Me and the Dying Language

Chapter 11: Debate [n.] Pagbaligtad ng usapan

During vacant hour, pumasok na ako sa Faculty Office. Totoo nga, kilala ako ng mga teacher dito dahil laking gulat ko na kinumusta ako ng mga teacher ko tungkol kay Lolo at sa bagong bahay.

Hindi na ako magtataka kung mahuhulaan nila ang kinain ko kagabi.

Pumunta ako sa cell ni Ma'am Mon-Mon kung saan magkakatabi-tabi ang mga mesa ng iba pang English teachers ng San Lorenzo. Sa puntong ito ay hindi na ako kinakabahan dahil mukhang hindi lang rin naman ni Ma'am ako makakausap kung magagamit ko ang Spanish. Wala pa siya sa mesa niya, pero pinahintay lang ako ng student assisstant sa tapat ng kanyang mesa.

Pinagmasdan ko ang mga gamit ni Ma'am habang naghihintay– ang mga textbook, lalagyan ng mga ballpen, ang tumpok ng mga one-fourth sheet of papers, kalendaryong maliit, at ang ilang litrato niya at ng kanyang pamilya. Ang kanyang asawa na siguro ay kasing bigat ng truck. Ang kanyang dalawang anak; isang panganay na babae at isang lalaking halos kasing-edad ko lamang sa larawan.

Bago ko pa mapansin ang ibang detalye sa kanyang buhay, pumasok si Ma'am Mon-Mon sa office at nakita ako. Hindi siya ngumiti as usual, pero nakita kong suminghal siya at kumunot ang mga labi.

"Take a seat," ani Ma'am Mon-Mon nang pumasok siya sa kanyang cell. Umupo ako agad.

"Ma'am, before anything else, I would to apolog–"

"Spare me the apologies, Mr. Manalo." Nilagay niya sa kanyang mesa ang kanyang bitbit na kape at umupo. "Tell me... have you heard about the linguistic term called language death?"

Nanginig ako sa inuupuan ko. Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ako na language ang pinag-uusapan namin o matatakot dahil may binanggit si Ma'am na death. Napalunok ako.

"It's when languages lose their native speakers..." ani ko.

"Exactly," sabi ni Ma'am. "Languages evolve everyday. They are born from different cultures, they manifest, they adapt, they die, and then they change... it's a cycle. Old English died in Anglo-Saxon Britain in 1170s, but eventually it transitioned into Middle English in the 12th century. Early Modern English was born in 1480s, and Modern English, as we know it, in late 1650s. My question is... did English die?"

Tiningnan niya ako ng maigi at nanigas ang buong katawan ko. Kung ito na huli kong mga oras sa mundong ito, ayaw kong magkamali sa grammar, kaya agad akong umiling. "No."

"Language death is one of the greatest conflicts in linguistics because we cannot measure how a language dies, right? I made research. It's one of my specializations when I was taking my masters degree. But anyway, eventually, Sanskrit developed into a new language bracket called the New Indo-Aryan languages, just as how Latin developed into Romance languages. If a language truly dies, it does not leave any traces behind."

Naiintindihan ko ang mga tinutukoy ni Ma'am pero hindi ko alam kung saan papunta ang mga sinasabi niya.

"What exactly are you saying, Ma'am? That languages do not die? That they just... evolve?"

Tumawa si Ma'am hindi dahil nakakatawa ang sinabi ko kundi dahil walang nakakatawa sa sinabi ko. "No. I am trying to tell you that I don't care if languages die. It's a normal phenomenon that naturally happens because eventually, even if they did die, they will morph into another language, or better yet, they will influence an entirely new genration of languages that are based from it."

Lumunok ulit ako at umayos sa inuupuan ko. "I don't think you understand, Ma'am. Like people, not all languages are the same. Sanskrit and Latin may have paved way for the Romance and New Indo-God knows what languages, but there are more languages that actually died and did not turn."

