spoken in the same manner from one part of the
country to another. The differences in the way members of a speech community
speak are described as regional or social variations (dialects or sociolects). There
are cases where there is a continuum of a language. Even though Hiligaynon is the
language in the province of Iloilo, the town in the southern part of the province has a
dialect that is closely similar to Kiniray-a which is the language in Antique.

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Endangered Languages in the Philippines based on the Ethnologue 2020
list.
Language versus Dialect
Most users and speakers of Philippine languages including the national mass
media, have little, if not none, idea regarding the status of their own native language.
They often refer to them as dialects, with only English and Filipino having the official
status of languages in their minds
There are two kinds of criteria that are used to distinguish languages from
dialects: social and political; and linguistic. The first typically view languages as

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prestigious, official, and written, while dialects are mostly spoken, unofficial, and
associated with groups lacking in prestige (Chambers & Trudgill, 2004)
Linguists, however, use different criteria. If speakers of the two speech

varieties can have a conversation and understand each other, they are using dialects
of a single language. In contrast, if speakers of the two speech varieties converse
and do not understand each other, they are using two distinct languages. This
criterion is called mutual intelligibility. In this criterion, Cebuano, Ilocano,
Masbatenyo, Waray, among others, are languages and not merely dialects. On the
other hand, the Tagalog varieties spoken in Batangas, Rizal and other southern
Tagalog areas are dialects of the Tagalog language.
Mutual Intelligibility in Philippine Languages
Language Translation
Tagalog Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi
makararating sa paroroonan.
English He/she who does not know how to look back at his or her origin
will not arrive at his/her destination.
Asi Kag tawong waya giruromroma it ida ginghalinan, indi makaabot
sa ida apagtuan.
Masbatenyo An dili maaram maglingi sa ginhalian, kay dili makaabot sa
kakadtuhan.
Cebuano Kadtong dili kahibalo molingi sa iyang giagian,dili makaabot sa
iyang padulngan.
Chabacano El Quien no sabe vira el cara na su origen, nunca llega na su
destinacion.
Itawis I tolay nga ari mallipay ta naggafuannna, ari makadde ta
angayanna.
Ilokano Ti tao nga saan na ammo tumaliaw iti naggapuanna ket saan nga
makadanon iti papananna.
Hiligaynon Ang indi makahibalo magbalikid sang iya ginhalinan, indi
makaabot sa iya padulungan.
Kapampangan Ing e byasang malikid king kayang penibatan, e ya miras king
kayang pupuntalan.
Pangasinense Say toon agga onlingao ed pinanlapuan to, agga makasabi’d laen
to.
Tausug In di maingat liming pa bakas liyabayan niya, di makasampay pa
kadtuun niya.
Yakan Mang gey matau mamayam sib akas palaihan nen, gey tekka si
papilihan nen.
Another measure for distinguishing a language from a dialect is grammar. If

the speech variety has different grammar, then it is a different language.
Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, can be considered the

Tagalog variety spoken in Metro Manila, sharing identical grammar with other
Tagalog varieties (Nolasco, 2007).

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Dialectal variation varies from language to language. Tagalog and
Kapampangan have very moderate dialectal variation. Dialects of Bicol, however,
exhibit great dialectal variation.
There are 186 distinct living languages in the Philippines including the Filipino
Sign Langauge, according to the 2015 Edition of Ethnologue. Of these, 182 are living
and 4 are extinct. Of the living languages, 41 are institutional, 72 are developing, 46
are vigorous, 13 are in trouble, and 10 are dying.
Evaluation
I. Write a paragraph or two in response to the following questions. Your

answers can be written in English, Filipino, or your mother tongue (optional).
1. In your opinion, is Linguistics as a field of study relevant in solving the

pertinent issues in the country? Why? Why not?
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2. What advantages does one have if he can speak several Philippine
languages?
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II. Considering that you speak in English, which is already one

language. How do you express your greetings, gratitude and even asking for
the price of an item in other Philippine languages?
Language Greeting Expressing Asking for the

Gratitude price of an item
English Hi! How are you?
Your mother
Tongue
Bicol
Chabacano
Iloko
Hiligaynon
Kapampangan
Cebuano
Waray
III. Answer the following items by writing TRUE if the statement presents
the correct idea and FALSE if otherwise.
_____ 1. The Philippines is a multilingual as well as multicultural country.

_____ 2. One criterion that a dialect is considered to be a part of language is when
there is mutual intelligibility among the members of the speech community.
_____ 3. A dialect is a morphophonemic variation of a language.

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_____ 4. Language is dynamic because it constantly changes as members of a
speech community adapt to the development in society.
_____ 5. Philippine languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan branch of the Austronesian
language family
IV. Express the following utterances in your mother tongue. Write your
answer in the space provided.
1. I take pride that I can speak in more than just one language.
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2. I can express myself better in my own language.

