3.08.2011

How to Make A Baby Multilingual: Isang Kwento ng Pag-Ibig

It's a typical girl meets boy story. Twenty-three-year old guy loves 19-year-old gal so they got married. Simple lang di ba? Hindi rin! It's complicated. Para mo na rin pinagsalubong ang Batanes at Jolo.

If an Ibanag and a Cebuano will make babies, how will they be raised? Mag-ta-Tagalog ba, Ibanag o Cebuano?  If you fall-in-love with a Cebuano-speaker, you live in Baguio, and you speak Ilokano and Cebuano, what will you do? Madali lang. Kung gusto mong matuto ang mga anak mo ng Cebuano, mag-Cebuano kayo sa bahay. Sa labas, matututo din yan ng Ilokano, English at Tagalog. Gaya ng sabi ng tatay ko, siguradong matututo ang mga bata ng lokal na wika, at pati Filipino at English sa paaralan. Rule of thumb: speak the minority language.  Ibig sabihin, sa bayan ng tatay ko, Cebuano kami sa bahay dahil di namin matututunan 'to sa labas.

Okay, you say you don't care because your kids speak English anyway. Ang tanong: pumapayag ka bang kausapin siya ng ibang tao ng Tagalog o ng yaya niya gamit ang kanyang sariling wika? Hindi? Your choice. But I tell you, it's really okay to let others speak to your children in languages other than what they use with you. Though some have reported a slight delay in language development (further research needed here) among children exposed to a bilingual or multilingual household, these children will soon catch up and will be able to speak in more than one language too. Go to the Multilingual Children's Association website for more answers to questions you may have in mind.



Ano naman ang kagandahan ng marunong kang magsalita ng iba't ibang wika? According to Medical News Today, Dartmouth researchers found enhanced neural activity in the language centers of bilingual and multilingual people. Pero siyempre, ayoko namang sabihin na mas magaling ako kaysa ibang tao (hehehe, walang ganyanan). Ang sa akin lang, ang masarap pag marunong kang magsalita ng iba't ibang wika, may pag-asang mas malawak ang iyong pag-intindi sa mga taong nagsasalita nito. Mas di ka takot makipag-usap, mas madaling makibagay.

Balik tayo sa love story. Ganon na nga. Mula pitong taong gulang hanggang naging 25 ako, sa Tuguegarao ako naninirahan kasama ang anim pang mga kapatid. Sa bahay, Cebuano kami (marunong si Papang mag-Cebuano). Sa paaralan, sa mga kapitbahay, kaibigan at kamag-anak natuto kaming mag-English, Filipino at Ibanag. Hanggang ngayon, lahat ginagamit pa namin. Plus, dalawa sa mga kapatid ko marunong din mag -Ilokano at Kapampangan!

Here are some tips on raising multilingual children:

Be consistent. If you talk to your children in English or in my case, Tagalog, talk to them only in this language. Kahit na noong nasa Manila kami, nag-ta-Tagalog na kami sa bahay ng mga anak ko. Pagdating dito sa Cagayan de Oro, Tagalog pa rin kami kung mag-usap. Now my boys can speak Cebuano and Tagalog. Ang ibig sabihin ng "you," ay ikaw o kayong mga magulang na marunong din ng wika na gusto niyong ipagamit sa mga anak nyo. If the yaya or babysitter talks to your kids in another language (of course, yung maintindihan mo rin), don't worry about it. Your children will soon acquire that language. Wag ng pilitin ang yaya mag-English o mag-Tagalog or magsalita ng gaya mo kung di kaya.

Be patient. Language acquisition, like acquiring any skills, is a long process. Ang unang naging problema ko dito sa CDO, may mga nagsasabi ng "paano matututo ang mga anak mo mag-Cebuano kung nagta-Tagalog kayo?"  at "heto na naman ang mga Tagalog, balik na kayo sa Manila." Don't be intimidated. Huwag kang pa-alaska sa mga ganyang pang-aasar. Remember, children can acquire up to four languages simultaneously. Do research if you don't believe me.

Be fluent in the language you use with your children. If you talk in English, don't limit yourself to talking in complete sentences, be more flexible. May mga magulang na nagsasalita na parang aklat. Remember, you want your children to converse in your preferred language. Kung magta-Tagalog din lang kayo, dapat parang Tagalog din ang pagsasalita. Dapat matutunan mo ang mga idiomatic expressions o kawikaan ng wika mo.

Lastly, but not the least, be educated on languages that your family speaks. Mag-research ka. Magbasa ka ng libro, blogs atbp. (my promote-this-blog moment hehehe)

So, the question is this. Am I credible to talk/write about these things? As I said, I am neither a linguist or a psychologist. Not even an educator. But my father was a history professor who knew what he was doing when he raised us as Cebuano speakers in the North. I end this post with an anecdote about my family's adventures with the languages that we know. Not that you can learn anythings from this...just to have some fun with what we're talking about here.

