SINAMA LANGUAGE: THE LANGUAGE IDENTITY OF SAMA AT TINOTO. MAASIM, SARANGANI PROVINCE

People felt discriminated if language is not yet recognized. Language is one important factor of a person's identity. The purpose of this study described the language identity based from the experiences, views, and perceptions of the Sama people residing at Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani Province. An in-depth interview using an open-ended questionnaire, the researcher then recorded all the interview sessions. The findings revealed that the five respondents had experiences language discrimination, it was revealed that their language is not yet fully recognized but criticisms and the inferiority they have felt towards the language did not escape from being discriminated. They have always felt small and unwanted even if they have good and stable status in life. It showed that if the language identity of someone is not yet fully recognized the person felt inferior because of it.