My 5 year old stepchild learning tagalog

[andy222]

My stepchild goes to a decent school in the phils. She can talk english and write english. Now she has to learn tagalog :omg: she is going crazy because she is finding it difficult to learn.

[Steve.r]

My little son (nearly 9 months old) will be learning both English and Tagalog as he grows up before school. My wife is talking primarily English to him, while he will be picking up Tagalog from other family members. Good to learn both imo. I am sure your daughter will pick it up, she is still young enough to do it.

[Terpe]

Andy, don't be too concerned. At that age a different language is 'picked up' so very easily. Especially if the parents can get involved.
It's a wonderful thing to behold and you wil not believe the progress:xxgrinning--00xx3:
What a fantastic advantage:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

I agree with Peter.

Kids that age....like little sponges. :)

Having said that...my son attended school for 3 years in the Phils from age 7 to 10 yrs, plus living there for extended periods pre-school, and because (according to him) "they all speak English to me", has never learned to speak Tagalog. :NoNo:

So maybe he missed that important 'window'.

The two older (Filipino) children were of course originally Tagalog/Bicol speakers, but after 4 years in UK had to re-learn the language when they also returned to school for 3 years in the Phils.

Now, as far as I'm aware, neither can really speak or write it properly. Most interesting.

I think this could be because of the great efforts their mother made to teach them English when they were young kids, and basically we were an English-speaking household.

[Lhailhani]

kids are fast learner so don't worry :)

[stevewool]

i tried to learn it to, just from when Ems is talking to her family on the phone back home, i gave up all i could hear was shouting and laughing, :icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:

[joebloggs]

my little girl spoke Tagalog and english when she was in the phils, now after 7 yrs in the UK shes doesn't speak one word of Tagalog :cwm24:

[Lhailhani]

haha steve LOLZ :icon_lol:

joe yes language should be practice too even youre not in that country coz once u ddint speak or use the language u maybe forgot some of the words and continuously every words of that language...coz neither i , sometimes forgot what was the meaning of this word in my own dialect ;)

[lastlid]

From what I have seen, once the children have been here a while they soon drop any Tagalog they have learnt and have no inclination to continue with it, even if mom wants them to. :icon_lol:

[lastlid]

4 year old Filipino learning English in a Philippine school. English Language Test is a year or so from now.....:D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjITR3ntMXU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[sars_notd_virus]

My stepchild goes to a decent school in the phils. She can talk english and write english. Now she has to learn tagalog :omg: she is going crazy because she is finding it difficult to learn.

yes , Ive read that in the news the Department of Education is bringing back the filipino language enrichment activities,..I think its brilliant:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[lastlid]

yes , Ive read that in the news the Department of Education is bringing back the filipino language enrichment activities,..I think its brilliant:xxgrinning--00xx3:


Personally I think it is a bad move. My feeling is that the Philippines should go for it with the English language and forget the local languages. They need to do that to compete in the world ( or alternatively go for Chinese :omg: ) No harm in covering it in a passing historical context. He who hesitates is lost.

The time spent learning Tagalog could be more fruitfully spent on English or Mathematics.

[sars_notd_virus]

Personally I think it is a bad move. My feeling is that the Philippines should go for it with the English language and forget the local languages. They need to do that to compete in the world ( or alternatively go for Chinese :omg: ) No harm in covering it in a passing historical context. He who hesitates is lost.

why you think its a bad move to learn your own language??? :crazy:
Philippines should not need to compete with the world , Tagalog/visayan/ilokano is our first language, English is our second language ....in fact, the depED should also bring back Spanish in the curriculums...
Multilinguism is fun!!

[lastlid]

why you think its a bad move to learn your own language??? :crazy:
Philippines should not need to compete with the world , Tagalog/visayan/ilokano is our first language, English is our second language ....in fact, the depED should also bring back Spanish in the curriculums...
Multilinguism is fun!!

