William Cope
Reda Sadki
May Thet Khine Nyein
Eugenia Arvanitis
Pinakini Shah
Jonathan deHaan
Alessandra Coutinho Fernandes
Ketan HeinLiteracy Teaching and Learning MOOC’s Updates
Section 1b: First Languages
In this section, we explore literacies on a human scale. In the broadest of brushstrokes, discuss three phases in the development of literacies in our species: the literacies of people who spoke first languages, the arrival of writing beginning several thousands of years ago, and the rise of digital communications media since the last quarter of the twentieth century.
This first update of the section explores the literacies of 'first languages' used before writing as we know it. In the past, cultures that existed before writing were considered to be uncivilised or primitive. In fact, these languages were as complex and sophisiticated as any contemporary systems of communication. And the meaning systems of these first people were deeply multimodal.
To understand more about the nature of these languages,
- read the texts in the 'First Languages' section of our supporting materials website.
- read the following article:
Comment: In your exploration of first languages, what are some interesting or suprising things you have learned?
I live in Indonesia, which was once colonized by the Dutch, Japanese, and Portuguese. What's interesting about the first language I understood as an Indonesian is that in Indonesian, there are several words that are almost similar to Dutch words, for example, antor (kantoor), kulkas (koelkast), baskom (waskom), bioskop (bioscoop), gorden (gordijn), handuk (handdoek), and insinyur (ingenieur). What is surprising is how natural these words sound in everyday conversation—as if they originated from regional languages or native Malay. This shows how dynamic the Indonesian language is: it absorbs, adapts, and then adopts foreign elements into its own identity.
In my opinion, this is clear evidence that language is not only a tool for communication, but also a living historical archive. Every word we utter may contain traces of cultural encounters, power, and civilizational exchanges.
Discovering Spanish: A Language Close to Home
As someone who grew up speaking Tagalog, learning Spanish feels both new and strangely familiar. I didn’t expect it, but the more I explore the language, the more I realize how much of it is already part of our everyday Filipino life. Words like mesa, silla, relo, kutsara, and even lunes and martes—they’re all Spanish. It’s like discovering pieces of our past hidden in plain sight.
Spanish started in the Iberian Peninsula around the 9th century and spread across the world through colonization. When Spain ruled the Philippines for over 300 years, the language became part of our culture, government, and education. Although it’s no longer widely spoken here, its influence remains strong in our vocabulary, traditions, and even in how we name streets and towns. One thing I like about Spanish is how phonetic it is. You pronounce words mostly as they’re spelled, which makes reading easier. But it also has gendered nouns—so you say el libro for “the book” and la mesa for “the table.” Verbs change depending on who’s doing the action, which can be tricky at first, but it gets easier once you see the patterns.
For me, learning Spanish isn’t just about picking up a new skill. It’s about reconnecting with a part of our Filipino identity. It’s also practical—Spanish is spoken in over 20 countries and used in international work, travel, and media. Whether I’m listening to Latin music, watching Spanish films, or just trying to understand our history better, I feel like I’m building a bridge between cultures. And as a Tagalog speaker, that bridge already has strong foundations.
The Filipino Language: A Living Bridge of Culture, Identity, and Communication
When I had to choose a language to research, Filipino was an easy pick for me. It's not just because it's our national language here in the Philippines, it's because of what it represents for millions of us who speak it every day. Filipino is like the thread that weaves together our incredibly diverse country, helping people from Luzon to Mindanao understand each other despite having hundreds of different local dialects. What I find fascinating about the Filipino language is how beautifully messy their vocabulary is. We've borrowed words from everywhere, Spanish colonizers left us with mesa and silya, American influence gave us computer and weekend, and our Southeast Asian neighbors contributed their own touches. Rather than making our language confused, this mix makes it incredibly vibrant. We can switch from kumain to eat to comer in a single conversation, and somehow it all just works. This linguistic flexibility is what makes the Filipino language so alive and adaptable. It grows with us, absorbing new influences while keeping its distinct Filipino soul. That's exactly why I wanted to dive deeper into understanding this language that's so much a part of who we are. And honestly, the more I learned about the Filipino language, the more I realized how creative we are with words. We're a country that loves our salawikain (proverbs), bugtong (riddles), and all sorts of colorful expressions that pop up not just in our literature, but in everyday chats with friends and family. My lola always had a proverb ready for any situation, that's just how we are as Filipinos. We can't help but be artistic and playful with language. What's really cool about Filipino grammar is that we're not stuck with rigid rules. Sure, we usually go with subject-verb-objects like Ako ay kumain ng mansanas (I ate an apple), but we can flip things around depending on what we want to highlight. Want to emphasize the apple? Mansanas ang kinain ko. It's this flexibility that makes the Filipino language feel so natural to speak. Then there's our love affair with affixes, we attach nag, um, in, and dozens of others to root words, creating this whole family of related meanings. It sounds complicated, but it just flows when you grow up with it. But what really gets me is how respect is built right into our language. Those little words po and opo aren't just politeness, they're cultural DNA. When I say Kumusta po kayo? to my tita, I'm not just asking how she is; I'm acknowledging our relationship and showing the respect our culture taught me to give. Looking back on all this, I realize the Filipino language isn't just how we talk, it's who we are. Every borrowed word, every respectful po, every playful turn of phrase carries our history, our values, our identity as Filipinos. When we use our language and help it grow, we're not just communicating; we're keeping our culture alive.
