Q&A with BEBANG SIY: Author of "It's a Mens World"

      1.      Do you consider yourself as a feminist? Why or why not?

      2.      Do you consider your writing as a feminine style? Why or why not?

      3.      How did you come up with the title of this book (It’s a mens world)?

      4.      Among the 20 essays in this book, which one is your favourite? Why?

      5.      Presently, do you think men still dominates our society? Or is it the women’s time already?

      6.      In Ronald Lim’s article in Manila Bulletin entitled “Vagina monologues”, he mentioned the limited choice we have in terms of modern Filipina’s representation and that it is refreshing to come across someone like you, how do you feel about that comment? (since it seems that you became a new representation of the modern Filipina)

      7.      Do you believe that it doesn’t always have to be a man’s world? Why?

      8.      As the eldest in a Chinese family and not being a boy? How do you honestly feel about it?

      9.      Since one of the major topics of your book is about menstruation and having it means being a woman, do you believe that the women’s bodies are their destiny?

     10.  “Bakit ko nga ba susundin ang babaeng ‘to? Wala namang kuwentang babae. Wala naming kuwentang asawa. I therefore conclude, wala ring kakwuenta-kuwentang nanay.”

These lines are some of the heaviest in your book. It greatly shows the effects of your father’s opinion about your mom into you, what if your mother tells you the same about your father, who will have a greater impact on you (your mother or your father’s words)?

1   11.  Helene Cixous, a famous feminist believes in the freeing of the self through writing, in your book it seems that you free yourself through writing. Am I right? If yes or no, how can you describe your feelings while writing?

     12.  How does being a mother and having a son affects your writing?

     13.  Being a single mother, how far do you think your influence can go in your son’s life?

     14.  If you can some it all up in one word, how does it feel living in a “mens world”?

Prepared by: Lablynn Yvette Bautista

                     UPLB MACA

QUESTIONS FOR BEBANG SIY:

1.     Do you consider yourself as a feminist? Why or why not?

Parang hindi ko gusto ang branding na peminista. Pag nagsusulat ako, kagaya rin ako ng mga lalaki, isinusulat ko kung ano ang gusto kong isulat. Peminista ba ang tawag doon?

Hindi rin ako sigurado kung peminista ang tawag sa ganito: kapag may mga naghahanap ng suggestion para magsalita sa isang literary event, ang lagi kong isina-suggest ay kapwa ko babae na manunulat. Kasi feeling ko, hindi masyadong nare-represent ang mga babaeng manunulat.

Kapag may nagtatanong sa akin kung sino sino ang mga paborito kong manunulat at ano ano ang mga paborito kong aklat, sinisiguro ko na may mga manunulat na kababaihan sa babanggitin ko.

Peminista nga ba ang tawag sa ganito? Hindi ako sure.

2.     Do you consider your writing as a feminine style? Why or why not?

Hindi naman. Palagay ko hindi feminine ang style ko, hindi pa-gurl. Pero pang babae ang topic ko. Palagay ko rin, honest ito. Kaya kung honest, ibig bang sabihin noon ay feminine na? Hindi siguro. Pero madetalye ako. At nabasa ko somewhere na mas magaling ang mga babae sa pagbibigay at pagpansin sa mga detalye.

3.     How did you come up with the title of this book (It’s a mens world)?

Ang orihinal na pamagat ng sanaysay kung saan ko hinango ang pamagat ng aklat ay Regla Baby. Parang nilaro ko ang term na Regal Baby ni Mother Lily (ang may ari ng Regal Films na siyang producer ng mga pelikula noon bago pa sumikat ang ABS-CBN, GMA Films at iba pa.) ang Regal Baby ay iyong mga artista na nila-launch ni Mother Lily.

Napansin ko noong Regla Baby pa ang title ng essay, hindi siya ma-publish-publish. Hindi ko alam kung bakit. kung saan-saan ko na sinubmit at kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko pati sa Palanca. talo!

Isang araw, habang nakasakay ako sa dyip, bigla ko na lang naisip ang phrase na it’s a mens world. At sabi ng loob ko, puwede. Bagay naman sa essay ko. Kaya iyon.