Bring back anglo saxon, thats what I say. Great fun....:D Oh and some Latin too to add to the fun. :D

[Steve.r]

I think you missed the point Lastlid, Tagalog is the native language of the Philippines, like English is for us. We learn french, german or spanish at school. So what is wrong with nurturing your own language and learning English as a second language... no difference, I think you are just being a bit pedantic. :doh

[Lhailhani]

yes.. like me my local language is somehow Spanish... :) english is taught here since nursery .... till college :) so i think english is not that hard for filipino to learn ...
:hubbahubba:

[lastlid]

I think you missed the point Lastlid, Tagalog is the native language of the Philippines, like English is for us. We learn french, german or spanish at school. So what is wrong with nurturing your own language and learning English as a second language... no difference, I think you are just being a bit pedantic. :doh

Not at all. I genuinely believe that older languages can be a hindrance. Look at the Isle of Man. It dropped Manx, essentially over a hundred years ago. It explains why in the Life In The UK Test Supplement. My wife's sister's both learned English to a very high level and both landed good jobs in the Philippines because of it. My wife's nephew learns English at school and is taught in English. His parents recognise that for the sake of his future he needs to make the english language a priority. And of course the business world in the Philippines all revolves around English. Difficult to get a professional job if you can't speak english to a significant degree. All of my wife's families employer's family speak excellent English and do so for a reason i.e. because it is the means of choice to communicate outside of the Philippines, amongst other things.

In Andy's stepchild's case, she has obviously become accustomed to speaking and learning English. And is possibly distraught at the idea of reverting to Tagalog and I can understand that. In some ways, learning Tagalog for her is a retrograde step especially if she is going to be spending the rest of her life in the UK. Better to focus on what she is comfortable with and other, perhaps more beneficial subjects.

I understand why people want to preserve their heritage and their own languages but it can be disadvantageous to do that. There is definitely two sides to the debate.

And I have no doubt in my mind that any child of ours will not be speaking any Tagalog. The child won't want to and that will be the dominant factor.

[lastlid]

I think you missed the point Lastlid, Tagalog is the native language of the Philippines, like English is for us. We learn french, german or spanish at school. So what is wrong with nurturing your own language and learning English as a second language... no difference, I think you are just being a bit pedantic. :doh

Is Tagalog the native language of the Philippines? I was beginning to get the impression that it isn't. And on that score, why not learn Visayan as a second language, why bother with English at all? :D Joking. Main language Tagolog, 2nd language Visayan, drop English then the Philippines truly would be nurturing its own languages.

If you are from the Visayan area then in an effort to preserve your native languages you learn Visayan and Tagalog and also English and so you spend more of your time learning 3 languages instead of one. And at the expense of time spent on other topics that might be far more beneficial like Maths, Science and IT etc.

[Lhailhani]

:) other local languages dont have curriculum only english and tagalog for filipino subjects.. we learned other languages through other people...i've learn 5 local languages since when i was in grade school... you have point about other subjects that is more beneficial to all.. but then that is the concerned to be put on the government here :) you know Philippines :NoNo: :NoNo:

[Steve.r]

Very simply put..... Tagalog or local variations of it are the national language of the Philippines period. English is taught as a second language period.

I think it very sad to think that any child born of mixed parents ie: fil/brit will not learn and be able to communicate in both tongues. I am dead sure my little son with be learning both and be able to communicate properly in both. Both my wife and I will make sure of that.

You did mention about Manx being lost over a hundred years ago, well, that was then, but in this case we are talking current taught national language.

[lastlid]

Very simply put..... Tagalog or local variations of it are the national language of the Philippines period. English is taught as a second language period.

I think it very sad to think that any child born of mixed parents ie: fil/brit will not learn and be able to communicate in both tongues. I am dead sure my little son with be learning both and be able to communicate properly in both. Both my wife and I will make sure of that.

You did mention about Manx being lost over a hundred years ago, well, that was then, but in this case we are talking current taught national language.

The way I see it is that any child of mine born in the UK to a Filipina will go back to a Philippines in 20 years time and see a country that has moved on and speaks less of the native languages and more English than ever. This process is going on right now and seems almost irreversible, unless the Chinese invade.

And I won't want a child of mine speaking Manx or Latin or any other language other than English and possibly either French or Spanish.


I just wonder, in an effort to maintain the Philippine language in schools in the Philippines, which ones of the many languages would would you pick and why?

Bring em all on. It would be fun.

[sars_notd_virus]

From what I have seen, once the children have been here a while they soon drop any Tagalog they have learnt and have no inclination to continue with it, even if mom wants them to. :icon_lol:

Not me, my daughter have to keep it.,,she still know and understand her tagalog ,..I dont want her to look strange and stupid when she comes and visit Philippines again,...Imagine if someone speaks to her in tagalog and she cant reply back??:crazy:
btw, at 10 years old she learned some German and French too , she'll not be lost anywhere.:rolleyes:

[sars_notd_virus]

Bring back anglo saxon, thats what I say. Great fun....:D Oh and some Latin too to add to the fun. :D

Great!! ..tell me about it, I think those languages can be use to drive away bad spirits:Cuckoo:

[joebloggs]

Philippines is the 4th largest English speaking country in the world, the UK the 6th :D

if my kids were going to live in the phils then of course it would be a good idea for them to learn Tagalog, seeing their not, not for many years anyway i don't see a need for them to.

my parents are Lithuanian and I've never needed or wanted to learn Lithuanian :doh

but of course it would be an advantage for them to..

