Help! My Child Can’t Speak Filipino

According to the English Proficiency Index for 2017, one of the best English-speaking countries in Asia is the Philippines. In addition, younger people are said to tend to speak better English than the older generations. Some attribute this to the practice of many Filipino parents of conversing with their children in English almost exclusively. Perhaps one of the reasons parents practice this is that, growing up, they came to perceive English as a language of advantage or maybe even privilege. Those who spoke in English might have been regarded as smarter, better educated, and coming from a “better” class, hence enjoying better treatment or preference in school, job interviews, and in society in general. This could have led them to believe that their kids would do better globally if they started speaking English fluently at an early age.

While this may have helped in raising our English proficiency level, this also presented us with a predicament: some children can’t speak or find it difficult to speak Filipino – our very own language.

The problem we created

Filipinos may be considered good English speakers, and this certainly has helped us in a lot of aspects in the global community. Having said that, we have also created a problem in sacrificing our own language. A lot of children these days have a hard time communicating in Filipino. Most of them have been brought up in households that use English as a primary language. Some parents even encourage their nannies to converse with their children specifically in English.  The idea is that children will eventually pick up Filipino as they grow older and get exposed to different kinds of environment.

However, this is not the case for most kids. Most of them are sent to private schools attended by children brought up in the same practice. Some schools even strictly enforce the rule “English only, please” or have “English only” areas.

Compared to Math and Science, which used to be considered the difficult subjects, Filipino and other subjects taught in Filipino have now become the waterloo for many children today. This highlights a particularly alarming dilemma: our own language might have become a foreign one to these kids.

The solution

Addressing this problem is imperative. The government has come up with different projects promoting the use of the Filipino language. From being a week-long celebration, the whole month of August has been designated as “Buwan ng Wika” to promote the love and use of the Filipino language, especially in schools. Some schools even changed their teaching language in Math and Science to Filipino from the previously used English.

However, these initiatives are not enough. Learning starts in the family. That being so, parents must also make a conscious effort in teaching their children our mother tongue. Here are some ideas so that English-speaking families can introduce the Filipino language to their children at home:

1. Speak Filipino as much as you can. Parents cannot just assume that their children will pick up the language as they go along; it must be consciously instilled in them. One way of doing this is to make Filipino the primary language at home. Parents must try to speak it fluently and avoid code switching. This will normalize the use of the language and make it natural and easier for them to use it in other environments. Parents must also take an effort to introduce new words to them each day to broaden their vocabulary. This will eventually help them start thinking in Filipino instead of having to think in English and then translate it to Filipino afterwards.
2. Use literature and music. Reading Filipino folk tales to children is also another way of helping them learn not only the language, but Filipino values as well. We also have a lot of Filipino children’s songs and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) which could help them learn additional words and their use. Using these will not only help them acquire the language easier, but also help them get more in touch with our culture.
3. Have fun while learning. There are also different tools parents can use to further help their children learn the language. Since most children enjoy playing games, parents could try and incorporate the use of Filipino in these by using it as the language of instruction. There are also some good old Filipino children’s television shows like Hiraya Manawari, Batibot, and Bayani, which you can stream online and watch with them.

Learning the Filipino language is not just for the purpose of getting good grades or excelling in school. As the vehicle through which our people communicate – among the many other languages and dialects Filipinos use – the Filipino language is a vehicle of culture. Understanding the Filipino language helps Filipino children to understand and relate to Filipino culture, and is vital in shaping their identity as Filipinos. It is therefore crucial for parents to make the constant effort to teach it to their children.