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3. Speaking in the mother tongue does not mean that I can think less than
those who prefer to speak in English.
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4. Building a strong foundation in mother tongue has scientifically been

supported that it can lead to better learning of other languages such as English.
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Reflection
I learned that
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References:
Learning Module 5
The Sounds of a Language

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Overview
The study of the phonology of a language is concerned with the way the
words or utterance are pronounced. It highlights the significant sounds of the
language. The English language has more vowel phonemes than those in any
Philippines languages.
Language learners in the Philippines have been studying English and Filipino
as official language in the country and apparently gained ample knowledge about
linguistic system. However, not so many have paid attention on studying the
structures of their own language. Since we are using mother tongue in academic
discourse, the necessity to take a closer at it is gaining ground.
Focus on your own mother tongue and study the feature that make it distinct
from other Philippines languages. How is your language written and sounded?
Learning Outcomes
 Identify the alphabet of one’s mother tongue.

 Compare the phonemic structure of one’s mother tongue with other
know languages.
 Determine the phonemic structures in your mother tongue and the
correct enunciation of each.
Discussion
The Alphabet
Being literate in the Philippines requires the learning of the English alphabet.
Through the centuries, our country has been exposed to several influences and is
still undergoing a transformation that introduce language issue. Even the languages
used in the country have incorporated the foreign sounds and other important
phonemes coming from the Spanish language or other language of the colonizers. At
present, all Philippine language basically adopted the English alphabet and with the
incorporations of selected sounds from the Spanish phonemes. One’s mother tongue
that is not English will definitely have its own feature specific to its nature.
What exactly is an alphabet?
An alphabet is a standard set of letters or graphemes which is used to write or

code ideas. The general rule is that the letters represents the basics significant
sounds (phonemes) of the spoken language.
The writing system of some language use syllabaries in which a character

represent a syllable. Logographies are also used in which each character represent a
morphemes. In the past, the alibata was representative script of the Philippine
language. This is reported to be related to the script of India. Alibata is a term that
takes the first two letters of the alphabet of the Maguindanao (alif and bet) used in
the Southern Philippines and derives from Arabic. It is said to be also called

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“Baybayin” which mean “to spell” in Tagalog. However, the Philippine language are
presently written using the Roman alphabet.
Basically, the alphabet of a language has corresponding sounds. Let us take

a closer look at the alphabet in your mother tongue. Are there phonetic features that
set it apart from the commonly known English phonemes?
Phonemes
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sounds in a language which can distinguish

meaning. Example: In English, the words can and fan, differ in their initials sounds;
can begins with the phoneme /k/ and fan with /f/. Fan /æ/ and /I/ are phonemes.
English is often considered to have 44 phonemes with 20 vowel sounds and 24
consonant sounds.
You may have notice that each symbol of a phoneme is placed inside slashes
(/ /). You may also have seen phonemes placed inside the brackets ([ ]). The
phoneme placed inside the slashes is considered broad transcription and will be
used for the purpose of this module. However, if you need to closely conduct a
narrow transcription that will include as much detail as you deem necessary, then the
phonetic transcription would require you to use brackets.
Under the Generative Phonology Framework, the slashes or the brackets

represent two distinct phases of phonological processing. The slashes denote the
mental phonemic transcription of the sound considered as a single unit in the brain.
When this phoneme is transformed into its final form (in brackets) it then passes
through the articulators and finally enunciated. This is evident with contrastive
sounds such as /p/ and [ph].
For the purpose of identifying the phonemes of your mother tongue, the
slashes can be employed at the start.
Phonemes may either be voiced or voiceless. A phoneme voiced when it is

produced with vibration in the vocal chords while phoneme is voiceless when it is
produced without any vibration in the vocal chords.
The best way to test whether a phoneme is voiced or not is by putting a sheet
of paper in front of your mouth as you enunciate the sound of phoneme. If the sheet
of paper moves due to the release of the air from the oral cavity, then it is voiced;
however, if the sheet of paper does not move, the phoneme is voiceless.
There are segmental phonemes and suprasegmental phonemes. Under the

segmental phonemes are the vowel phonemes, consonant phonemes, dipthongs,
and triphthongs. Stress, accent and junctures are examples of the suprasegmental
phonemes.
Segmental Phonemes
Vowel Phonemes are sounds produce by the articulates without any oral
impediment. The sound produced may depend on the position of the tongue or how
the tongue is raised.
Examples: /a/, /e/, /u/

