Language plays the most important part of humanity because this is what we need to express our feelings. It can be in the form of sounds and symbols. As time passes by, language continues to evolve and its features vary over time (Mukherjee 2). Language undergoes changes as it is dynamic. Aside from its being dynamic, factors such as lifestyle, culture, and technology affect the language (Jimenez, 2013). Here in the Philippines, language is rarely talked about. If not because of our heroes and fellowmen, we will not achieve the freedom in language that we are enjoying now. It is a fact that we, Filipinos, value our cultures and beliefs. But since modern technology takes over the minds of all humans, specifically us millennials, some changes did occur to us as a Filipino. As for us, the millennials, little did we know the importance and essence of our language. Not all of us value its beauty and importance to our country. Because modern technology takes over us, we now lack the time to read our Filipino textbooks and the basic terminologies are now mistaken and forgotten. Entertainment are now the main priority of today’s generation. Nowadays, watching K-Drama is one of the most in demand source of entertainment. Because of this, many are being into learning Korean Language, mainly the youth or the so called “K-Drama fans”. In this research, we, the researchers, will measure the influence of watching K-Drama as part of daily lifestyle by comparing the mastery level of K-Drama fans from Grade 11 HUMSS Students between Korean Terminologies and Filipino Grammar. The purpose of this study is mainly to inform the people, especially the youth, of the current situation of the Filipino Language. We, the researchers, conduct this research also to serve awareness to people who are influential to the youth and their way of thinking. It is also to persuade the educators to improve their teaching skills and focus more on basic Filipino terminologies that are less prioritized but are usually used. This research also aims to promote giving importance to Filipino Language that are not being prioritized in today’s time.
The respondents for this research will be 150-200 selected Grade 11 K-Drama fans from the strand of Humanities and Social Sciences under Academic Track of Senior High School in Polytechnic University of the Philippines- Manila. To be considered as a K-Drama fan, a respondent must comply with the set standard of watching 5 to 10 episodes of a K-Drama in a day. Among all courses given in Senior High School, Humanities and Social Sciences is the most related to language because they have a different way of thinking from the other strands in the academic track when it comes to language.
In this study, the variables that will be used to accomplish this study are: Thinking of adolescents, K-Drama influence and the Filipino awareness particularly in language.
Adolescents in today’s time have now a different way of thinking than in the youth from the past. This will help the adolescents today to realize that they have forgotten one of the most essential parts of being a teenager, and that is learning and education. And because of the influence of the modern technology, entertainment was now prioritized by millennials than education. Adolocence is very hooked to entertainment especially that the adolescents today are the “Age of Electronic Entertainment.” (Pickhardt,2013) According to a Nielsen Survey on 2009, children from ages 2 to 5 expend almost 25 hours watching television witihin a week. Media has a great effect on adolescence. Media can influence teenagers deliberately because mostly, advertisement is directed to children and teenagers. This means that they have the consciousness on brands and the desire to be part of the mainstream and to posses’ tings that are “in” as that is what they have seen and watched in television and other advertising media. It is also common to them to look up to some celebreties and have those celebrities as their role models, particularly those whose lifestyle, fashion, behavior, and values shows them positive influences. Its is also more attractive to adolescent if celebrities play a role of a cute character of aloved-themed show. This also explains as to how they are more getting into watching K-Drama which exposes them to a new fashion, cuteness, and love stories.
K-Drama or Korean Drama was a scripted television show that is originally being aired on South Korea. K-Drama is not specifically a “drama”. Shows can be a mixed genre of thriller, horror, romance, action, comedy, but it can also focus on only one genre. Korean dramas are so addicting according to its fans, in fact, there are a reported average of 800 million minutes content per month that are uploaded in the famous website being used by fans which is Drama Fever. According to comScore, a data analytics company, in November 2016 there are reported to have 2.4 million unique visitors on the website. Because of its good-looking casts, unique plots, the fashion that is displayed, and the soundtracks being played, it is no doubt that it has reached the global audience (General, 2017). K-Drama has reached the Filipino’s hearts starting from the show “Stairway to Heaven” to the now known show, “Goblin”, “Love in the Moonlight”, “Legend of the Blue Sea” etc. The addiction of Filipinos to K-Drama have come to the point wherein they would learn their language without realizing that they have forgotten their own language.
Filipino Language has encountered many other languages that effects its own growth. Filipino is a combination of native Philippine dialects and foreign languages. As time passes by, just like any another alive language, Filipino continues to undergo the process of changes and experience many form of diversities. But as what we, the researchers, have observed, Filipino Language increases on accommodating foreign languages and lessen the room for native Philippine dialects. One of the most influential foreign languagaes nowadays, is the Korean Language mainly caused by the K-Drama invading the Filipino entertainment. That is why we, the researchers, assume that watching K-Drama affects the knowledge and mastery level of Filipino, especially the youth, in Filipino Language, particularly in terminologies.
When all the research processes are accomplished, we, the researchers, expect that the respondents will have a higher mastery level on Korean Terminologies compared to their mastery level on Filipino Grammar. It is also expected that watching K-Drama is an influential factor to today’s situation of Filipino Language.
The main significance of this research is to show the mastery level of Grade 11 HUMSS Students SY. 2017-2018 to be transparent to the current situation of Filipino Language whether it is at stake or Filipino, specially the youth, still makes time to give importance and to know it more. This will also serve as a challenge to everyone in the society to do their part on how they will promote Filipino Language depending on their status quo as an active user of language. This also pursue the future researchers to conduct a research on the main factors that affect the mastery level of youth in Filipino Language depending on the result that will be gathered when the research is accomplished.