Inuna ko ang essay na ito kasi palagay ko it sets the tone of the whole book. Na this book is something really personal, na its about a girl/woman, na its about living in other people’s standards, parang ganon. Kaya naisip ko, maganda na rin na ito na ang pamagat ng buong aklat. Kasi parang it will give you a glimpse of what the book is all about.

4.     Among the 20 essays in this book, which one is your favourite? Why?

Ang Lugaw, Bow. Mas paborito ko ang tatay ko kesa sa nanay ko. Pero kung buhay pa siya ngayon,palagay ko, maka-nanay ako ahahahaha!

I think nagtagumpay ako sa kuwentong Ang Lugaw, Bow. Naipakita ko na kahit gano kagago ang tatay ko, 

mahal pa rin niya kaming mga anak niya. Nagtagumpay ako na ipakita ang pagmamahal niya sa amin sa panulat na simple at light lang. Pero ang totoo, mabigat yun. Mabigat ang paksa. Marital problems yun, e. Broken homes. Financial difficulties. Pero hindi ko pinapabigat para sa reader. Na para bang wala lang ang mga kinukuewnto ko rito. Pero im so sure na yung mga nakaranas ng katulad ng naranasan naming mag-anak, alam nila kung gaano ito kabigat.

Favorite ko rin ‘yong Bayad-Utang. Kasi marami daw natawa doon. At naniniwala ako na lahat yata tayo, me ganong uri ng kasalanan sa mga kapatid. Yung napapagalitan sila dahil sa atin hahahaha!

5.     Presently, do you think men still dominates our society? Or is it the women’s time already?

Yes of course. They still do. Kaya nga, para makabenta ng alak at yosi (na karamihan ay lalaki ang market), kelangan me babaeng nakabikini para imodel ang mga ito. Karamihan sa mga decision maker sa kompanya, lalaki pa rin. Marami pa rin sa mga working moms, pag-uwi, magluluto pa tapos mag-aasikaso pa ng mga anak.

Pero palagay ko, marami na ang nag-improve kung ikukumpara noon. Dati, bawal bumoto ang mga babae. Me nabasa ako noon sa UP Library. Libro tungkol sa debate (I think mga politician noon ang nagdedebate at nakasulat sa book na ito) kung bakit dapat bumoto ang babae. Tapos matatawa ka sa mga argument ng mga anti. Sabi nila,  kung girl pa, the father can represent him sa pagboto. Kung may asawa na, puwede naman yung asawang lalaki ang mag-represent sa pagboto. Madodoble lang ang pagboto kung pati yung babae ay pabobotohin. Ganyan! Imagine? Nakakatawa, di ba?

So basically, we have already succeeded. Hindi tayo masyadong discriminated kung ikukumpara sa women sa ibang bansa. Kaya okay naman. We are moving forward. I believe.

6.     In Ronald Lim’s article in Manila Bulletin entitled “Vagina monologues”, he mentioned the limited choice we have in terms of modern Filipina’s representation and that it is refreshing to come across someone like you, how do you feel about that comment? (since it seems that you became a new representation of the modern Filipina)

Siyempre flattered ako. Maganda talaga ang mga sinabi ni Ronald. Of all reviews, siya lang ang tumukoy sa Ermita bilang isang tauhan din sa libro. Napansin niya (siya lang ang nakapansin) kung paano kong pinortray ang sulok-sulok ng Ermita, Divisoria at iba pang bahagi ng Maynila sa akda.

Anyway, flattered ako sa sinabi niya. Kasi parang lagi na lang virgin and the vamp ang representations nating kababaihan. Lagi na lang, prostitute, madre, good girl, bad girl. Opposite poles lagi. Either make up nang make up or losyang. Batambata at seksi or laos. Wala bang yung normal lang? di ba? Yung sapat lang? Kumbaga sa kulay, gray.

At palagay ko, isa ako doon. Sa mga gray. Mabuti akong tao pero me mga katarantaduhan din ako. Pero hindi naman ako tarantadong-tarantado. Nagkakamali rin ako pero may background ang mga pagkakamali ko at higit sa lahat, handa akong pagbayaran ang mga ito, lalo na kung kasalanan ko namang talaga. Filipina lang ba ang ganyan? I guess, hindi. Let’s just say, normal lang na tao. Tao lang, ganon.  Tao. Ang modern Filipina ay ordinaryong tao. Katulad din nating lahat. Maraming flaw pero laging sumusubok na makagawa ng tama at mabubuting bagay para sa ikakaganda ng mundo. (pang miss universe ata itong sagot ko!)

