Comusta ne ing balen: the relationship of language and community newspapers in Pampanga
ABSTRACT
Community newspapers generally suffer from several factors that contribute to their deaths. In provinces located near the country‟s capital, Metro Manila, however, one of the issues that stand out is the increasing disuse of the vernacular language in literature in lieu of either English or Filipino (Tagalog). This phenomenon has led to the decline of many languages.
The Kapampangan language has been one of its victims. Efforts to preserve it have been undertaken in recent years, particularly through publishing and promoting Kapampangan literature. However, these efforts are concentrated on creative writing; little attention has been given to journalistic writing. The present study assumes that, aside from their information function, newspapers can help preserve a society‟s culture, and employs the Systems Theory to portray this relationship. It aims to identify the reasons why community newspapers in Pampanga today are no longer published in the vernacular language and whether steps can be taken to change this.
Interviews with journalists and experts in Kapampangan culture were conducted to identify these reasons. A survey among residents of Angeles City, Porac, and the City of San Fernando was also done to find out whether it is feasible to publish a Kapampangan newspaper today.
San Andres, I.J.P. (2012). Comusta ne ing balen: the relationship of language and community newspapers in Pampanga, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
Keywords: community newspapers, Pampanga, Kapampangan language, systems theory