The most surprising thing is that humans from the first globalization still creatively used their first language even though they knew that they were isolated and their languages were slowly fading due to the small numbers of their populations.
It’s amazing how humans can create their own language. This taught me how important our mother tongue is, as it defines and preserves our identity.
One thing that resonates with me is the fact that diversity, culture, and creativity can be represented through languages. Actually, it reminds me that the Philippines also has an array of native languages, like Ilocano, which I grew up listening to together with Filipino as my first language. I see those native languages as more than just communication tools, I see those as an identity, culture, and a sense of belonging. I said this because whenever I'm travelling alone to a place that I'm not familiar with, my spirits will lift up when I hear that there is someone who is speaking the same language I grew up with. Even when I'm in an unfamiliar place, I feel like I belong. However, as I dive deeper into that topic, I got sad because I came to realize that just like many Aboriginal languages in Australia, some of the Philippine native languages are at the risk of becoming extinct. Hence, it helped me to appreciate the fact that first languages actually serve as a living link to our past and a sense of self as an individual.
I am fascinated every time I hear people speaking in their mother tongue. I admire on their passion to preserve their culture and pass it on to their offspring. Their way of communicating fosters creativity and willingness to express themselves in meaningful ways. Learning a language aside from your mother tongue is challenging that' s why I was surprise that multilingualism seems natural in the early societies without formal learning.
One interesting aspect of first languages is their deep-rooted diversity and adaptability. The video highlights how early human languages were not static but evolved dynamically through interaction and cultural exchange. It is surprising to learn that multilingualism was a natural state in early societies, with people often speaking multiple dialects or languages to communicate across groups. This challenges the common perception that linguistic diversity is a modern phenomenon and instead suggests that it has always been an integral part of human communication.
The case of Brazil exemplifies the impact of globalization on linguistic and cultural diversity. As the article argues, the first globalization was marked by an active and dynamic linguistic diversity, with multiple symbolic systems coexisting and continuously evolving. Similarly, pre-colonial Brazil was home to approximately 1,000 indigenous languages, each reflecting unique ways of meaning-making and world perception.
However, with the second globalization and the European colonization of the Americas, a process of linguistic and cultural homogenization took place. In Brazil, this manifested in the dominance of Portuguese and the gradual marginalization or extinction of many indigenous languages. This shift mirrors what the article describes as the transition to mass societies, where standardization of language and culture became central to nation-building.
Yet, in the current phase of globalization—what the article suggests might be a third globalization—there are signs of a reversal in this trend. In Brazil, there has been a growing movement toward the recognition and revitalization of indigenous languages and cultures. Public policies supporting bilingual education, constitutional recognition of indigenous rights, and academic efforts to document and preserve endangered languages reflect a renewed appreciation for linguistic diversity.
This shift aligns with the article’s central argument that the new phase of globalization is not merely reinforcing past patterns of cultural assimilation but is, instead, fostering a deeper engagement with diversity. If the second globalization sought to create uniformity, the third globalization may be marked by a revaluation of difference, making diversity an essential and dynamic aspect of modernity.
Reference: GALVÃO, Ana Maria de Oliveira & BRAGANÇA, Alexandre (orgs.). Alfabetização, Leitura e Escrita de Crianças Indígenas no Brasil. Mercado de Letras, 2017.
In Brazil we speak Portuguese, and according to studies from a university from Goias, – UFG (Universidade Federal de Goiás) – the language arose from colloquial Latin and the influence of other groups of people who have invaded or moved to the Southeast of Europe 2000 years ago, which nowadays is Portugal and Spain.
Because of Brazil’s colonization in the 16th century, not only Portuguese from Portugal was inserted in this ‘new land’ but also the vocabulary and lexical structures from the native people, African slaves and European foreigners for over 300 years.
English has become important in the second half of 20th century, which brought a neologism between Brazilin people and some objects or events such as brainstorm, coach, feedback, mouse, notebook, delivery and so on. Nowadays speaking in a meeting using English words in the middle of the lecture is considered high level and it is well-appreciate in terms of career development.
Bibliography
https://letras.ufg.br/n/1844-as-origens-da-lingua-portuguesa