'Toy napigket nga daga
Pitpitenmi nga umuna
Danggayanmi't kankanta
Takkiagmi a napigsa
Kettang ken bannogmi
dikam igingina 

     Mannamili
     Ilokano Folk Song

ABSTRACT

This presentation discusses three ideas for further enhancement of Filipino grammar instruction. First, it is suggested to enrich content by the incorporation into the curriculum of major findings on the structure of Filipino and other Philippine languages, to synchronize what we now know about how Pilipino languages work and what we teach in grammar classes. Second, grammar curriculum writers will be encouraged to include activities that involve structure discovery and hypothesis formulation and validation. Disciplined linguistic analysis provides a convenient and inexpensive environment to experience the scientific method. Third, it will be proposed that a potentially productive method for teaching Filipino grammar, in regions where Tagalog is not the primary language, is via a two-language approach, that is, the grammar of the students' native language will be studied first and then the concepts applied to Filipino. Learning the concepts will be facilitated, it is expected, because it starts from a familiar and comfortable domain. The inclusion of the native students' language in the grammar curriculum will bring about intangible socio-cultural benefits. Implementation ideas will be offered.

Nakem Centennial Conference Secretariat
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