Variability in Minasbate Terminology Equivalents: Implications for Orthography Standardization

Abstract

The new K-12 curriculum of Philippine education has emphasized Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education as one of the subjects to be taken by K to 3 learners. It is aimed at proficiency through language since one learns in a language that he understands. However, Masbate is having a hard time coping with the challenges brought about by the implementation of the mother tongue-based multilingual education. Its primary school teachers do not have quality instructional materials written in Minasbate or Masbatenyo due to the absence of its working orthography. This study identified the equivalents of terminologies lifted from the MTB-MLE Tagalog Learners’ Material for Grade 3 and their frequency of usage as determined by the residents of Aroroy, Baleno, Milagros, Mobo, and Masbate City. The respondents were asked to identify the equivalents of the terms according to what they are using. A survey questionnaire was provided by the researcher wherein the terminologies lifted from the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) (Tagalog) Learner’s Material for Grade 3 were listed alphabetically. It was found out that there are variants of Minasbate equivalents along the case of vowels /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/; affixation, syncopation or deletion of vowel; use of English terms; use of Tagalog terms; use of different terms. The variants exist since there are no definite rules to follow in writing Minasbate words. This results in confusion, so there is really a need to establish a standard orthography for the young Masbateños to enjoy learning using their mother tongue.