Our Language is Gender-Neutral
Language is the heart, the soul of a nation.
The Filipino language is more neutral than we think. The Filipino also sees that she/her or he/him is “niya” and “siya”, the language does not distinguish gender through pronouns. The word Filipinx is rooted in US multiculturalism where gender neutrality is part of the culture’s consciousness. The suffix of-x is added to acclaim gender-neutrality. As one Bulatlat poster explained “to legitimize Filipinx as gender-neutral is to efface and silence Filipino as gender-neutral.” But to reach this point, we all have to be convinced that we shouldn’t allow anyone who is bigger or thinks they have any authority over us when it comes to language, to control us or make us think and feel what they want.
The term ‘Filipinx’ or ‘Pinxy’, is so called to be more inclusive for people who identify as non-binary. The term ‘Filipino’ is masculine because it ends with -o; its feminine counterpart is ‘Filipina,’ which ends with -a. These gendered terms were brought about by Spanish colonization. ‘Filipinx’ as a matter of gender inclusivity is counterproductive as the word “Filipino” itself is already gender-neutral.
We Filipinos must resist this Western hype and empower our country’s language. We are all Filipinos. Have we broken the shackles of those who colonize us even in our language? Our Mother Tongue is something we should take pride in, and its impact on how you think and express yourself. Our language is not the only thing we will lose, but our culture. The language we speak is worth fighting for, it serves as a manifestation of our culture.
References:
Ching, M. (2020, June 29). Is the Filipino language even as gender-neutral as we think it is? https://www.cnn.ph/life/culture/2020/6/29/filipinx-gender-neutral.html.
Aguilar, D. D., & Toledo, J. (2020, September 10). Choose: Filipino or Filipinx? Bulatlat. https://www.bulatlat.com/2020/09/07/choose-filipino-or-filipinx/.
