BY EDISON JOSEPH GONZALES
Filipino may come naturally in everyday conversation, but National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario is urging the country’s youth to go beyond speaking the language and learn to use it precisely in writing.
In an interview on BNC’s “The Daily Dish” during Buwan ng Wika, Almario said verbal fluency does not necessarily translate into proficiency in written Filipino.
He pointed out that while Filipinos generally speak the language with ease, writing often reveals spelling and structural mistakes.
Almario clarified several common usage issues, including the preferred spelling “kumusta” over older variants.
He explained that “aspekto” is the correct Filipino adaptation rather than “aspecto,” given that the latter does not follow the proper Spanish etymological roots in this context.
On gendered nouns, Almario noted that I and E were historically interchangeable in words such as “lalake,” but modern standardization calls for the use of I, making “lalaki” the preferred form.
He also cautioned against redundancy when using plural markers, noting that adding an “s” to a noun already preceded by “mga” creates a double plural.