[grahamw48]

On a day to day basis OBVIOUSLY Filipinos speak and write their own language (just look on their facebook pages).

That will never change. Why on earth should it ?

Let us all be grateful that they DO learn English at school, otherwise a lot of us would not now have Filipina partners.

Also, 600,000 jobs would not have been created in call centres in recent years.

Quite honestly it's nothing to do with us what the Filipino government and people decide to do in their education system.

As far as I can see, they have reached a happy medium where the teaching of languages is concerned, and certainly well in advance of what happens in our country. :NoNo:

[lastlid]

I felt this was quite well put.....

http://jalt.org/global/26Phil.htm

"One day, we may find that voice and speak in unison, but until then, I believe that English can do it for us, too. That is, if we stop thinking of it as a colonial instrument that broke our spirit, but as the code that helped us break through other worlds. "

by Doray Espinosa


Poignant words indeed.

[lastlid]

Not me, my daughter have to keep it.,,she still know and understand her tagalog ,..I dont want her to look strange and stupid when she comes and visit Philippines again,...Imagine if someone speaks to her in tagalog and she cant reply back??:crazy:
btw, at 10 years old she learned some German and French too , she'll not be lost anywhere.:rolleyes:

I have been to many countries and the English language served me well, mainly because it is the language most likely to be spoken by anyone outside of the UK. I did have a problem with the Russians but does that mean I should have learned Russian in school? :NoNo:

Having said all, me and my wife's mom can't understand a word each other says :icon_lol:

[lastlid]

Philippines is the 4th largest English speaking country in the world, the UK the 6th :D

if my kids were going to live in the phils then of course it would be a good idea for them to learn Tagalog, seeing their not, not for many years anyway i don't see a need for them to.

my parents are Lithuanian and I've never needed or wanted to learn Lithuanian :doh

but of course it would be an advantage for them to..

Exactly. And unless something catastrophic happens, that will become more and more entrenched. And exactly the reason why if, even in the Philippines, I would make learning English, for children, even more of a priority and accept the ongoing demise of the many local languages.

[lastlid]

On a day to day basis OBVIOUSLY Filipinos speak and write their own language (just look on their facebook pages).

That will never change. Why on earth should it ?

Let us all be grateful that they DO learn English at school, otherwise a lot of us would not now have Filipina partners.

Also, 600,000 jobs would not have been created in call centres in recent years.

Quite honestly it's nothing to do with us what the Filipino government and people decide to do in their education system.

As far as I can see, they have reached a happy medium where the teaching of languages is concerned, and certainly well in advance of what happens in our country. :NoNo:

Maybe I have met the wrong Filipinos, Graham. The ones that I have, tended to aspire to improving their English, liberally lace their Tagalog with English and communicate in Facebook in both. Same on Philippine TV.
Like I said, I did have a problem with the older generation over there but that is exactly the point...the older generation have been left behind a bit in the path of what appears to be inevitable progress.

[lastlid]

Let us all be grateful that they DO learn English at school, otherwise a lot of us would not now have Filipina partners.

Also, 600,000 jobs would not have been created in call centres in recent years.


:xxgrinning--00xx3:
I tend to think of the Filipinos grasp and use of English as an asset. And one that should be honed.

[grahamw48]

lastlid, my point is that they should continue to learn English, but also be taught how to improve their written and spoken Tagalog...as that is the official language of their country.

[lastlid]

lastlid, my point is that they should continue to learn English, but also be taught how to improve their written and spoken Tagalog...as that is the official language of their country.

I don't completely disagree with you. After all the Dutch do a fine job of that. But I wouldn't like to see the Philippines get too bogged down in maintaining their own languages in schools. Probably a question of getting the balance right.:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Steve.r]

Its a crazy argument imo, if you loose national identity then you end up with a united bland earth community. The world needs diversity and cultural differences, of course speaking and understanding English is an advantage, but at the cost of losing your culture is just daft and irresponsible. Like I have said, my son will learn both, I never want him to forget his heritiage or family history.

