The Archive Special Publication No. 19 (2024)

Keynote Address: The Historical Background of the UP Department of Linguistics

Excerpt

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

Thank you for inviting me to be the keynote speaker at the 15th Philippine Linguistics Congress and to celebrate with you 100 years of the U.P. Department of Linguistics. I feel very honored by this invitation. At the same time, coming here feels like coming home for me because I have lived many years in UP Diliman, taught foreign languages, and graduated from your department with a PhD in Philippine Linguistics.

I have been asked to talk about the background of the UP Department of Linguistics and its history over the last 100 years. During this period, it has changed its name several times:

The Department of Linguistics of the University of the Philippines was established on August 28, 1922 with Prof. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera as its first Chairperson. Its first name was the Department of Philippine Linguistics. In July 1924, it was renamed the “Department of Oriental Languages;” in 1963, the “Department of Oriental Languages and Linguistics;” in 1973, the “Department of Linguistics and Asian Languages;” and finally, the “Department of Linguistics” in 1983. The primary aim of the Department from the very beginning has been the scientific study, preservation, and promotion of Philippine languages through teaching, field research, and publications.

To get a copy of the article, you may visit the UP Diliman Journals Online website <https://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/archive/index>. Alternatively, you may email the editorial team at <thearchive.upd@up.edu.ph>