ABSTRACT
The present research investigated the issues of language shift and vitality of second-year college students in a college in Abuyog, Leyte based on the dimensions of socio-economic, institutional-political, demographic and socio-psychological factors. The research paper is founded on the theory of Reversing Language Shift proposed by Fishman (1991), and the Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), which dwells on the role of intergenerational transmission and use of language within the social spheres of life in sustaining the language. It is also informed by the Theory of Linguistic Capital (Bourdieu 1991), which is used to articulate how the supposed social and economic worthiness of a language affects language choices and use. It has been demonstrated in the past that globalization and digital technologies greatly affect the language preferences of youths and cause the depreciation of the use of regional languages (Crystal, 2000; Androutsopoulos, 2015). There is however only minimal empirical research that specifically aims at identifying the vitality of the Waray-Waray language among the Generation Z students studying in Eastern Visayas. This gap creates the need to conduct additional research on the existing patterns of using Waray-Waray and how some factors influence its sustainability among young speakers. Results indicated a relationship between economic opportunities and academic policies and social media favoring the use of English and Tagalog, which leads to bilingual shift. Nevertheless, the vibrancy of the Waray-Waray is preserved by healthy family and community use, and emotions and pride in culture. The research develops the conclusion that despite less usage of Waray-Waray in both formal and digital environments, its cultural and psychological value is still high. It proposes the incorporation of Waray-Waray in education, local government and digital platforms as a means of enhancing its further usage.
Keywords: language shift, language vitality, Waray-Waray, Generation Z
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