[lastlid]

Its a crazy argument imo, if you loose national identity then you end up with a united bland earth community. The world needs diversity and cultural differences, of course speaking and understanding English is an advantage, but at the cost of losing your culture is just daft and irresponsible. Like I have said, my son will learn both, I never want him to forget his heritiage or family history.


And the crazy argument is an all too familiar one, particularly at home here in the United Kingdom Great Britain, Northern Island and Islands. But the world moves on....

[Rhose]

From what I have seen, once the children have been here a while they soon drop any Tagalog they have learnt and have no inclination to continue with it, even if mom wants them to. :icon_lol:
:xxgrinning--00xx3: :xxgrinning--00xx3: :xxgrinning--00xx3: three thumbs up!!!

[Rhose]

Its a crazy argument imo, if you loose national identity then you end up with a united bland earth community. The world needs diversity and cultural differences, of course speaking and understanding English is an advantage, but at the cost of losing your culture is just daft and irresponsible. Like I have said, my son will learn both, I never want him to forget his heritiage or family history.
I agree with that!! I'm so proud when I heard some of my cousins talking in waray a dialect here in Philippines, but they were born in other country. My uncle teach them how to speak our own language. At home they speak in waray and when they are with their friends they speak english.

[eliza]

On a day to day basis OBVIOUSLY Filipinos speak and write their own language (just look on their facebook pages).

That will never change. Why on earth should it ?

Let us all be grateful that they DO learn English at school, otherwise a lot of us would not now have Filipina partners.

Also, 600,000 jobs would not have been created in call centres in recent years.

Quite honestly it's nothing to do with us what the Filipino government and people decide to do in their education system.

As far as I can see, they have reached a happy medium where the teaching of languages is concerned, and certainly well in advance of what happens in our country. :NoNo:

I think not all b-coz i always write or speak english
for my friends in other country too mostly for my
Niece or my nephew can speak English,tagalog,kapangpangan

[grahamw48]

I didn't say ALL.

I think you misunderstood my post. ;)

[lastlid]

......then you end up with a united bland earth community. Unfortunately this is inevitable. It comes with the world getting smaller etc etc. Theres not a lot that can be done to hold back the tide. I think that is the harsh reality.

[raynaputi]

I think you missed the point Lastlid, Tagalog is the native language of the Philippines, like English is for us. We learn french, german or spanish at school. So what is wrong with nurturing your own language and learning English as a second language... no difference, I think you are just being a bit pedantic. :doh

I'm with lastlid on this one. The curriculum of the schools in the Philippines already contains the Filipino subject (all about correct word usage, meanings, etc.), take note, upto College degrees. BUT, the problem with DepEd now is they require all the subjects, including Math & Science, to be taught on their local language until 3rd grade. I'm not sure if they're removing the English subject too till 3rd grade. It'll be more difficult for them by that to learn English. Anyway, my point in this matter, English would always need to be learned as it is the common language wherever you go. I know a lot of Visayan in Cebu or Davao speaks very good English (I got friends/colleagues from there) and it's very useful in the working world. Most people I've talked to here in the UK always make a comment about how good I can converse in English, and when I told them it's because it's been taught since I was in kinder, they say it's a very good thing.

[Steve.r]

SO what I am getting from this is that you (or concensus) would rather completely remove your native language from your country so that you 'blend' in with what you think the world expects. I think that's quite sad.

[grahamw48]

Steve....I get what you're saying.

..Haven't noticed ANY of the highly successful Asian 'Tiger' countries, plus China teaching English to the detriment of their own language. Yes, they teach English, but they have not allowed it to take over their culture, globalisation or not. :)

[lastlid]

SO what I am getting from this is that you (or concensus) would rather completely remove your native language from your country so that you 'blend' in with what you think the world expects. I think that's quite sad.

I am not sure if that is an accurate summary of my opinion....:D Thats stretching things a bit.

[raynaputi]

Errr :Erm: Hang on Steve..I didn't say remove the native language. As what I said, Tagalog or the subject Filipino is being taught even in college. I just don't see the point of teaching other subjects in native language too. Can you tell or say the equivalent of the word ribonucleic acid in Tagalog? Or can you say the equivalent of the word gigabytes in Tagalog? I just don't think the education system should based teachings purely in Tagalog. :NoNo:

[grahamw48]

I would be learning Manadarin right now...given the choice. Sod French and German. :)

[lastlid]

I would be learning Manadarin right now...given the choice. Sod French and German. :)

You might be right Graham....:D

[grahamw48]

I just don't think the education system should based teachings purely in Tagalog. :NoNo:

No, of course not...totally agree there. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[lastlid]

Steve....I get what you're saying.