Heto ang demo. Nasa Manila kami ng mga kapatid. Sa jeep biglang sumakit ang tiyan ko at kailangan na talagang umuwi kahit papunta na sana kami sa mall. (When my sisters and I were in Manila riding a jeepney on the way to the mall, I suddenly got tummy ache and I had to go home)

Ako (me): Balik muna tayo sa bahay masama na talaga ang pakiramdam ko. (Let's go back home I am not feeling well)

Kapatid na Babae #1 (sister): Nakakapikon ka naman, manonood tayo ng sine eh. Mag-take ka na lang ng gamot. Bili tayo doon. (How annoying. We're going to watch a movie. Let's buy meds when we get there so you can take it.)

Ako: Kalibangon na gyud kaayo ko. Pauli na ta! (Nag-Cebuano na para secret; in Tagalog: "Natatae na ako! Uwi na tayo!; in English: "I really have to take a dump, let's go home!")

Kapatid na Babae #2: Anni ka-bastos mo gappa kaw. Baka maintindian ka na kabikko ko. Nakakasta paggama mata na anna nabangabangok yayya (Nag-Ibanag para lalong secret; in Tagalog: "Ang bastos mo naman! Baka maintindihan tayo ng katabi ko. Ang ganda pa naman ng mata niya at ang bango pa niya; in English: "You're so vulgar! What if this guy beside me understands you? He has cute eyes...and he smells good too!)

Pasahero #1: Hala! Pauli namo oi basin mangutot na ron inyong kauban madalahig tang tanan diri (nakupo!, may Cebuano pala na pasahero; in Tagalog: "Naku, uwi na nga kayo pag yang kasama nyo umutot damay tayong lahat dito; in English: "C'mon, you better go home. If your companion farts we're all gonna be blamed/involved here!)

Ako at mga kapatid: Para, mama! Sa tabi lang po. Makkadda tam ngana! hahaha. (Nag-Ibanag at hinila ko na sila pababa. In Tagalog: "Baba na tayo!"; in English, "let's get off !")

Foreigner: What the hell was that? Are those ladies German, Filipino or what? They were talking like crazy parrots! And one of them farted too!

Ilokano (the cute guy!): "Hmp, isu gayam. Adda sabali angot dittoy!"  (in Tagalog: "Kaya pala. May masamang amoy dito!; in English, "So that's why something smells really bad here")

That's all folks. Pasyal ulit!

Comments naman diyan or stories like this. Kahit mag-Chavacano or Waray-waray ka pa. Basta with translation to Filipino ha para maaliw tayong lahat. Translation to English is optional.

4 comments:

  1. Knowing a lot of languages is really beneficial. Therefore, if a child is exposed to an environment like this, it is a good opportunity for him to learn when not all children have this chance.

    I can say I am lucky to be be a part of a family who speaks the languages of the north and south That is the Visayan (south) and Ybanag dialect (North). Not to mention Tagalog and the standard English you learn in school. It has given me more confidence and more ways to express myself. And it's true, being exposed to these languages as a child is like having a silent teacher. You never realize that you've learned to speak the language until you just see yourself blurting it out.

    And also now that I am here in the Middle East, though I am right now as an adult a poor learner of the arabic language, I can say I know 5 ways to say "what?"

    English: what?
    Tagalog: Ano?
    Bisaya: Unsa?
    Ybanag: Anni?
    Arabic: Sho?
    -------------------------------
    English: Thanks a lot!
    Tagalog: Maraming Salamat!
    Bisaya: Daghang salamat!
    Ybanag: Mabbalo'!
    Arabic: Shukran jazeelan!
    -------------------------------
    English: Tomorrow
    Tagalog: Bukas
    Bisaya: Ugma
    Ybanag: Sonu umma
    Arabic: Bukra

    And other more complicated sentences is available too like "ano ba yan" is equivalent to arabic's "sho hada". :)

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  2. Can you learn another language as an adult? I think so. Bakit isang sis ko pa natuto mag-Kapampangan? Practice makes it perfect. Maybe try as much as possible to speak Arabic. I was trying to learn Spanish but got busy. This method works if you listen very carefully and not try to memorize. Ang language kasi dynamic yata ang learning process natin. Absorb lang ng absorb and the speak out.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Thomas_Method

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  3. I was raised in Tuguegarao,Cagayan Valley.
    My mother is a Misamisnon while my Father is a Cagayano.Get's?Misamisnon-any person who lives in Misamis Oriental(Northern part of MINDANAO). Cagayano-any person who lives in Cagayan Valley(Northern part of LUZON)
    In short I am a product of a North meets South love story.
    Gabisaya ko ug Ybanag.Kasabut pud ko sa Ilokano anna Itawis.
    (I speak Bisaya/Cebuano as well as Ybanag.I understand Ilokano and Itawis too).
    I wished mas marami pa akong nalalamang linguahe, the more language i speak the more i can express myself.
    Next in my list?Maranao language..hmm i have this little boy to teach me very very..very soon!!

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  4. Nice blog, very interesting article.
    Well, as we go along with the lives we encounter things that we have to adapt. Communication is a powerful tool for progress and development. Being multilingual and having a good knowledge of different dialects in the Phils. is not only a personal advantage but an opportunity to become somebody in the society!

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