"And like people, as you said it, death is inevitable, even for languages. One day, we will lose native speakers because they are meant to happen."

"They aren't meant to happen if people are making ways to preserve it."

"What is there to preserve if fifty years from now, the native speakers who are the only ones who understand the soul of their language, cease to exist?"

"Ma'am, with all due respect, you're missing the entire point! The soul is the people themselves. Without the soul, the language is dead."

Nanahimik ang room. Kahit si Ma'am nakatingin lang sa akin. Kinuha ko na ang oportunidad para ipaliwanag pa ang sarili ko. Bigla kong naalala si Lolo. "At least... that's what my Lolo believes. There is an invisible connection that links the language to the cultural identity of the natives, which time cannot cut. If language death is meant to happen, then Earth lost the most beautiful thing that God gave us first as a curse."

This is the reason why I don't like Ma'am Mon-Mon. She thinks she is always right. She always overlooks the margin of doubt and deflects all information she hears, other than hers. Anong point ng paghingi niya ng opinion ko kung hindi niya naman papakinggan. Ito ba ang dahilan kung bakit niya ako pinapunta?

Tumango si Ma'am at sumipsip sa kanyang tasa ng kape na hindi niya nagalaw kanina. "Mr. Manalo... you are arrogant to facts, which makes you an elusive person, but at the same time you are decisive to opinions. You know exactly what to say, regardless if you are against me or not."

Kumunot ang noo ko.

"You understand that my facts are not your facts, and that is a good thing. Maybe? Nevertheless, there's plenty of room for interpretation for debatable topics such as language death, which you have aprehended with ease. That is why you are exactly what I am looking for... to be the president of the debate team."

"Ma-am??" muntik na akong matumba sa inuupuan kong monobloc. "I–"

"I am not expecting you to decide now... knowing you love the Dying Language Club," dagdag pa niya, bahagyang tumingin palayo. "But I don't have many time. We don't have a Debate Society, but we have many bright students who can compete."

"But if there are many others, why me?"

"No, no. I don't think you heard me, I am not only accepting you as a member. I am accepting you as the president."

Lumunok ako. Kahit kailan, hindi pumasok sa isip ko ang debate-debate na 'yan.

Napansin ata ni Ma'am na tumitingin ako sa picture. Tumingin si Ma'am sa mesa sa picture ng kanyang mga anak at napabuntong-hininga. Nagtagalog na si Ma'am.

"Dinala ng asawa ko si James sa States five years ago. Ngayon, ako ang sinisisi ni James kung bakit hiwalay kami ng papa niya. Hindi raw ako sumunod sa US. Paano ako susunod? Ako ang iniwan ng papa niya para sumama sa bago niyang babae. Alam mo, kung hindi lang ako isang ina, matagal ko na 'tong kinalimutan. De bale kung galit sa 'yo ang anak mo, ang importante alam mong nasa mabuting kalagayan siya...

"'Yung ate niya, si Denise, dito nagtatrabaho. Hindi sumama sa ama. Paminsan-minsan umuuwi sa bahay dito, pero may asawa na rin kasi at anak." Kabadong tumawa si Ma'am. "Pero kapag nakaka-video call ang papa niya, mas madalas siyang tumawa kesa kapag kasama ko siya."

Tumango ako. Napansin kong sinubukan ni Ma'am Mon-Mon na hindi lumuha, pero pumutla ang kanyang mukha at tumigil sa pag-inom ng kape. Siguro, hindi ko kinayang hangaan si Ma'am nung una dahil sa attitude niya sa pagtuturo. Nakaka-inis at nakaka-bad trip. Ayaw niyang makinig sa mga estudyante niya. Pero habang nakikita ko ang pag-aasam ng kanyang mga mata sa pagsubok na ayusin ang mga bagay na wala nang pag-asa, hindi ko maiwasan isiping hindi ako ang kailangan niya sa kaniyang team kundi ang kabaligtaran.

"Ma'am," sabi ko. "Would you like to be the adviser of the Dying Language Club?"