..Haven't noticed ANY of the highly successful Asian 'Tiger' countries, plus China teaching English to the detriment of their own language. Yes, they teach English, but they have not allowed it to take over their culture, globalisation or not. :)

I think that Doray Espinosa's write up kind of addresses this quite favourably...

Quite a long read but the last sentence is...

"Language, they say, is the key to understanding others. What many Filipinos miss is that English can also be used as a key to understanding ourselves. English, after all, does not belong to America. If we accept it with grace and use it with wisdom, it can belong to the rest of the world. "

[sars_notd_virus]

the problem with DepEd now is they require all the subjects, including Math & Science, to be taught on their local language until 3rd grade. I'm not sure if they're removing the English subject too till 3rd grade.
I dont think they can remove English totally (the teachers will have a hard tme as well lol)...but they want to introduce the ''mother tongue'' at an early stage of child learning which I think is fine and brilliant but what I dont understand is why DepED dropped science in k to 3 students??? science subject can help develop cognitive skills in children:crazy:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/349141/deped-drops-science-pupils
Based on the design of the new curriculum, the learning areas for Grade 1 will be Mother Tongue, Filipino, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH), Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, and English – which will be taught in the second semester and will mainly focus on oral fluency.

[lastlid]

I dont think they can remove English totally (the teachers will have a hard tme as well lol)...but they want to introduce the ''mother tongue'' at an early stage of child learning which I think is fine and brilliant but what I dont understand is why DepED dropped science in k to 3 students??? science subject can help develop cognitive skills in children:crazy:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/349141/deped-drops-science-pupils
Based on the design of the new curriculum, the learning areas for Grade 1 will be Mother Tongue, Filipino, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH), Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, and English – which will be taught in the second semester and will mainly focus on oral fluency.

Music?

What a lot of good that did me. :D It was the biggest mistake I made at A level...:D I enjoyed it though.

[raynaputi]

I dont think DepEd will remove english from their curriculum , but they want to introduce the ''mother toungue'' at an early stage of child learning which I think is fine and brilliant but what I dont understand is why DepED dropped science in k to 3 students??? science subject can help develop cognitive skills in children:crazy:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/349141/deped-drops-science-pupils
Based on the design of the new curriculum, the learning areas for Grade 1 will be Mother Tongue, Filipino, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH), Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, and English – which will be taught in the second semester and will mainly focus on oral fluency.

:crazy: It would just make kids in the Philippines behind what it used to be. :NoNo: So while other kids in the world would be advanced by their 3rd grade in Science and Technology subjects, Filipino kids would just be starting to learn things about Science..:doh not good in my opinion..:NoNo:

Science was my favorite subject when I was in gradeschool...then Math when I started highschool..:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[raynaputi]

Maybe they would replace Science with Religion...:rolleyes:

[Lhailhani]

yes , Ive read that in the news the Department of Education is bringing back the filipino language enrichment activities,..I think its brilliant:xxgrinning--00xx3:


that's true..

[sars_notd_virus]

[FONT="Verdana"][COLOR="purple"]:crazy: It would just make kids in the Philippines behind what it used to be. :NoNo: So while other kids in the world would be advanced by their 3rd grade in Science and Technology subjects, Filipino kids would just be starting to learn things about Science..:doh not good in my opinion..:NoNo:



Its fine , am sure the filipino generation ''y'' or the throphy kids will be able to adapt whatever thrown to them
and of course , the intelligence gene inherited from their parent plays a major role.:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Steve.r]

Errr :Erm: Hang on Steve..I didn't say remove the native language. As what I said, Tagalog or the subject Filipino is being taught even in college. I just don't see the point of teaching other subjects in native language too. Can you tell or say the equivalent of the word ribonucleic acid in Tagalog? Or can you say the equivalent of the word gigabytes in Tagalog? I just don't think the education system should based teachings purely in Tagalog. :NoNo:

I never said only teach in Tagalog, of course there are many words in many languages that have the same use where no other word will do, we see this in what we call 'tagalish' right? as well as words from other languages. In English we use a lot of French terms/words for things because of our close historical bond.