7.     Do you believe that it doesn’t always have to be a man’s world? Why?

Of course! Ang mundo ay binubuo ng iba’t ibang uri ng tao. Ang lungkot naman kung men lang ang star sa mundong ito, di ba? E anlaki-laki naman at aalog-alog sila kung sila lang ang star dito. Kaya  palagay ko, its time to share the limelight to everyone. Hindi lang to women. To all na. mas exciting ang ganon.

8.     As the eldest in a Chinese family and not being a boy? How do you feel honestly about it?

Hindi ko ito naiisip noon. My dad never let me feel that he’s sad because his first born is a girl. Actually, hindi ako ang first born niya. Ang tsismis, he was about 15 when he got someone pregnant. The baby, boy pa naman, was brought to their house at ipinakita sa mga magulang ng tatay ko. I think the girl, the nanay of the baby, was not Chinese. I think yun ang isang dahilan kung bakit hindi nagkainteres ang magulang niya sa bata. They were very traditional. Chinese for chinese only ang drama ng matatanda.

Sabi sa tsismis, hindi raw lumabas ang tatay ko nang dalhin ang bata sa bahay na yon. Tapos umuwi na ang baby at ang nanay nito. At pumunta sa US. At hindi na sila nakita pang muli. My dad never told us a thing. Hindi rin ito alam ng nanay ko. Never siyang nagbanggit ng tungkol dito. Yung mga pinsan kong dalaga ang nagkuwento sa akin nito. At akala siguro nila, makakalimutan ko na ito. Kasi parang isang beses lang nila naikuwento tapos hindi na naungkat uli kahit kelan. Pero naaalala ko, habang nagkukuwento sila ay naiimagine ko ang babae na may dalang bata. Nasa tapat ng pinto ng tindahan namin. That fictional photo in my memory, sobrang di ko makalimutan. Kaya hanggang ngayon, naaalala ko ang kuwentong ito tungkol sa tatay ko.

Years after, my dad met my mom. Niligawan niya nga tapos binuntis niya. And then my mom found out na may nauna pala sa kanya. So may ate ako. At meron din akong kapatid na babae ulit (from the same woman kung saan ako nagkaate), na kaedad ni colay. As in pareho pa sila ng birth month at year (siyempre). I guess, my dad bukod sa pagiging babaero niya, maybe he was trying to have a son.

Siguro karma niya ito. Lahat kami, babae. Hahahaha!

Heto kaming magkakapatid (na alam ko ha, marami pa kasi ayon sa mga pinsan ko, hindi lang namin kilalang lahat)

Veronica-kay tita doris

Beverly-ako, siyempre sa mama ko

Columbia at Charina- sa mama ko at kay tita doris

Kimberly-sa mama ko

Charisse Ann-sa mama ko

Favourite niya sa amin si colay. Because she was tomboyish. Mas malakas ang loob. Mas outspoken at mas manly ang look. Makapal ang kilay, malaki ang mata. Siguro it was because he really wanted to have a son. Di ako masyadong nagseselos noong time na yon. Kasi hindi ko talaga nararamdaman yun. Yung mga dalagang pinsan ko lang ang nagsasabi sa akin. Mas issue sa akin na lagi siyang wala sa bahay namin. At halos wala siya nong mga panahon na lumalaki kami. Nagdadalaga.

9.     Since one of the major topics of your book is about menstruation and having it means being a woman, do you believe that the women’s bodies are their destiny?

Naku. Destiny talaga ang mga katawan natin. Hindi lang sa lalaki o sa babae. Sa lahat.  Mens lang naman ang ipinagkaiba natin sa mga lalaki. Kung ano ang kaya nilang gawin, kaya na rin natin. At sila rin. Kung ano ang kaya nating gawin, kaya rin nila. So I guess, wala sa katawan yan. It’s all in the mind! Hehehe

Ang maidadagdag ko lang rito, kapag yan na ang katawan mo, so destiny, yan ang katawan mo, kunwari ako, babae, ako, dapat alamin ko kung paano ko ito magagamit to my advantage. Kung mas flexible ang katawan natin, mas maliit tayo, mas magaan, so kung gusto ko, mas madali sa akin ang mag-ballet. Or maggymnast. or something like these, di ba?

