Growing Up Bilingual
Many Filipinos in the Philippines have a fairly good grasp of the English language, thanks to early and consistent exposure to English-language textbooks and to Western media. We grew up watching Sesame Street and CNN on TV, and know American actors and actresses. Any Filipino who has ventured into other shores has found adjustment to be just a little easier because of this.
Sadly, the reverse cannot be said about many Filipinos who grew up in other countries. Born of Filipino parents but bearing non-Philippine citizenships, they have a feeble grasp of Tagalog (or whatever the Filipino language of their parents may be). They may be able to understand a few words, but fail at speaking them.
Even for those who were born in the Philippines but moved elsewhere as children, very few retain their mother tongue. There are exceptions, certainly. But what are the deciding factors for those who eventually become bilingual?
* Is it age? Are teenagers who leave the Philippines more or less likely to maintain the ability to speak Tagalog? My husband, whose family moved to the U.S. when he was 16, is perfectly fluent in both English and Tagalog. His English is purely American Midwest in sound; his Tagalog has no trace of a twang. But I also know of younger teens who seemingly lose the ability to converse in Tagalog as the years progress.
When I was five years old, my family moved from Negros to Laguna. I didn’t know how to speak Tagalog then, but eventually learned. I lost my first language, Cebuano, and can now only understand basic conversations in it. Was I doomed, at five and faced with having to learn both English in school and Tagalog outside of it, to lose my Cebuano tongue?
* Is learning two languages at home confusing to a young child? Many years ago, this was the norm. It was said that preschool children in English-speaking countries fall behind in verbal skills if English is not taught at home. They become shy, withdrawing and tongue-tied once they start school. Is this still the norm today?
* Is it better to have each parent use one language at home? If both parents are primary Tagalog speakers, one of them could speak in Tagalog and the other in English. If one parent speaks both languages and the other only one, could their children be taught both languages?
* Finally, what are the advantages to growing up bilingual outside the Philippines? What are your experiences? If you have children, are you going to teach them both English and Tagalog? How?
We’d love to know your thoughts. I only use English as an example here, but it can be another language. French, Mandarin, German, the questions are the same. You can leave your comments here. If you have a blog, you could also talk about it there and leave us a link. We’ll then have a recap sometime next week, like a mini-blog carnival. We’re looking forward to reading what you have to say!
Tags: bilingual, Tagalog language, dual languages, Filipino language
9 Comments
My eldest (15) speaks fluent Tagalog. I attribute this to the fact that she grew up to age 7 right across the street from my parents. We ALL spoke Tagalog to and with her. However, she went to school for 5 years (before we homeschooled), and 3 of those years we had already moved away from my parents, and she started speaking English at home. She’d still speak Tagalog when asked to but constantly forgot to take the initiative — and when she spoke in English, we’d respond in English without thinking about it, and we failed to enforce our original rule of “no English at home” — which in the eldest’s case, probably translated (no pun intended) to 25% English on a day-to-day basis. As a consequence, the kids who were babies and toddlers then were exposed to more English than Tagalog, and now they’re re-learning Tagalog as a second language instead — my youngers are 10, 7 and 4. I’m still kicking myself for not realizing just how much of an impact those early years would have.
I had this dilemna when my daughter was born. opinions and advice on both camps were confusing – “talk to her only in Tagalog or she’ll forget her roots”… “talk to her in English because she’ll be confused come school age”… until I heard this wisdom from the teacher of my friend’s child. she says, “schools teach children languages, and in the US both English and Spanish are taught. why shouldn’t you teach your child your native tongue?”. so now I do and everyday converse to her in Tagalog. her favorite words at 18 months – “hala!” and “wala-na”… and responds “A-KOH” to questions like “sinong maganda?” or “sinong mabait?” and “sinong love ni daddy?” A-KOH! sweet.
Hi Stef, Thanks for the reminder that teaching my kids Tagalog is a long-term commitment. It’s so easy to slip into English with them, especially as they’re growing up. I would love to meet your kids someday!
Yo, sis, mana sa tita yan. Siyempre, sino ba’ng original na ganyan? Eh di A-KOH!
is “taglish” or “englitag” fast becoming an accepted language or dialect in the philippines just like chavacano was during the spanish colonial era? do hybrid languages such as “taglish” abolish one’s cultural identity or help create a new one?
do you feel that we should put the blame on ariel ureta who single handedly put “taglish” in the mainstream media and filipino pop culture?
I don’t think we can escape Taglish as a form of conversation anymore, DatuPanot, although I think sociologists may not warm up to it being an accepted Filipino language, not yet anyway… remember, we used to have just the A-Ba-Ka-Da alphabet, and yet now we officially have more letters than the english alphabet of ABC! in fact, what really is a Filipino language? it’s not just Tagalog isn’t it. so even within our own nation our language is evolving and Tagalog words become integrated into the cebuano language or ilocano, and vice versa. all these i think help give the Filipinos our unique identity. don’t you think?
hi grace,
i think the filipino language is still in the process of defining itself…..just like our identity. of course youare free to agree or disagree.
salamat,
dp
I personally don’t care for Taglish or Englitag. It’s fine to insert an English word or two in a Tagalog sentence (eg., “Pakilagay sa table yung plato”). But to hear “Para shiny ang hair ko” like a line in a commercial I heard some time ago… that’s not much better than “Mamang driver, make para na on the side”. Sounds a little jarring to my ear. However, I may be guilty of it once in a while (and if you hear me, feel free to call me on it).
hi maricar,
taglish has become one of my pet peeves…….but now it has come to that point that i have to accept it (taglish) and realize that it has become a part of mainstream filipino language. there is nothing i can do about it. i promise myself not to be ticked-off by taglish anymore. promise ! so long as they don’t re-write the filipino constitition in taglish !!
magandang day sa everybody !
dp