But the continued dilution of a native language will also, I think harm the culture as you become 'more' westernised.

Half of the magic of being in a relationship with somone from another country is because of the differences between you, I dont want my son to lose the 'magic' of being able to communicate with his elders who, maybe have not been as fortunate as him to be free to travel the world. Imagine him not being able to tell his grandmother about the places he has been or things he has seen. She speaks no English, so how else can he talk to her.

English has it's place of course and advances those who want to push forward, i have no problem with that.

[lastlid]

I dont want my son to lose the 'magic' of being able to communicate with his elders who, maybe have not been as fortunate as him to be free to travel the world. Imagine him not being able to tell his grandmother about the places he has been or things he has seen. She speaks no English, so how else can he talk to her.



I empathise with that completely. But, a child of ours and his or hers grandmother in the Philippines will have great difficulty speaking to one another, if at all. My wife and I have discussed this. My feeling is that if we were to give him or her Tagalog lessons in the UK it simply won't work, I am sorry to say. I have spoken to a few Filipina moms here with children and the children aren't interested in developing their Tagalog here. They are driven by what their mates are doing or not doing and want to speak like them (no fault of their own).

And equally, English lessons for this grandmother is a tall order.

[sars_notd_virus]

But, a child of ours and his or hers grandmother in the Philippines will have great difficulty speaking to one another, if at all. My wife and I have discussed this.

you are limiting your childs diversity...I have loads of friends here too...the mum is visaya , the father is norwegian ,..they live in uk for 20 years ..the kids speaks tagalog,visayan,norwegian and british english ...amazing!!
now they are all back in the Philippines for a year stay , and i think the kids are being taught the american english :xxgrinning--00xx3:
...sometimes its important to go back to your roots;)

[lastlid]

you are limiting your childs diversity...I have loads of friends here too...the mum is visaya , the father is norwegian ,..they live in uk for 20 years ..the kids speaks tagalog,visayan,norwegian and british english amazing!!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

Well I have to say, that is amazing. A lot can depend on the kids too.....
Did they get taught Tagalog and Visayan here? (My wife speaks both).

Ironically, my eldest daughter (100% British) took Latin at school and took a 4 year degree in Russian.....:D

[Steve.r]

Cant forget your roots and shouldn't :NoNo:

But on a slight tangent here ........ I have met with several filipino people here in the UK with friends and at the meeting in Scarborough, and you know what happened when the girls got together..... they all talked to eachother in .... TAGLOG ... nuff said!! :icon_lol:

[sars_notd_virus]

Well I have to say, that is amazing. A lot can depend on the kids too.....
Did they get taught Tagalog and Visayan here? (My wife speaks both).



yes, yes they are:D

[lastlid]

yes, yes they are:D

:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

Cant forget your roots and shouldn't :NoNo:

But on a slight tangent here ........ I have met with several filipino people here in the UK with friends and at the meeting in Scarborough, and you know what happened when the girls got together..... they all talked to eachother in .... TAGLOG ... nuff said!! :icon_lol:

.
THAT's why it's a good idea for us to learn Tagalog too.

No secrets ! :icon_lol:

[raynaputi]

I never said only teach in Tagalog, of course there are many words in many languages that have the same use where no other word will do, we see this in what we call 'tagalish' right? as well as words from other languages. In English we use a lot of French terms/words for things because of our close historical bond.

But the continued dilution of a native language will also, I think harm the culture as you become 'more' westernised.

Half of the magic of being in a relationship with somone from another country is because of the differences between you, I dont want my son to lose the 'magic' of being able to communicate with his elders who, maybe have not been as fortunate as him to be free to travel the world. Imagine him not being able to tell his grandmother about the places he has been or things he has seen. She speaks no English, so how else can he talk to her.

English has it's place of course and advances those who want to push forward, i have no problem with that.

My dad's friend who has a daughter who grew up in America and was only born in the Philippines can speak Tagalog very well. It's because they speak to her in the house in Tagalog. So when she studied in Manila by the time she got the age of 18, she didn't have to adjust in the language that much. She never did learn any Tagalog in school, yet she speaks fluently in Tagalog.

I don't think learning English or speaking English most of the time is a dilution of the native language. I don't think the culture would be westernized just because of frequently using English. If the parents would guide children of their attitude towards their culture and their attitude towards the western culture, there won't be any problem with it. I can see lots of westernized Filipinos in the Philippines who take pride of their Filipino culture, even fight for it whenever someone insults it. It's the family unit who would be the 1st responsible for whatever the child learns. The environment are just additional help. But I don't think the kid should be deprived of any advances when it comes to education.

