AWARENESS OF PHILIPPINE ENGLISH: THE CASE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Although there is an increase in the number of studies on Philippine English (PE), there is very little research tackling Filipinos’ awareness of PE. This study was done to help expand the limited research on PE awareness, fill the gaps in a few related studies, and test Filipinos’ cognizance of their English variety. Specifically, this research investigated undergraduate students’ awareness of the meanings, features, and uses of PE and its relationship with their age. This study employed a quantitative approach and used an online survey form to collect data. The form consisted of Likert items on PE which were rated by the respondents according to their awareness of each statement. After surveying 216 respondents, it was found that the undergraduate students were slightly aware of the existence of a local English variety, i.e. PE. However, the data show that the respondents were moderately conscious of the other meanings, features, and uses of PE. This suggests that the students were fairly aware of PE but have slight cognizance of its legitimacy as an English variety. A similar finding can be observed in the students’ consciousness of PE features, where they showed moderate awareness of PE having its own accent, phonology, vocabulary, and grammar, but low average consciousness on the acceptability of PE lexicon and grammar. These findings reveal the respondents’ lack of recognition of PE validity, a common issue in non-native English varieties. Spearman rank correlation was used to determine the relationship between the students’ age and their level of PE awareness. With a rho of -0.07, this study claims no significant correlation between the two variables and concludes that age is not a factor influencing PE awareness. Overall, this study reveals the fair awareness of Filipino undergraduate students towards PE and their low awareness of its legitimacy. Also, as shown in the results, the cognizance of a local English variety cannot be assumed among its speakers. Thus, language awareness should be considered as a factor in World Englishes studies.