Language

[_mike_y_]

In the last year, I've spent a great deal of time trying to learn a couple different languages (Spanish and Tagalog. (and Visaya to a lesser degree.) While I've learned, and forgotten, some vocabulary, the structure of the language is a barrier to me. I can pick up words and tell what is being said based on body language and expressions, but

Comments

[vuvvlegum]

What your friend has told is true in the Philippines. No matter how fluent we may be in speaking, reading in our own native language seems to be difficult. I think I've mentioned once that I'm having a difficult time reading in Tagalog and Ilocano.

I think the very reason is because our linguists, ever since they 'de-Castillanized' the spelling rules, had failed to come up with a standard set of spelling rules(sometimes, grammar rules too). Thus, making it difficult for us to write and read in our native languages. What most of us do now is 'write the way it is spoken'. Also, the lack of proper accent marks make it difficult too.

When I was in high school, the spelling of effective was 'epektibo'; when I took up Fil 2, the spelling/term for effective had already been 'efektiv'.