MSUan student-linguists elevate voices; ‘Bislish’, ‘Bilic’ studies carve names in ICALLE honors

by Ian Paolo Villacencio, Maria Nicole Silva

Upholding the linguistic culture significance, the third-year Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies (BAELS) students of MSU-Gensan earned top spots at the 5th International Conference on Applied Linguistics and Language Education (ICALLE 2025) of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Department of English and Applied Linguistics (DEAL), which was held on August 28–30 at De La Salle University.

38 BAELS students joined the forum and presented their research papers, under the advisory of Prof. Joveth Jay Montaña.

© Vea Abellon

41 papers were accepted, as requirements for the subjects of ENG121 or the Structure and Development of Philippine English and ENG124, also known as Philippine Linguistics. These papers were submitted to ICALLE and eventually got approved for the presentation in the event.

The Outstanding Paper Award (OPaA) went to “Usage Patterns of the Pragmatic Particles ‘Kuan’ and ‘Char’ Among Bislish Speakers” by Reymoises Santarin and Jeve Buletic.

Judges lauded the paper for its unique focus on pragmatic particles in Bislish, a contact variety of English and ‘Bisaya’, which is a native language in the Southern Philippines.

Another entry, “A Lexicostatistical and Glottochronological Exploration of the Bilic Language Family: Blaan, Tboli, Teduray, and Bagobo-Klata” by Santarin, Ken Riq Yvan Belonio, and Shekinah Babe Lubiano, snatched third place among the best papers.

The study offered insights into the divergence of languages in the Southern Philippines through linguistic dating methods.

For Belonio, who led the third-place team, the journey was both demanding and rewarding.He admitted that financial hurdles were among their greatest challenges, citing the cost of trips, registration, and flights.

“Fortunately, the support my parents did [gave] to my research was quite significant, since they’re the ones assisting my finances when I’m in need of it,” he explained.

The team leader also discussed that many studies leaned toward descriptive methods, while their work aligned with a more theoretical approach and that set their research apart from others.

“Kuya Moi (Santarin) and I were discussing about our papers being nominated, and we hoped that our papers would garner placements in the competition. Later on, we’ve agreed that he should focus onto his primary paper, and I’ll be focusing on the other,” Belonio added.

The aforementioned conference provides a worldwide venue for scholars, educators, and researchers to engage in applied linguistics and language education.

On the other hand, while sharing his insights, Prof. Montaña recalled how humbling it was to witness his students represent the university at the higher levels, noting that their achievements reflected the department’s commitment to producing quality research.

“I feel very elated and surprised that we were able to bagged the 1st and 3rd place respectively in the Outstanding Paper Award,” he added.

Meanwhile, the adviser emphasized that such gatherings serve as avenues for students to share their insights, engage with experts, and build meaningful academic connections.

“I do believe that no one has the monopoly of knowledge that is why it is always better to cater suggestions and comments from other perspectives,” Montaña said.

“I would like to say thank you to all the people who supported this endeavor. To our English Department Chairperson, Prof. Fernan B. Lehao, Dean of the CSSH Dr. Mario J. Aguja and Assistant Dean, Dr. Lolymar J. Reyes for facilitating the processing of the travel documents. Also, to Vice Chancellor Dr. Norman Ralph B. Isla and Vice Chancellor Mishell D. Lawas for always supporting the research endeavors of the department and lastly, to Chancellor Shidik T. Abantas, MDM, LLM for being supportive and opening so many opportunities for the betterment of the students,” he also added, thanking those who became part of the achievement.

Montaña also expressed his gratitude to the parents of the students for allowing them to present their research papers at DLSU, emphasizing that their support and love were instrumental to the success of the endeavor. He also extended his thanks and congratulations to the students for accepting the challenge of presenting their research papers on an international stage.

The forum remained a platform for scholars and educators in applied linguistics, and this year’s victories affirm the rising contributions of young researchers across the country.