[andy222]

Thinking about it it must be confusing for her. I dont know the difference between visayan and tagalog. My wife speaks visayan to her and she understands that. I dont know about you guys but you maybe cleverer than me but I feel embarassed to got to another country only speaking one language fluently. Nearly every country can speak english.

[lastlid]

Thinking about it it must be confusing for her. I dont know the difference between visayan and tagalog. My wife speaks visayan to her and she understands that. I dont know about you guys but you maybe cleverer than me but I feel embarassed to got to another country only speaking one language fluently. Nearly every country can speak english.

Me too. But I could never have learned Spanish and French and Arabic and Russian and Tagalog. So I guess I shouldn't feel embarrased. But I do appreciate that I am lucky to been born in a country whose language is used as either a first or second language in so many parts of the world.

[lastlid]

I can see lots of westernized Filipinos in the Philippines who take pride of their Filipino culture, even fight for it whenever someone insults it. It's the family unit who would be the 1st responsible for whatever the child learns. The environment are just additional help. But I don't think the kid should be deprived of any advances when it comes to education.





I have seen that too. Yes.

[grahamw48]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZoUa0MgQMo&feature=related

[Steve.r]

Great example Graham of what I would like for my son.. to be fluent in both languages. I don't see anything wrong with that, it is am asset.

[grahamw48]

I agree Steve...especially if he's going to be living there or regularly visiting. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Last time I took the kids back to their home (provincial) town, the relations....hundreds of them, were dumbfounded that they could no longer converse in their native language.

[raynaputi]

Never fail to communicate with your child in Tagalog. If one of the parent is Filipino, let him/her talk to the kid in Tagalog. Kids will pick it up easily. That kid in graham's video is pure American and was taught by his step mother to speak Tagalog and got fluent because of his Filipino playmates.

utal6MQCGBI

[andy222]

Well I did not expect this much input looks like its a good talking point. Thanks guys. I remember the last time I went over in June (Ericka my stepdaughter) was always saying mama speak english. Bless her. Well she knows I havnt got a clue what they are saying.:icon_lol:

[lastlid]

Well I did not expect this much input looks like its a good talking point. Thanks guys. I remember the last time I went over in June (Ericka my stepdaughter) was always saying mama speak english. Bless her. Well she knows I havnt got a clue what they are saying.:icon_lol: Sorry to wreck your thread Andy. :icon_lol:

Out of interest Andy, are you able to chat to your stepdaughter in English?

[joebloggs]

Maybe they would replace Science with Religion...:rolleyes:

:yikes: Religion should have no place in school :NoNo:

Steve can you speak or read Tagalog ? after more than 10yrs of being with the misses the only word i needed to know was PERA. :rolleyes:

[andy222]

Of coarse lastlid. We talk everyday.

[lastlid]

Of coarse lastlid. We talk everyday.

:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Steve.r]

Steve can you speak or read Tagalog ? after more than 10yrs of being with the misses the only word i needed to know was PERA. :rolleyes:

:icon_lol:

Well, put it this way Joe, I am able to pick up words in a conversation that i have an understanding of but would not be able to hold a conversation back. I get the 'gist' of what is being said and can read emotion in a conversation. Charie often asks, did you understand that? and when i give her my explaniation of what I thought I heard, then I get it close to right.. say, 60% of the time. Other times I dont have a clue. I would love to learn as my son learns, I mean when he is old enough to read simple books, but that will have to wait until we are together again.

[grahamw48]

Huwag abala gamit ang google ...ito ay kahila-hilakbot at ay maaaring maging sanhi ng lahat ng mga uri ng pagkalito. :NoNo:

[lastlid]

Huwag abala gamit ang google ...ito ay kahila-hilakbot at ay maaaring maging sanhi ng lahat ng mga uri ng pagkalito. :NoNo:

I just got my wife to translate the above.

"Aang lalim naman ng Tagalog mo" she said. I really wouldnt have a clue...except for google of course. :D

[lastlid]

Just having a chat with the Mrs.

On the aforementioned topic of loss of mother tongue, heritage and culture.....

Lets say Tagalog is indeed taught more in Philippine schools and English less so. What about the Visayas, for example? Does Tagalog then get permission to ride roughshod over the other native Filipino languages. If so then that is not so different from electing to use English in all Philippine schools. I see English as a unifying language, throughout the islands.