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Consonant Phonemes are the sounds that are produced with certain oral
impediments. Some consonant phonemes are completely block and they are callled
stops (e.g /p/, /b/. Other are partially blocked called literals (e.g /I/) or where the
opening is narrow allowing the scape of air with a friction called fricatives (e.g. /f/,
/v/). Some of the sounds are produced with the airstream blocked in the mouth but
released through the nose. These are the nasal (e.g /m/, /n/),
Diphthongs are sounds considered as one distinctive vowel of a speech

sound but involves two vowels with one gliding to the other phoneme. Examples of
this are /al/, /ou/. Triphthongs on the other hand consist of three vowel phonemes
and consider as a particular vowel of a speech sound. There are words in the
english language that have diphthongs or triphthongs.
Accent is another phonology feature of the language that affect meaning is

accent. Accent refers to the emphasis given to a syllable in a word by means of
loudness, vowel length, pitch, or combination of these. Accent could affect intended
meaning; hence, it should be used appropriately.
In Haligaynon, the grammatically particles have one primary accented

syllable. Accent or stress given to a syllable can lead to a lexically significant effect
as seen by the following examples.
ila (they/thier) ila (wild)

amu (master) amu (that is it)
panit (skin) panit (tuna)
luku (fool) luku (command the dog to sit)
pala (shovel/spade) pala (big ants)
The Philippine languages seem to be characterized as easy to speak and to

write because how you actually say the words is how they are usually spelled.
However, the fact remains that there are still nuances in how some words are
pronounced and may not be spelled as how they are supposed to be written.
Phonological Processes
Different phonological process usually trigger allophonic and allomorphic

variation. Below are some common phonological processes in spoken languages.
 Assimilation, when one sound becomes like that of another sound, e.g. in
Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray and other Philippine languages, [n] becomes [m]
before [p,b], [n] before [ t, d, l, r, ] and [n] before [k, g, h].
 Palatalization, a subtype of assimilation in which a velar or alveolar

consonant is pronounced in the palatal region when adjacent to a high vowel,
e.g. bet you as betcha, did you as didja.
 Dissimilation occurs when a sound become less like another sound, e.g.
English February as Feb[j]uary.

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 Metathesis, when two sounds are reordered, e.g. English iron [ai.әrn]
 Deletion, the loss of sound, e.g. the loss of final /n/ in hymn.
 Insertion or Epenthesis occurs when a vowel is inserted between two

consonants, e.g. in the formation of past tense and plural form in English bat
> batted, glass > glasses, Masbatenyo laba + -an > labahan to wash.
 Fortition, the strengthening of a sound, e.g. word initial aspiration in English.
 Lenition, the weakening of a sound, e.g. flapping of English /t/ and /d/
 Vowel reduction, the conversion of unstressed vowels to make schwa-like

allophones, e.g. the second vowel in emphasis.
 Germination occurs when the consonant sound is doubled, e.g. Ilokano +

kan + perfective aspect > kinnan ‘ate’
Phonological processes are triggered by the environment of the sound in a

word or sometimes triggered by neighboring sounds. It is also brought about
by competing forces: ease of articulatory effort and perceptual distinctiveness.
The Morphosyntax of Philippine Languages
Morphology is the sub-branch of linguistics that deals with description of how

words are formed and the principles governing the way words are put together.
Syntax, on the other hand, is the organization of words into sentences and how
sentences are understood. The study of grammar is the combination of morphology
and syntax, also known as morphosyntax.
The Internal Structure of the Word
In describing the internal structure of words, the morpheme is considered the

minimal unit that expresses meaning. Morphemes combine to form a word, e.g.
Ifugao gatut ‘hundred’ + -in > ginatut ‘hundreds’ (Hohulin & Burquest, 2011), Bicolano
ma + diklom ‘darkness’ > madiklom ‘dark’. Etc.
A morpheme can be classified as a bound morpheme or a free morpheme.

The affixes –in- and ma- are bound morphemes which must be attached to some
other morpheme in order to be integrated into discourse. The roots gatut and diklom,
on the other hand are free morphemes and do not have to be attached to some other
form in order to express their meaning.
A word in Philippine languages may consist of or can be:
(a) a root, e.g. Surigaonon daya ‘to bring’, Ilocano bigat ‘morning’

