Panalo Nating Lahat [This is a Victory for us All]: Uncovering Constructs of Language and Nationalism in Social Media Reactions to Alex Eala’s Post-US Open Juniors Championship Interview
Article
Filipina tennis player Alex Eala won the US Open Juniors 2022 title, marking a first for the Philippines. She spoke in Filipino for much of her post-match interview, with no translators on hand, which is rare for international matches that broadcast to wide audiences. Online reactions to the event were of interest from the view of language and national identity. Bottom-Up Framing was used to inductively analyze social media comments on Eala’s speech. The researcher found that commenters constructed Eala’s post-match interview as a test of Filipino identity, and abstracted their sentiments to include other public appearances of other Filipino sports celebrities, such as Manny Pacquiao. English speakers were mocked for being awkward, while Filipino speakers were praised for being both humble and proud of their language. A performance of Filipinoness was equated with nationalism, and language became an object to be displayed rather than purveyor of meaning and culture. These findings have implications for studies of national identity in sports, and for how we understand the role of social media in facilitating discussions that construct and enforce the image of an authentic Filipino.
Politics of Language in “Korean style Multiculturalism”: Utilization of Filipino Language in Korean Language Textbooks for Marriage Migrants
Article
Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is used in other countries not just to promote the language and Philippine culture. This paper examines how the language is utilized in order to facilitate the mastery of the Korean language as well as the assimilation of marriage migrants into Korean society. The Republic of Korea has recently been shifting towards a multicultural society. This shift has given way to a government-sponsored multicultural policy, which seems flawed and has given birth to another social problem. According to Korean scholars Kim (2011), Watson (2010), and Lee (2015), the concept of multiculturalism is quite problematic because it promotes assimilation rather than the recognition of different cultures. This paper also aims to examine the dynamics of the politics of language in “multicultural” Korea by analyzing texts written in Filipino/Tagalog distributed by different Korean government agencies. These texts will be described, interpreted, and explained using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis.
