English Speaking is being like status symbol for Filipinos.

hi metatronik, I'm not a Filipino and maybe I don't really understand what is going on about English in Philippines. but when people in your country tend to make english as a status symbol, it could be a good sign for english development there. it means everybody will do their best to be able to use proper english. i'm sad that it does not seem to happen in my country Indonesia. most people there do not speak english, even basic english. the younger generation can speak very good english, but they are just a small minority. i hope someday indonesians will strive to use proper english for their social status. because it will motivate people to use english more and more. about the non-sense content, i believe people will make the content more meaningful as they learn english more and more. otherwise, they will be ashamed to keep using improper english.

Actually my friend you correct but some are learn small english thinking that he/she is in the high mountain of power. We are lucky that mostly Filipinos are speak english or understand english. Like here in Saudi Arabia filipinos here are high level in other nations because of english capability of Filipinos but some are over acting.... I don't know if they are still considered theirselves a Filipinos... see you around

i don't think it makes sense telling that those who can speak the English language as easy as eating a pie have edge over those who lacks the ability, or has a better status. i don't believe it is a status symbol. it does not make you above any other. it is an advantage, yes, but it does not define a person's status, if status is meant here as the one you defined "elite or class, rich, educated, you have breeding with right manner and proper conduct". not all who can speak the language fall in that category. also, we should not stop learning. if you aim for the goal of learning the language, so be it. but it must not be done with the goal of undermining others because you are already becoming fluent with it. also, we should not stop anybody from speaking the language, or insult him because he is speaking the language when he is a Filipino, especially if they do it right. it is their choice and there is nothing wrong with people who wanted to convey their thoughts with the language. if they feel comfortable with it, leave them be.

Hello Metatronik, Status Symbol? if United States, Britain, Canada and Australia were not economically and influencially powerful, do you even think English would be a popular language? when Spain and Portugal were more powerful during their time, Latin and portugese were the most popular language you know i'd be honest in this case, when ever i speak english, it is when i panic or feel disorient with my answers. but the truth is I despise the language sometimes. because i never learned my native tongue and other native tounges out there.. any one who thinks it's a status symbol simply they couldn't learn their own or they despise their own native tongue and fears of getting rejected if they speak of another filipino language.

Hi Metatronik, We both think that way, English has become a status symbol to Filipinos. But this applies to some Filipinos only. I said some , because there are others too, who have lived abroad for a long time already, yet when they come to the Philippines, they speak Filipino language with pride in their voice. They don't speak English here but Flipino. But to some , it has really become a status symbol. They think that anyone hearing them speak English with their family even if they all can speak Filipino and is in the Philippines, will be thinking of them as "class". It is understandable to speak English if you are in a formal event where it is the medium or in an office where there are office mates who are foreigners. But if not, then why speak not speak Tagalog? After all, we are all Filipinos!

Status symbol? Filipinos nowadays are very eager and determine to learn english language because they want to show to the judgemental people that they can. Yes, I'm not that good enough in speaking but I'm here in mylot to enhance it and to learn new things. It dont matter if you are rich or poor. Just show to the world what we got and be proud. Let's help and cheer our fellow 'kababayans' instead of degrading their personality. We are all Filipino. Remember that Filipinos are well known because of the 'bayanihan' (unity).

If you've been on conferences and meetings you'd notice that English is almost, always used as a medium to communicate. I think the people who brand the English language as a language for rich and classy people are the ones who envy them. About discrimination, I guess that's a whole different topic. I myself have a pretty decent command over the English language but if you get to know me, you'd find that I'm pretty much "jologs" myself. It all boils down to each person's perspective on life.

Status symbol? Not really. It is just that being fluent in English is a proof that they have learnt something in their schooling proving them as educated individuals.

It's really an advantage if you have good command of other languages, not necessarily English, since languages are a primary tool for communication. We also can't deny the fact the English is the universal language so the more we are at ease with speaking the language the more comfortable we are in using it. Same goes with the uneasy feeling of those who are not well adept with it. To some degree, I can say that someone has an edge or will be looked up to by others if they speak English very well because that only means that they did their homework or they have family members who works in the US. We all know that if you have a relative who works in the US, it's normal impression that they are rich, it could be true for some but not for everyone of course. But it doesn't necessarily translate that when you're good at speaking English, you're already ahead of others. The language is just a tool, the content of your words would define how intellectual the person is. Which reminds me of a colleague who used to speak English with a twang but some colleagues make fun of him because apart from the twang, his words were all non sense and worse it's full of grammar errors. But I can't say that those who try to master English are social climbers, you need English to apply for a job, you need to be good in English before you get promoted, you need good English to communicate with the higher ups so there are far more advantages if you know English well than those who don't. There's a big difference between pretending to know the language and those who learned the language.

Sorry if I will not totally agree with you on this matter. I know people who grew up only learning the English Language but they are not acting like social climbers nor are they acting like elite members of the society. I guess it would matter on how the person was raised. If the person grew up in a family where they act like they are the highest person living then they will be acting like one eventually. But if the person was raised to be down to earth and humble even if they are the richest family on earth then he/she will not be the social climber type of person when she/he grows up. A friend of mine grew up to speak only the English language but she is pure Filipino, grew up and raised here in our country. She tried to learn our dialect because she doesn't want other people to think that she is an elite member or a social climber and because she is in our country, it would be appropriate if she learns to speak our language. She is educated I should say, and she is working hard to earn so I can't say she is indeed rich. If she is, she shouldn't have 2 jobs now. Filipinos are not scared of speaking English. And we should be proud that we now the language far better than any other non-English speaking countries. Why would these so many call center companies have their company run here in our country if they don't see our potential to speak the English language?

I quite agree with respond before me. English is something you learn at school. If you learn it and you can speak it well, it just speaks of your education. It is not a fault of the person if they use it more than use their mother language or other dialect. As for using it as a 'weapon' or people making fun of other people who don't know or can't speak English, it's just a reflection that even education didn't bring them respect and they are just being shallow. English might be perceived as a 'status' symbol but even some people who aren't rich can understand and speak a little of English. Not knowing the whole language and how to use it is a shallow way of saying that a person isn't educated enough or has a corrupt behavior. Funny thing, I always don't why people in our country insists that the foreigner try some Filipino words. The foreigner will, of course, obliged and it sounds funny when they speak it. And we are guilty of snickering behind their backs and far from their faces becuase they sound funny. They truly do. I don't know what that means to us as a nation and as a people who speak English as a second language.