Excerpt

When Professor Tolentino invited me to speak to you, I was particularly interested in the challenge that he gave me. He said: “Despite great strides in Cordillera Studies in the last 20 years or so, the study of languages in the Cordillera region has not been given adequate attention in academic forums and conferences, hence, we feel that the 1st International Conference on Cordillera Studies should be an occasion to review the field of Cordillera linguistics and to address current issues in the study of indigenous languages. We would appreciate it if you could come to the conference to share with us your views on this matter.”

The two parts of that request that intrigued me are contained in the phrases “the field of Cordillera linguistics” and “current issues in the study of indigenous languages.” In order to discuss these matters, we need to know what we are talking about. What IS “Cordillera linguistics” and what ARE “indigenous languages”? I want to address the second question first. The simple answer to that is this: ‘indigenous languages’ are languages spoken by indigenous peoples. However, if we ask “Who are the indigenous peoples and why are they referred to as indigenous?” we run into an interesting set of problems.

So in the first part of my talk I want to discuss the various interpretations that are given for the term ‘indigenous’ in order for us to get a better perspective on the relationships that exist between the languages spoken in the Cordillera region and the languages that are spoken in other parts of the Philippines. In the second part, I will review what is known about the origins of Philippine languages, from both archaeological and linguistic perspectives and in particular the changes or transformations that have brought about the set of languages that have been called Cordilleran. In the final section, I will focus on one of those languages to address some of the current issues that affect not only that language, but all languages spoken by minorities in the Cordillera and other parts of the Philippines, minorities that in the Philippines today often go by the name of ‘indigenous peoples’. In my conclusion I will try to draw together the various strands of the talk to highlight the fact that all the languages of the Cordillera are endangered languages and a concerted effort is needed by all of us to make sure that future generations are not deprived of the knowledge of their language and culture that form the core of their identity as Cordilleran peoples. […]

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