38
(b) a stem, a root with one or more affixes; e.g. Masbatenyo maraut ‘ugly’,
Waray maupay ‘good’
(c) a particle, e.g. Ifugao ot ‘and/the’, Rombomanon agod ‘so that’
Deriving New Words
New words can be derived (i.e. made) through the process of inflection and
derivation. Inflection is the process by which variations in the form of a word are
derived through affixation to express grammatical contrast, such as aspect, person,
number and gender. It is Tagalog, the reduplicative affix –gain the stem magaganda
is an example of inflectional operation that signifies plurality. In contrast, derivation
is the process that derives a new category form the original form.
Philippine languages employ the following operations in deriving new

words:
a. Affixation, the process to which affix is attached to a root or an

intermediate stem; e.g. Masbatenyo kara + ut + m- > maraut ‘ugly’, kanam + -an >
kanaman ‘toy’, sugba + -in > sinugba ‘smoke fish’
b. Reproduction, the repetition of word or part of word to form a new word;

eg. Masbatenyo baruto + PWr reduplication > baru-baruto ‘mini boat’; Masbatenyo
tawo + PWr reduplication > tawo-tawo ‘toy man’; Masbatenyo bakalon + C 1V1
reduplication > babakalon ‘will buy .
c. Stress shift, e.g. Masbatenyo báyad ‘pay’ > bayád ‘paid’
Evaluation
I. In the space provided, write the word TRUE if the statement is correct,
otherwise write FALSE.
_____ 1. Each language has a phonemic structure peculiar to it.

_____ 2. A phoneme is considered as the smallest unit of sound that carries
meaning.
_____ 3. The word bata has four phonemes.
_____ 4. Phonological symbols such as those in the IPA on International Phonetic
Alphabet is the same as the orthographic symbols of a mother tongue.
_____ 5. The vowel and consonant phonemes are considered segmentalj phonemes
of a language.
_____ 6. The accent or stress in a word is a suprasegmental phoneme that can
affect the meaning intended.
_____ 7. The /m/ and /n/ are nasal phonemes.
_____ 8. The study of phonology of a language is concerned with the way utterances
in the language are pronounced.
_____ 9. The following phonemes, /b/ and /p/ are considered bilabial stops.
_____ 10. There are sounds in the Philippine languages that are borrowed from
foreign languages.
II. Answer the following questions in paragraph form. Your answers can
be written in English, Filipino, or your mother tongue (optional).

39
1. Alibata was used by our Philippine ancestors to communicate with each
other centuries ago. How would the people in our country have lived and
communicated if we had used the alibata?
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2. What are the benefits/advantages of knowing the details of linguistic
structures and understanding the nature of human language?
___________________________________________________________________
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III. Given the following five words in selected languages, write the phonemes
in the space provided. Write five words in your mother tongue and identify the
phonemes in each word by writing the symbol using IPA symbols.
Word Phonemes Word Phonemes

e.g. ako (I, me) /a/, /k/, /ә/ 5. kami (we)
e.g. adlaw /a/, /d/, /l/, /au/ 6.
(Sunday in
Hiligaynon)
1. sulat (to write) 7
2. aso (dog) 8.
3. lapis (pencil) 9.
4. sila (they) 10.

40
IV. Identify the following phonemes as either voiced or voiceless by writing it
in the appropriate box.
/p/ /t/ /o/ /k/ /s/
/u/ /r/ /ai/ /b/ /ә/
/U/ /f/ /g/ /a/ /æ/
Voiced Phonemes Voiceless Phonemes
V. Look for a research journal article on the phonological features

of a language. Fill in the table with the required information.
Title: _________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Researcher/s: __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Reference: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

41
Research Method Used Results Conclusion Implications
Objectives or Possible
Research
Direction
Reflection
I learned that
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42
I realized that
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References:

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1

ELE16: Content & Pedagogy in Mother Tongue

Historical Background of the Language Policy in the Philippines

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Mother Tongue and Region Geographical Location

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Other Legal Bases of MTB-MLE

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

III. Write the mother tongue equivalent of the following:

Mother Tongue Words English Filipino

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

V. Trace the historical development of the language policy in the Philippines.

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

When I become a teacher, I will

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

The Benefits: Why Use the Mother Tongue

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Benefits of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education

2. Cognitive a. The first language becomes the language of thinking, doing,

3. Academic a. Beginning school learners express themselves easily and

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Question Answer in Mother Tongue

2. What is UNMILLED RICE called?

3. What name do you give to STICKY RICE?

4. How does your family call BROWN RICE?

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

5. What is UNCOOKED RICE in your mother

8. What is the word for FRIED RICE in your

10. What is the term used for RICE HUSK?

When I become a teacher, I will

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Language & Its Structures

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

The Phonological System

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

2. Diphthongs and Triphthongs

3. Consonant Phonemes are basic speech sounds that are produced

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

The Morphological System

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Language Free Morpheme Bound Affix/Inflection

Filipino bigay ibinigay i-, -ni-

III. Answer the following items by writing TRUE if the statement

IV. Further read on multilingualism and MTB-MLE then write your

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

When I become a teacher, I will

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

My Mother Tongue: The Language I learned First

In this module, you will be introduced to concepts about languages in the

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

First Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023 * College of Teacher Education *

Philippine languages belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of the