Revisiting the Philippine ethnolinguistic vitality: The case of Bugkalot language in a multilingual community.

Socio-political factors and pragmatism are frequently cited for language attrition and endangerment. Thus, UNESCO has drawn attention to language vitality research as it is pivotal for language planning and revitalization programs. Bugkalot is an indigenous language that strives for survival in a multilingual community. Based on UNESCO's framework, this ethnographic study investigated the degree of vitality of the Bugkalot language. Today, the language is definitely endangered due to the disruption of intergenerational transmission. Tagalog and Ilocano now dominate the domains of language use and have begun to penetrate the homes. Likewise, Bugkalot language has dwindling social domains and is not used in school. It has no conventional orthography, insufficient documentation, and is spoken by the minority. Nonetheless, the community shows a positive attitude toward their heritage language. The findings of this study may help persuade the language community and the authorities to establish language revitalization programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]