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Thread: Bilingual?

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    Respected Member Gavanddal's Avatar
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    Bilingual?

    How many of you with Brit-Phil kids have been teaching them both English and Tagalog or the wifes regional language? How are they coping with it? By what age are they quite fluent in both languages?

    At 2 and a 1/2 our daughter is still getting to grips with English, but I'm sure she'll pick up some Bisaya when she's a bit older. It'll be nice if she can understand some of what her family in the Phils are saying, especially her cousin who's about the same age.


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    Moderator joebloggs's Avatar
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    my daughter came to the uk when she was nearly 5, speaking a mixture of tag and english, but now she only speaks english, she struggles a bit to count to even 10 now in tag..

    sad in some ways, but her english is that good now, you wouldn't know she has only been in the uk 3yrs..


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    Respected Member vbkelly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavanddal View Post
    How many of you with Brit-Phil kids have been teaching them both English and Tagalog or the wifes regional language? How are they coping with it? By what age are they quite fluent in both languages?

    At 2 and a 1/2 our daughter is still getting to grips with English, but I'm sure she'll pick up some Bisaya when she's a bit older. It'll be nice if she can understand some of what her family in the Phils are saying, especially her cousin who's about the same age.
    tell your wife to speak your daughter a bisaya


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    Respected Member LadyJ's Avatar
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    Me and hubby speaks tag-lish, but when we speak to our daughter we use 90% of english and the rest is tagalog.

    We received our child's Annual report from school and what I hate was they said our daughter is quite poor in speaking english and she was below the average level they expected...My god! Are they stupid? Don't they understand that we have two language in the house?
    Not an expert, I only try to help.


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    Respected Member LadyJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavanddal View Post
    How many of you with Brit-Phil kids have been teaching them both English and Tagalog or the wifes regional language? How are they coping with it? By what age are they quite fluent in both languages?

    At 2 and a 1/2 our daughter is still getting to grips with English, but I'm sure she'll pick up some Bisaya when she's a bit older. It'll be nice if she can understand some of what her family in the Phils are saying, especially her cousin who's about the same age.
    Some parents I knew have regret for not teaching their child tagalog language, but many parents have told me that it's good to teach your child a tagalog while they're young because they will learn to speak english when they go to school.
    Not an expert, I only try to help.


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    In general, being able to speak more than one language as a child makes it easier to learn other languages when they're an adult. My wife and I hope our daughter will speak both. As we're in the Phils, Tagalog is a given, but I hope she picks up some English too from my wife and myself. I'm sure she will, but I wonder what her accent will be too. Not worried whatever happens, I'm just curious as to how she will turn out.


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    Administrator KeithD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LadyJ View Post
    My god! Are they stupid? Don't they understand that we have two language in the house?
    Erm....what you do at home is irrelevant, the school is telling you what level your child is at compared to others the same age, so they are not stupid.

    You obviosuly need to spend time with the kid concentrating on English only, maybe talking a mixture of the two is confusing her, as the younger brain cannot define a clear difference as we can, so they are blending into one.
    Keith - Administrator


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    andypaul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Win2Win View Post
    Erm....what you do at home is irrelevant, the school is telling you what level your child is at compared to others the same age, so they are not stupid.

    You obviosuly need to spend time with the kid concentrating on English only, maybe talking a mixture of the two is confusing her, as the younger brain cannot define a clear difference as we can, so they are blending into one.

    Gotta agree with that it be just the same if a child was in Phill and their tagalog was below standard which affected the social interaction with their peers if the teachers didn't let you know you wouldn't be happy.


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    Respected Member telford's Avatar
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    i think i got an idea here, coz we're talking to my baby english at home,but since my family is keep on borrowing her,they will talk to them in bisaya
    poor baby when she's back in UK then...
    so i think from now on, i will ask my family to start using english when talking to her...


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    andypaul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by telford View Post
    i think i got an idea here, coz we're talking to my baby english at home,but since my family is keep on borrowing her,they will talk to them in bisaya
    poor baby when she's back in UK then...
    so i think from now on, i will ask my family to start using english when talking to her...
    If they return your Baby late do you charge them overdue fine

    I know of many Kids that speak two Languages ie parents tongue and English.
    Many speak English with Kids from a simliar background to them and even their parents when younger from what they told me.


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    Respected Member telford's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by andypaul View Post
    If they return your Baby late do you charge them overdue fine

    I know of many Kids that speak two Languages ie parents tongue and English.
    Many speak English with Kids from a simliar background to them and even their parents when younger from what they told me.
    no andypaul, infact we love it when they borrow the baby, so that we can have time for eachother (my hubby and me)
    anybody wanna borrow baby bea??? lol........... joke


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    andypaul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by telford View Post
    no andypaul, infact we love it when they borrow the baby, so that we can have time for eachother (my hubby and me)
    anybody wanna borrow baby bea??? lol........... joke
    Ask the local Newsagent if your baby can do a newspaper round.

    out of the house and earning money can never start them working young enough


  13. #13
    Respected Member telford's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by andypaul View Post
    Ask the local Newsagent if your baby can do a newspaper round.

    out of the house and earning money can never start them working young enough
    lol good idea


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    Respected Member jimeve's Avatar
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    The English are lazy when it comes to languages, my wifes niece and nephew
    speak Dutch,English and some Cebuano.


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    Administrator KeithD's Avatar
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    Lazy!!! I think you'll find the rest of the world are ignorant for not speaking our language
    Keith - Administrator


  16. #16
    andypaul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Win2Win View Post
    Lazy!!! I think you'll find the rest of the world are ignorant for not speaking our language

    So rude means i have to shout loudly and wave my arms about to get my Fish and Chips when abroad sometimes they dont even have a copy of the Sun

    Why they dont ban all other languages and just have English, would make our lives so much easier


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    Respected Member gracia143's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Win2Win View Post
    Lazy!!! I think you'll find the rest of the world are ignorant for not speaking our language
    Strong words yet true and I totally agree. I believe that English language bridges the whole world and is very useful when you are good at it. It takes intelligence to be able to do that though and so thus learning other languages but then again when you got your 'native tongue' and the English language, you can never go wrong. Cheers!!!
    The bravest thing that men do is love women--Mort Sahl


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