KWF seeks ways to further promote use of Filipino language

FILE: KWF (Photo By Source, Fair use)

MANILA – Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) is seeking new ways of further promoting the use of Filipino, the country’s national language.

“We’re encouraging the academe, professionals and others to come up with ideas on the matter and present these to our office for consideration as possible projects,” said KWF language researcher Jeslie del Ayre, who is involved in developing the agency’s first spellchecker software for Filipino.
She said KWF is willing to look into such ideas as this agency aims increasing use of Filipino.

The bid is aligned with the 1987 Constitution which set Filipino as the Philippines’ national language.

To increase correct use of Filipino, del Ayre said KWF approved National University programmers’ proposal to help this agency develop the spellchecker software.

“It’s KWF’s mandate to promote Filipino and other Philippine languages so our agency accepted their proposal,” she said.

KWF is already testing a prototype of the software, she noted.

The software is based on KWF’s orthographic rules for the Filipino language, she said.

She said the spellchecker software will operate much like Microsoft Word’s own by alerting people about wrong spelling of Filipino words they type on computers and providing the correct spelling for these.

The software’s focus is on spelling but KWF may eventually explore additional ways of further enabling people to correctly read and write in Filipino, noted del Ayre.

“That’s why KWF is interested in receiving proposals that can help achieve such goal,” she said.

Among KWF’s activities is translating various reading materials into Filipino and other languages in the country.

Several previous KWF-led fora highlighted Filipino’s versatility by featuring experts who use this language when teaching technical subjects related to their fields.

Those fields include medicine, engineering and information technology, noted KWF.

Various annual KWF competitions also seek promoting Filipino. (PNA)