The Forum’s back, and so is Manny Pacquio along with the national election season

[Jose Carillo]

November 21, 2009

Dear Fellow Communicators in English,

The transfer of Jose Carillo’s English Forum to a new host-server took a day longer than expected, but I’m delighted to let you know that the Forum went back online this afternoon (Friday) and have now completed uploading its new weekly edition. We trust that the technical problems of the transfer are now over for good and that everything in the website will be running smoothly from now on.

You’ll no doubt agree that the most important news story during the past few days is a tossup between (a) the start of filing of certificates of candicacy for the 2010 national elections, and (b) the triumphant return of Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao from his precedent-setting victory over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. I therefore took a strong interest in how the four national broadsheets would report these two commanding events, and hoped that their reporters and editors would give their stories their grammar and journalistic best. They did well overall, I think, but still made a few serious grammar gaffes. I therefore decided to formally critique them in the Forum to help prevent their recurrence. 

As usual, of course, we made sure that the Forum’s regular sections this week are chockfull of very interesting and provocative readings. Take a look:

THIS WEEK IN THE FORUM (November 21-27, 2009): 

• My Media English Watch: One or Two Little Flies in the English Ointment of the Major Broadsheets (Grammar errors mar the fine tapestry of their major reportage)

• You Asked Me This Question: Should We Say “On the Contrary” or “To the Contrary” Instead? (They mean the same but aren’t intercheangeable in usage)

• How Good is Your English?: Find Your Own English-Proficiency Level by Taking the G-TELP (Make this test a basis for your English self-improvement program)

• Essays by Jose Carillo: Good English is More Than Just Perfect Grammar and Syntax(It needs a strong sense of logic and context—and familiarity with idioms)

• News and Commentary: Winners of the 2008 National Book Awards in the Philippines Announced (A harvest of 10 outstanding books on as many subjects)

• Readings About Language: Travails in Internationally Speaking English and Other Annoyances (Communicating abroad and dealing with irksome language)

• Pour Out Your Mind in English: When Non-English Majors Teach English in Philippine Call Centers (A challenging job that can make you more versatile)

• Special Forum on Education: “Many Languages, Not Just Taglish, are Sprinkled with Foreign Words” (So why pick on Taglish for mixing language registers?)

• Advice and Dissent: No to Philosophy of Journalism, Yes to Religion as Growth Engine? (A bias against journalism and the payback from religious freedom) 

• Time Out from Grammar: Charm Wanes for Iconic Provençal Place and Iconic Best-selling Writer (Two critics point to their downside and drawbacks)

See you at the Forum!

Joe Carillo

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