She has just been explaining the Kapampangan language to me as an example. What will happen to that? Or Ilongo? Will that not be driven to obscurity in the same way, if Tagalog is the focus in schools? For many their culture and heritage might be potentially lost to whatever language is selected, whether it be English, Visayan, Tagalog or whatever....

Is there such a thing as Visayan TV? If not then why not? If you switch on the telly in an area outwith Luzon should you be bombarded with Tagalog in preference to English or any other of the many Philippine languages? How happy is a native of Cebu or Dumaguete to face the extinction of their language in favour of Tagalog? Might they prefer English as the unifying language?

[lastlid]

There certainly is some interesting viewpoints out there on the language(s) of the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines - "A student of the Ateneo de Manila University reaped criticism from Filipino netizens after writing a column that described the Filipino language as "not the language of the learned."

The article "Language, learning, identity, privilege" was written by James Soriano for his iThink column and published in the Manila Bulletin website. Curiously, the article was inaccessible Friday afternoon but could still be found via Google cache.

The names James Soriano has also started trending in microblogging site Twitter, while links to his original post circulated on Facebook.

In his column, Soriano described English as the language of learning, having been raised in a home conducive to learning English. He said he learned to think in English and used the language to learn about numbers, equations and variables.

On the other hand, he said Filipino was the language of the streets and what "we used to speak to the people who washed our dishes."

Soriano said learning the Filipino language was practical because "it was how you spoke to the tindera when you went to the tindahan, what you used to tell your katulong that you had an utos, and how you texted manong when you needed 'sundo na.''"

"These skills were required to survive in the outside world, because we are forced to relate with the tinderas and the manongs and the katulongs of this world. If we wanted to communicate to these people — or otherwise avoid being mugged on the jeepney — we needed to learn Filipino," he said."
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/08/26/11/admu-students-essay-filipino-language-raises-online-firestorm


And this for another slant...

"According to Miss International 1979 title holder Melanie Marquez, she will “support” Miss Philippines-Universe candidate Shamcey Supsup if she will speak in Tagalog in the coming Miss Universe 2011 beauty pageant to be held in Brazil on the 12th of September this year. Tagalog is a southern Luzon dialect that was branded as the Philippines’ “national language” during its late Commonwealth and early Independence years.
Rather than speak in English, which most Filipinos are generally proficient in, Marquez encourages Supsup to “be natural” during the pageant. Implying that part of being “natural” is to speak in Tagalog, she suggests that Supsup avail of the services of an interpreter if possible…

"Tagalog is a language long considered to be short on tools to support an ability in its speakers to articulate intellectual and scientific concepts. Its continued taking up of classroom time in Philippine schools is seen to be one of the contributing factors to Philippine society’s inability to build an ethic of technological achievement and intellectual pursuit…""

http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2011/08/melanie-marquez-tells-miss-ph-uni-shamcey-supsup-to-speak-tagalog/

[joebloggs]

:icon_lol:

Well, put it this way Joe, I am able to pick up words in a conversation that i have an understanding of but would not be able to hold a conversation back. I get the 'gist' of what is being said and can read emotion in a conversation. Charie often asks, did you understand that? and when i give her my explaniation of what I thought I heard, then I get it close to right.. say, 60% of the time. Other times I dont have a clue. I would love to learn as my son learns, I mean when he is old enough to read simple books, but that will have to wait until we are together again.

:D i had good intentions to learn a few times over the years, but always gave up, always manana :icon_lol:

[lastlid]

:D i had good intentions to learn a few times over the years, but always gave up, always manana :icon_lol:
Joe. I am the same as you.......my wife has taught me a few words but I forget them the next day....:icon_lol:

[joebloggs]

i have secretly thought of learning tagalog so i know what the misses and stepson are talking about, and continue to act clueless :rolleyes:

i should thou, the number of times i hear 'pera' :yikes:

[lastlid]

i have secretly thought of learning tagalog so i know what the misses and stepson are talking about, and continue to act clueless :rolleyes:

i should thou, the number of times i hear 'pera' :yikes:

Hehe. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Steve.r]

I keep hearing 'malibog' ........... not a clue :Erm::Erm::Erm::Erm::Erm:

[joebloggs]

i thinks its time we guys started a few online classes in the 'secret boys area' :rolleyes: and learn't what the misses is up to :D

[grahamw48]

Now there's a thought. :Erm: