Which term would a linguist use to describe a belief in preserving language without foreign influence?

• A. Puristang paniniwala
• B. Intelektwalisasyon
• C. Kanluran
• D. Gamugamo

Answer: (A)

Main concept: linguistic purism—the belief that a language should be kept free from foreign influence, preserving its native vocabulary and expressions as much as possible. This stance argues against heavy loanword use and favors native coinages or safer equivalents to maintain the language’s integrity.

The Filipino term that captures this belief is Puristang paniniwala, literally a purist belief about language, which matches the idea of maintaining linguistic purity. In practice, this means preferring native terms or newly coined Filipino words over English or other foreign borrowings, and supporting spelling or usage that reflects the language’s own history and sound systems.

Other options point to different ideas or influences and don’t describe this commitment to linguistic purity.