Ancient Baybayin: Early Mother Tongue-based Education Model | History Ko
by Bonifacio F. Comandante, Jr. / Asia Social Institute
ABSTRACT
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi first experienced the linguistic diversity of the Philippine Archipelago on 1565. In the succeeding years, Catholic missionaries were heaping praises on the excellencies of Baybayin Language, not hesitating to compare it even to the Hebrew, Greek and Latin, the prestigious language of the letters and religion that time.
Fletcher Gardner in 1938 quoted Luyon wife of Yagao (Tribal Mangyan) as saying, “Our writing never changes as it is taught to the children.” Extant Baybayin scripts such as Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisaya, Bohol, Bicol, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Hinunoo, Buhid, Bangon and Tagbanwa have been found very recently to predate the birth of Christ.
While Filipinos lost the ancient art of writing in favor of the Spanish Orthography, the spoken Baybayin language fortunately enough has flourished to this very day. Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, Baybayin has been used in detailing personal and domestic interests, postal scheme, writing poems, art works, healing modalities and conducting rituals for festivities and spirituality. Higher education back then was done by teachers called “Pantas.”
Full text can be found at http://www.historyko.org/?q=node/33
08/02/2011
1. Ang Baybayin sa Akademikong Perspektibo<br /><br /><br />Mula sa perspektibo ng pag-aaral at pagtuturo ng wika (language learning and language teaching), nakakita ako ng liwanag na maaring mag-ambag sa pagpapalaganap ng Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education Program (MTB-MLE). Mula noong matutunan ko ang MTB-MLE at itinuro ito sa ilang mag-aaral din ng wika, pinanghawakan ko na ang mga
02/18/2016
Thanks for the mention, Lucy!We’re bunidilg a collective place for people passionate about nonprofits. A place where people who’ve witnessed first hand how a person’s life is changed by a nonprofit, can share their powerful stories. And another reason we’re doing this is because there’s nothing like transparency and empowering volunteers and clients to have a voice to improve accountability. If a nonprofit has room for improvement people will be able to post constructive feedback on the site.Anyways, enough promises! Please come back to visit the site later this year and see for yourself.Thanks!Perla NiCEO, GreatNonprofits
08/29/2011
Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your opinions about teaching Baybayin to students in the Philippines to help them develop not only their practical education but also their identity as a people.<br /><br />Salamat gid,<br />Perla