A draft of the piece the I am writing for the Ulupan na Pansiansiay Salitan Pangasinan (Association for the Preservation of the Pangasinan Language.)
(L)evolution
Pangasinan Literature - the consciousness of our race that remained stagnant for centuries because the Pangasinenses have not kept pace with its own evolution as far as language is concerned. I am suggesting the term (L)evolution to label a serious call to a Pangasinan literary evolution.
The biologist P. B. Medawar pointed out in 1960 that our evolution is no longer simply genetic. We must not, therefore, distinguish a biological evolution from a literary evolution: both are biological evolutions.
Literary evolution demands that we utilize our learned men, men-of-letters, men and women who have the competence and the knowledge of our language to forge the future of out literature.
Before (L)evolution is possible, something to a Pangasinan mind must really come to a new beginning. There is a need to cultivate the so-called Pangasinan psyche into our minds and to transfer and impress this psyche into the minds of our youth.
We cannot deny the fact that we, like our youth of today, have been derevolutionized (mis-educated) to rob us of our precious heritage - our language. Our educational institutions patterned after two foreign institutions have deprived us to exercise our basic right to speak in our native tongue especially within the domains of these institutions - the classrooms. Aftermath, the failure of our language to evolve adding that our forefathers did not dare to fail and/or hack a trail to pave the way to the development of our literature. They have not left us a legacy of literary writings. We claim that we are very rich in oral literature, that maybe true a century ago knowing that we have done nothing to preserve them.
There is no other choice: Literary evolution - voluntary literary reform is the only answer that I could think of. While I am certain that this is somewhat ambitious, the idea could somehow rekindle our primal passions for literary rebirth.
Let us, therefore, take it seriously and as men-of-letters, educators, writers and poets it is a priority and our responsibility to our race as Pangasinenses.
(L)evolution
Pangasinan Literature - the consciousness of our race that remained stagnant for centuries because the Pangasinenses have not kept pace with its own evolution as far as language is concerned. I am suggesting the term (L)evolution to label a serious call to a Pangasinan literary evolution.
The biologist P. B. Medawar pointed out in 1960 that our evolution is no longer simply genetic. We must not, therefore, distinguish a biological evolution from a literary evolution: both are biological evolutions.
Literary evolution demands that we utilize our learned men, men-of-letters, men and women who have the competence and the knowledge of our language to forge the future of out literature.
Before (L)evolution is possible, something to a Pangasinan mind must really come to a new beginning. There is a need to cultivate the so-called Pangasinan psyche into our minds and to transfer and impress this psyche into the minds of our youth.
We cannot deny the fact that we, like our youth of today, have been derevolutionized (mis-educated) to rob us of our precious heritage - our language. Our educational institutions patterned after two foreign institutions have deprived us to exercise our basic right to speak in our native tongue especially within the domains of these institutions - the classrooms. Aftermath, the failure of our language to evolve adding that our forefathers did not dare to fail and/or hack a trail to pave the way to the development of our literature. They have not left us a legacy of literary writings. We claim that we are very rich in oral literature, that maybe true a century ago knowing that we have done nothing to preserve them.
There is no other choice: Literary evolution - voluntary literary reform is the only answer that I could think of. While I am certain that this is somewhat ambitious, the idea could somehow rekindle our primal passions for literary rebirth.
Let us, therefore, take it seriously and as men-of-letters, educators, writers and poets it is a priority and our responsibility to our race as Pangasinenses.
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