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Feature: Going multilingual!
HANBOK. Dani and Robert in Asian Cultural Fest, a culminating event held by the Department of Linguistics where anyone can join. Photo Credits: Dani Valeza.
“Halo”
“你好”
“こんにちは”
“안녕하세요”
“สวัสดี”
Want to understand other Asian languages but don’t know how? Ever wonder where to learn another language in a classroom setting with instructional materials despite the cheap fee? Well, this feature will answer your question!
In Palma Hall, UP Diliman, the Department of Linguistics offers extramural classes for those who want to learn Asian languages such as Bahasa, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai. It is recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a Center of Excellence in Foreign Languages.
The classes are open for all even if you’re not a UP student. An Extramural Computerized Registration System (ExCRS) account is needed to be able to enroll in any of the classes. The said account can be created at the Department during their business hours.
Once activated, you can now browse at their website and enroll. Enrollments are on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, so when the day comes, make sure to wake up early and log-in to your account immediately!
There are 3 cycles or terms annually, meaning you have 3 chances to enroll in your desired class every year! Usually, cycles 1,2, and 3 start every January, May, and September respectively.
Classes, lasting up to 2 months, maybe held every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday depending on your chosen class. Each class per cycle costs P 3,500.
One class is equal to one module or level. The number of modules or levels depend on the language. Based on their website, their Bahasa, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai language have 4, 6, 10, 8, and 2 levels respectively. Each module or level has its own focus and difficulty.
Robert Ambat, a Grade 11 student from the Business and Entrepreneurship (BE) Track, started to study Japanese since he was in Grade 8. He’s still studying and currently taking Japanese 7. According to him, it is fun and worth it since it covers listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Even though he’s learning a lot in the classes, he said that it heavily depends on the module given; which he thinks restricts them from learning more.
“Yung pag-attend ng class ay crucial part ng language learning pero hindi magiging fruitful kung aasa ka lang sa class. Para makita yung improvement, kailangan talaga nag-eeffort din tayo na gawing parte ng everyday life natin yung foreign language na inaaral natin,” he added.
Dani Valeza, also a Grade 11-BE student, is currently taking Korean 2. She started taking classes during the 3rd cycle of 2019. She said that it is fun yet challenging since the difficulty increases per level.
When she’s asked if the classes helped her in her goal to learn Korean, she answered, “Yes kasi medyo may naiintindihan na ako kapag nanunuod ako ng mga Korean shows. Hindi man lahat pero yung ibang mga salita and phrases, naiintindihan ko na. Tsaka mas naging aware ako tungkol sa culture ng Korea and iba pang bansa.”
Due to the suspension of classes, according to their latest announcement posted on their Facebook page, the ongoing cycle will be held online. Also, the upcoming Cycle 2 is cancelled.
If you’re into learning another language, don’t hesitate and check out their Facebook page: Extramural Classes - Department of Linguistics or their website: uplinguistics.com for more information. //by Reneil E. Grimaldo
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