Language choice in official information materials on COVID-19 in the Philippines: a language justice perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Every individual’s language rights are just as important and, often, even equate to healthcare rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, essential and lifesaving information and updates about local and international efforts to respond to and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic have to be made available using language(s) accessible and understandable to as many groups of people as possible. Using the lens of language justice, this paper analysed 238 official - information materials on COVID-19 from social media pages of the Department of Health (DOH) regional offices in hopes of unpacking the injustice that those who speak minor languages in multilingual Philippines experience. The hegemonic presence of major languages in the materials was observed as a majority of the information materials were published in Tagalog and English, whereas the Mother Tongues were unequally represented. The researchers argue that more Filipinos are at risk of contracting the virus, as the languages in which lifesaving information are presented are limited and unequal. Autonomy and decentralisation of local government offices and representation of speakers of the minority languages in the production and publication of materials will be an inclusive, sustainable, and participatory community approach to COVID-19 as a language rights emergency.