The Archive Releases Special Publication No. 19 (2024): A Century of Philippine Linguistics

The Archive journal, the official publication of the UP Department of Linguistics, has released Special Publication No. 19 (2024), featuring the plenary papers of the 15^th Philippine Linguistics (15PLC) held on 23-25 August 2023. The 15PLC functioned as the centerpiece of the Department’s centennial celebration. Revisiting the history and trajectories of major subfields—language documentation and description, historical and comparative linguistics, ethnolinguistics, Filipino as the national language, and Asian language teaching—this issue consolidates the history of languages studies into a single volume that traces both continuity and change in Philippine linguistics over the past hundred years, serving as both a scholarly record and a reflective milestone, capturing a century of linguistic research, teaching, and public engagement in the Philippines.

Featured Articles

Opening the issue is the keynote address of Dr. Marlies Salazar, a PhD graduate of the Department of Linguistics, who situates the Department’s history within the broader development of Philippine linguistics. Drawing from her book titled, Perspectives on Philippine Languages: Five Centuries of European Scholarship, Salazar highlights the shift from foreign-led studies of Philippine languages to Filipino scholars assuming leadership roles in the discipline. Figures such as Cecilio Lopez, Lope K. Santos, Ernesto Constantino, and Consuelo Paz emerge as central to this transition, demonstrating the growing capacity of local scholars to shape the field.

The succeeding articles of the special issue provide comprehensive overviews of specific subdisciplines. Lee, Or, and Endriga (“Language Documentation and Description in the Philippines: Patterns and Dynamics in the Past 100 Years, 1922-2022”) examine patterns in language documentation and description from 1922 to 2022, shifts from early descriptive work during the American period to contemporary theoretically-informed approaches. The authors also call for more inclusive and collaborative practices that recognize the rights and agency of linguistic communities.

In historical linguistics, Gallego, Santiago, and Dumoran (“Philippine Historical and Comparative Linguistics from Below”) argue for an approach ‘from below,’ emphasizing localized, socially grounded studies that complement traditional comparative methods.

Manahan, Asuncion, Capinpin, Cruz, de Pano, and Hernandez (“Philippine Ethnolinguistics: A Hundred Years of Inquiry”) review a century of ethnolinguistic research, underscoring its role in articulating local knowledge systems and culturally grounded worldviews, with a strong emphasis on relevance to the communities being studied.

The development of Filipino as the national language is examined by Bacolod, Enriquez, Javier, Perez, Rosario, and Abrigo (“Buhay na/ng Wika: Ang Departamento ng Linggwistiks at Usapin ng Filipino bilang Wikang Pambansa”). They highlight the central role of the UP Department of Linguistics and the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature in shaping both policy and scholarship. The paper revisits the original vision of Filipino amid continuing debates in a multilingual nation

Cunanan, Bae, Rafael and Canilao (“Asian Language Teaching in the Philippines: The UP Department of Linguistics Experience”) trace one hundred years of Asian language teaching at UP, documenting how course offerings evolved in response to changing social contexts. The paper affirms the Department’s leadership in foreign language education, sustained through institutional partnerships, capacity-building initiatives, and public service activities.

Looking Toward the Next Century

Reflecting on the legacy of the Philippine Linguistics Congress—first held in 1978 and published in The Archive in 1983—the special issue positions 15PLC as both a retrospective and a forward-looking endeavor. Issue Editor Maria Kristina S. Gallego envisions the future of Philippine linguistics as one anchored in “sustainable and respectful collaboration and co-creation among linguists, institutions, and language communities in the country.”

As the UP Department of Linguistics enters its second century, The Archive reaffirms its commitment to serving as a platform for research dissemination, especially for Filipino scholars, and to contributing to both academic knowledge and community development through the study of Philippine languages.

This issue was helmed by Assoc. Prof. Jem R. Javier (editor-in-chief), Assoc. Prof. Maria Kristina S. Gallego (issue editor), Asst. Prof. Divine Angeli P. Endriga (managing editor), Brian Salvador C. Baran (editorial assistant and layout), and Victoria N. Vidal (administrative assistant), with support from Mai Andre Encarnacion, Patricia Anne Asuncion, and Jefferson David, and the reviewers who ensured the quality of the articles.

The Archive was originally published in the 1920s by Otto Johns Scheerer as a repository for working papers of the Department’s graduate students. It now publishes research outputs in three different categories: the Regular Issue, which is the peer-reviewed publication for original works dealing primarily but not exclusively with Philippine languages and dialects; the Special Publication, which is a venue for publishing single, extensive works on Philippine languages, translations, and other similar works; and the Classics series, which reprints monumental works in Philippine linguistics that paved the way for further research in the field and continue to influence current studies on Philippine languages.

The Archive accepts submissions all year round. It is officially hosted by the UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development. Online access to the issue is currently limited. You may browse the issues of the journal on our temporary website at: <https://linguistics.upd.edu.ph/research/publications/the-archive-journal/>. For copies of the articles, kindly send a request to thearchive.upd@up.edu.ph.  More information about the journal and submission guidelines are available through the same link.