Yong pagkakaroon natin ng kakayahan na magbuntis, I guess hindi siya dapat tingnan bilang isang liability. Its actually one beautiful thing. Pero kung inaapi ka dahil sa kakayahan mong magbuntis, something is wrong, di ba? Not only with you or yung taong umaapi sayo kundi yung buong society na kinabibilangan ninyo mismo.

Sana nasagot ko yong tanong mo. Medyo mahirap yung tanong mo hahahaha puwede ka magtanong sa akin kapag may hindi malinaw. Email ka lang, ha, Lab.

10.  “Bakit ko nga ba susundin ang babaeng ‘to? Wala namang kuwentang babae. Wala naming kuwentang asawa. I therefore conclude, wala ring kakwuenta-kuwentang nanay.”

These lines are some of the heaviest in your book. It greatly shows the effects of your father’s opinion about your mom into you, what if your mother tells you the same about your father, who will have a greater impact on you (your mother or your father’s words)?

She did. Worse pa nga yung ginawa niya e. sinama niya ako huhulihin naming ang tatay ko habang nambababae on the spot. Di ba maraming club sa amin, ayun, isang gabi, isinama niya ako. Me dala siyang bayong. Tapos naglakad lang kami (ibig sabihin, sa club na malapit sa bahay naming ang pinuntahan namin) nagpunta kami sa tabi ng isang night club. Tapos nagtago kami. Tapos inaabangan ng nanay ko lahat ng lumalabas doon sa pinto ng 

night club.

At ang naalala ko na lang, biglang hinugot ng nanay ko ang laman ng bayong. Isang basyong bote ng sprite. Hinataw niya sa ulo ng isang lalaki. Palagay ko tatay ko yon.

Tapos non, wala na akong maalala.

Pero I remember my mami’s words, nambababae na naman yang tatay mo. Hayop talaga. Gago talaga. Pamura-mura pa ang nanay ko.

Nagsisiraan sila. Buti nga at ako lang ang may isip nang mga panahon na yon. Kaya siguro ako lang ang talagang nakaunawa nung mga nangyayari sa kanila. Ang mas malaking impact ay yung sa tatay ko. Kasi nang magkahiwalay sila, yun nga, hindi ko na nakikita ang nanay ko kaya parang gospel truth ang sinasabi ng tatay ko. Akala ko talaga, masama ang nanay ko.

11.  Helene Cixous, a famous feminist believes in the freeing of the self through writing, in your book it seems that you free yourself through writing. Am I right? If yes or no, how can you describe your feelings while writing?

Yes. Na-feel ko ito lalo na nung sinusulat ko ang kay kuya dims. Kapag nare-record ko ang thoughts ko, I feel so liberated alam mo yon? Parang ang dami kong words sa katawan. Gusto ko nang i-articulate kaya masaya ako na naitatala ang mga ito. Parang nakakagaan ng pakiramdam.

Habang sinusulat ko ang mga essay sa book, okay naman ang pakiramdam ko. Hindi ko akalain kasi na magiging book ito eventually. Paisa-isa ko lang itong isinulat. So yes. Parang mas liberating. Actually, the act of sharing the words with…even a paper, liberating. Parang navi-visualize mo kasi. Na yung burden, nailipat mo na sa papel. Napapakawalan mo yung feelings sa loob mo.

12.  How does being a mother and having a son affects your writing?

Malaki. Maaraming times kasi na kaya ako sumusulat kasi gusto ko mabago ang mundo. Alam mo yon? Yung gusto ko, maging better ito. Kaya sulat ako nang sulat. Baka sakaling makatulong akong mabago ito. Kasi iniisip ko ang anak ko. Ilang taon na lang at siya na ang gagalaw nang mag isa sa lipunan. Mapapabilang na siya rito. Kaya hangga’t kaya ko at ng panulat ko, sulat lang nang sulat para makatulong ako sa pagpapaganda nito.

