In this paper, I will try to establish that linguistic resistance can be a form of countercolonialism, and, at the same time, a form of colonizing the colonizers through their own language. Counter-colonialism is seen in how English was utilized for the advantage of both and, most of all, in the dramatic turn of events in colonizing the colonizers. In the case of the Philippines, it came into contact with American colonization, which is now evident in the use of the English language particularly in education and in the way many Filipinos speak and write. This appropriation and use of the English language is seen in the writing of the short story, the most established form of writing in English, just shortly after the beginning of the American colonization in the country. Influenced by foundational works on postcolonial criticism, I used close reading and textual analysis of the narratives of selected Philippine short stories in English: Rosario de Guzman Lingat’s “The Locked Door,” F. Sionil Jose’s “The God Stealer,” and Loreto Paras-Sulit’s “The Bolo.” The critical reading of these short stories shows that counter-colonial linguistic resistance is embedded in their narratives, and, at the same time, provides insights as regards the postcoloniality of Philippine short stories in English.
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