Philippine E-Journals

Ernesto Constantino and the Filipino Language: Intellectual Biography of a Pillar of Linguistics and Language Planning in the Philippines

Jay Israel B. De Leon

 

Abstract:

This paper studies the intellectual life and production of Ernesto A. Constantino (1930–2016). Through an intellectual biography, Constantino’s ideas are interpreted and contextualized in the bigger history of his society. This paper shows the status of Constantino as a pillar of linguistics and language planning in the Philippines. Constantino became very active in participating in two constitutional conventions (1971–1972 and 1986), where one of the most important issues tackled was the provision on national language. A linguist and a true advocate of national unity and identity, Constantino offered a solution to what can be called “language regionalism” through the universal approach in developing the national language now called Filipino. This paper is divided into four substantive sections: (1) biography of Constantino, (2) Constantino as a linguist, (3) Constantino and language planning, and (4) Constantino as a folklorist. In the end, the paper emphasizes the significant contributions of Constantino not only to his field but also to the Filipino society in general. Through his intellectual biography, Constantino is viewed as an active agent of social change.