Sa mga sinusulat ko, kahit mabigat at seryoso minsan, I always try to end with hope. Kasi dahil may anak ako. Pag may anak ka, hindi ka puwedeng defeatist. Dapat fighter ka till the end. Hindi ka nawawalan ng pag-asa. Siguro yun din ang trait na gusto kong mamana niya.

13.  Being a single mother, how far do you think your influence can go in your son’s life?

Hindi na nga siya sumasama sa akin ngayon, e. bihira na siyang makinig. Hindi rin siya sumusunod sa mga utos ko. Ang hirap. Binata na kasi. Pero masaya ako kasi mabait naman ang anak ko. Hindi naman basag-ulo. Hindi nagloloko sa pag-aaral. Bagama’t hindi nag-aaral nang mabuti! At kapag pinapagalitan ko, hindi siya sumasagot. Magaling din siyang magsulat. May sariling paraan.

Mahirap sabihin kung hanggang kelan ako magiging impluwensiya sa kanya. Pero sa totoo, gusto ko sana matuto na siyang magdecide para sa sarili niya kahit ngayon pa lang.

14. If you can some it all up in one word, how does it feel living in a “mens world”?

Madugo.

Prepared by: Lablynn Yvette Bautista

                     UPLB MACA

Lablyn,

Maraming salamat. Nag-enjoy ako sa mga tanong mo. Sana ay mapakinabangan mo ang mga sagot ko. Kindly send me a copy of your finished work. Baka puwede kong ipost sa blog ko. Please? Thank you.

Ms. Bebang,

Thank You din po..so much..:-)

Effective Tutor- Tutee Interaction: The Ethnography of Communication in a Tutorial Class

Effective Tutor- Tutee Interaction: The Ethnography of

Communication in a Tutorial Class

by

Lablynn Yvette F. Bautista

 A major paper submitted to Prof. Jerry R. Yapo of

University of the Philippines Los Banos

in partial fulfilment of the requirements for

COMA 202: Discourse Analysis in Communication

Los Banos, Laguna

October 12, 2012

I.                   Context and Significance

       As our second language, English has become a very important aspect for every Filipinos lives. We use our English communication skills to get jobs in call centers or apply as an English tutor for foreigners who come in the country to seek guidance in learning English as their second language. For those who can’t come personally here, there are online Filipino tutors too.

      Tutoring is generally understood as instruction beyond what is provided in a normal school day. Tutoring may occur during non-instructional periods of the school day, before or after school, or during weekends. Today, tutoring can also mean as instruction for any individual who seeks for assistance on extended learning like second language learning. In this paper, using Ethnography of Communication, I will analyze the effectiveness of the Tutor- Tutee Interaction inside the tutorial class. The recorded conversation is a part of a tutorial lesson of the Instant Reader and English Proficiency Program (IREPP) Tutorial Center. The English tutor is a Filipina, while the tutee is a Korean.

      The ethnography of communication (or speaking, as it was first called) stems from the work of anthropological linguists Dell Hymes and John Gumperz (1964, 1972). Hymes, in particular, was concerned about the growing schism between studies of language structure and language use.

      The subject matter of the ethnography of communication is best illustrated in the argument of Hymes, That the study of language must concern with describing and analyzing the ability of the native speakers to use language for communication in real situations (communicative competence) rather than limiting itself to describing the potential ability of ideal speaker/listener to produce grammatically correct sentences (linguistic competence).

      For the field of applied linguistics, one of the most significant contributions made by the ethnography of communication is the identification of what a second language learner must know in order to communicate appropriately in various contexts in that language, and what the sanctions may be for any violations or omissions. There are also important applications for contrasting whole communicative systems in cross-cultural interaction and translation, and for recognizing and analyzing communicative misunderstandings (Saville-Troike, 2003).

      In this paper, I am going to concentrate on the communicative competence or the rules of speaking between the tutor and the tutee during their lesson/conversation. Since both the tutor and the tutee here are second language speaker of English, I would like to dig deeper how this fact affect their communicative competence.

