Dr. Julius Martinez awarded 2023 Emy M. Pascasio Memorial Lecture

The Department of English, in partnership with the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, successfully hosted the 12th Emy M. Pascasio Memorial Lecture on 16 September 2023. The biennial event was held at the Ateneo de Manila University Loyola campus. 

The distinguished lectureship was awarded to Dr. Julius C. Martinez, an associate professor at the Niigata University of International and Information Studies. Titled “Filipino Students’ Desires for English: Linguistic Entrepreneurship in the Philippines,” Dr. Martinez’ presented his ongoing project at a public senior high school, highlighting the complex interplay between Filipino learners’ desire for English, neoliberalism, coloniality, and linguistic entrepreneurship.

Students’ strong desire to learn English was at the heart of the discussion, a sentiment echoed by parents, teachers, and school administrators who emphasize the importance of an English-only environment. Dr. Martinez problematized the origins of these ideas, arguing that students' desires to learn English are not solely their own but are inextricably linked with neoliberal ideologies, exploited by government institutions, and historically rooted in American colonial education. 

Illustrating the pervasive influence of neoliberal ideologies in English language education, Dr. Martinez noted that “Linguistic entrepreneurship reframes language learning into a project of entrepreneurial self-development.” In this regard, competitiveness is highly prized, skills are viewed as human capital, and language is diminished into a commodity that can be mobilized for profit. Dr. Martinez challenged these notions, especially the concept of “global competitiveness,” where “native speaker” proficiency in English is seen as a gateway to better education, job prospects, and employment opportunities abroad. 

According to Dr. Martinez, government institutions reinforce and sustain this desire for English through policies that portray Filipino learners as inadequate English speakers. He remarked, "By describing global competitiveness with ‘native speakers’ as the yardstick, Filipinos' participation in the global economy is seen from a position of weakness." Further, he discussed the coloniality of Filipino learners’ desire for English, noting that the Philippine education system remains entrenched in a colonial framework that perpetuates the thinking and practices of the colonial Americans. 

The lecture concluded with a call for pedagogical interventions to make unconscious neoliberal desires for English more critically conscious. This necessitates teachers' critical awareness of their desires and the incorporation of colonial history teaching in English language classrooms.

Dr. Martinez’s lecture brings essential notions that challenge dominant monolingual ideologies in teaching and learning English in the Philippines. It is hoped that through this lecture, students, teachers, and researchers will continue to recognize the importance of making the English classroom a more inclusive space for multilingual and linguistically diverse learners. 

 Article by Ana Santiago

About the Emy M. Pascasio (EMP) Memorial Lecture 

The EMP Memorial Lecture was established to honor the life and works of Dr. Emy M. Pascasio (1931-2006), a Professor of Language & Linguistics for more than four decades at the Ateneo de Manila University and was at the helm of founding the ALLC. Dr. Pascasio served as President of the LSP twice (in 1994-1995 & in 1998-2000). She made impactful contributions to Philippine sociolinguistics & language education through her works on bilingualism, code-switching, language testing, & materials development.

The EMP Memorial Lecture is managed by the Linguistic Society of the Philippines, Inc., the Ateneo De Manila University Department of English, and the Ateneo Language Learning Center (ALLC). It is held biennially in September, the birth month of Dr. Pascasio.