II.                Problematique and Objectives

      Discussing the ethnography of communication in a tutorial class, focusing in the tutor-tutee interaction during tutorial lesson will be of great help to identify additional factors in relation to providing effective tutoring. With two different cultural backgrounds yet both are second language speaker.

      Specifically, this paper hopes to achieve the following objectives:

1.      To identify the different elements of ethnography of communication in this study.  

2.      To analyze the communicative and linguistic competence of the tutor and the tutee.

3.      To determine the factors (in relation to ethnography of communication) affecting the effective interaction between the tutor and the tutee.

III.             Theoretical Framework

                The theoretical framework that guides this study is ethnography of communication. By using competing perspectives, I am able to develop uncharted perspectives in identifying its elements in the study, to dig deeper on the communicative and linguistic competence of the tutor and the tutee which shows the factors that may affect effective tutoring.

IV.             Analysis and Interpretation

Tutorial Class 1: The first four minutes of the lesson as recorded:

Tutorial Class 2: The first two minutes of the lesson as recorded:

This is a part of the Listening and Comprehension Drills of the student. Tutor: Singing “The Impossible Dream”. Student: It’s good. Tutor: Yes. Thank you, but women have a different pitch but these are for the men. Usually men sing it, it’s too high for a woman but you can use it. So the one I sent you is the same one, the file. If you are able to download it, then good, if not no problem I can just copy and just transfer it to your computer. So now tell me the meaning? Explain to me the meaning. What is the song all about? What do you think is the meaning of the song? What is your understanding from the lyrics? Student: Very quiet (not very audible since the student is a Korean, sometimes he still have difficulty with pronouncing English word) Tutor: Ok, what else? Student: ______ (not audible). Honor all. Teacher: You mean honor. It’s all about honor. It’s all about justice. What else? It’s all about a man who wants to dream of a peaceful life. Student: This one is life of Don Quixote? Tutor: Maybe. Don Quixote de Lamantia is his full name. I think this is about his life. That’s why the title is impossible. If you notice, impossible, unbeatable, unbearable, these are the things that are not possible, but a man like Don Quixote would do it, in order for justice and honor to will. So, it’s like a man which or desire to have a good life. And then, whatever happens to him, he will do it. So it’s like. How do we call it? A song of inspiration. Student: Yeah. Very. Tutor: If you sing it especially with all your heart and you sing it very well the message is really like a… It brings goose (bumps) especially Elvis Presley when you listen to him sing. It’s like you feel the, especially when he was, he died, and before he died he had a, a like that. _______ (not audible). Also Frank Sinatra, a very very famous American singer also died. Ok, there. So this is your copy (lyrics of the song). Student: Ok, thank you. Tutor: And then ah, I think you’re suggestion is good and every, what do you like, every week, every month you have a song or what’s your plan? Student: Every two weeks Tutor: Every two weeks? Yeah but before I give you a new song you have to sing first. Student: Why? Tutor: Because you have to sing it first. How do I know if it’s ok? Alright? So when are you planning to sing?  Student: (Face not sure) Tutor: Ahahaha (laughs). After having a copy of that? Ok. It’s a good song, you like it? Student: (Nodded) Tutor: I like it too.

They were talking about an event that the student attended. This is a part of the Conversation Drills of the student. Tutor: But the women are very good? Student: The women are very good. Very good Tutor: But have you seen some male speakers who are good speaker? Were there male? Student: Its talk about topic is man. (The student means the one who talks in front) He is a scientist in IRRI , his pronunciation is like eh, Filipino. Tutor: Filipino? Ahahaha, Philippine English? Student: Yeah. Philippine English. Tutor: I see. Ok but ah.. What about the social networking? (The one who discuss it) Student: A woman. Maybe she is from India. Tutor: Oh really, so there are also other foreigners? Student: Yeah. Of course. Tutor: That’s good, you saw lot of foreigners. Student: She speak, her voice is very modulated. Her form of speaking, very modulated. Tutor: Ok Student: Some are Americans. A woman from America. She check, corrected grammar. Tutor: Yeah. That’s how they are. Were you sad? Student: No. Tutor: It’s ok? It’s a good thing. That’s great. It’s fine with you. That’s why it scary because if you’re a first timer and you talk in front of them they will comment. Student: I want to challenge her. Tutor: Why not?

The following are the key terms in this paper:

            Speech Community: Instant Reader and English Proficiency Program (IREPP)                                                   Tutorial Center.

            Speech Situation: Tutorial Class

            Speech Event: Tutorial Lesson: Listening and Conversation Drills

            Speech Act: Questions and Answers

            The mnemonic device: SPEAKING encodes the different elements needed for an adequate ethnography of communication. Each letter of the word SPEAKING represents an element. Below is an analysis of the speech events of this study.

Elements	Tutorial Class 1 & 2
Setting	Private, usually formal situation but can also be informal since its a one on one tutorial class
Participant	At least two, the tutor and a tutee
Ends	English language learning
Acts	Based on the lesson, since the lesson is about listening and conversation, question and answers about the topic
Key	Serious but can also be casual, depending on the flow of the conversation
Instrumentalities	Oral speech
Norms	Interpreted as knowledgeable
Genres	Song, storytelling (sharing about what happened in the event)

      Based on the recorded conversation, we can see that the linguistic competence of the tutor is very far in terms of grammar rules than the tutee. However, their communicative competence is almost the same. On the first recording, the tutee has minimal response, but in the second recording he is more active in answering the questions of his tutor. Even though tutee’s responses are almost all grammatically wrong, his tutor still understands him.

e.g. Tutorial Class 1

      Student: ______ (not audible). Honor all.

      Teacher: You mean honor. It’s all about honor. It’s all about justice. What else?

      Tutorial Class 2

      Student: Its talk about topic is man. (The student means the one who talks in front) He is a scientist in IRRI , his pronunciation is like eh, Filipino.

      Tutor: Filipino? Ahahaha, Philippine English?

Student: Yeah. Philippine English.

      I guess one important factor which causes this tutorial class to be effective is because the tutor and the tutee are both second language speaker. Even though, the tutor has a better linguistic competence, she was still able to understand the tutee even though his grammar and pronunciation is incorrect and even not audible at times. Another factor too is their age bracket and professional status, with the song Impossible Dream, they both appreciate it and since the tutee is already a professional, even though he is at times very critical like when he somewhat criticize the Filipino with a different accent in speaking English. In a situation like this, we can see that communicative competence is much needed for the tutor to understand her student. To be able to correct his mistakes, the tutor need to give her full attention to each word and sentence the student will utter.

V.  Summary and Conclusions

      To understand someone better, sometimes we need to see ourselves in his/her situation. I would like to believe that beside our English communication skills and cheaper tuition fee here, another reason why foreigners chose to study under a Filipino tutor is because of our patience and great understanding. For me, based on my observation for the last two months and own experience too when talking to foreigners, they appreciate that we understand them, we don’t laugh at their mistakes in speaking the English language and instead correct it immediately.

      Even though, we have a different culture from them, being a second language speaker ourselves, we understand them. We also start in school not knowing how to speak and write in English (well, I guess for those who used our local language since we were born not until we have our formal education). Honestly, even native speakers themselves commit mistakes in using any language, how much more the second language user. Language learning as unending process too, since language evolves.

      To have an effective tutor-tutee interaction, beside the tutor’s readiness and the student’s participation, communicative competence is also very important.

VI.             Implications and Recommendations

      The ethnography of communication has had substantial impact in education and delivery of other social services (Saville-Troike, 2003). All of us have different level of communicative competence and it can help us to understand each other better. However, it doesn’t mean that we don’t need our linguistic competence anymore. I still believe we need to improve it if needed for important purposes (e.g. formal writing).

      A further study regarding the following subjects can be made:

1.       Other speech events that can be found inside a tutorial class and be analyzed further using ethnography of communication.

2.      Problems that occur if the tutor or the tutee has low communicative competence.

3.      Other factors (in relation to ethnography of communication) that were not discuss in this paper which affect tutor-tutee interaction.

VII.          References:

Cameron, D. (2001). Working with Spoken Discourse. London, California, New Delhi. SAGE Publications

Saville-Troike, M. (2003). The Ethnography of Communication: An Introduction. USA, UK, Australia, Germany. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Schiffrin, D. (1994). Approaches to Discourse Analysis. Massachusetts. Blakwell Punlishers