Why Can't Filipino-Americans Speak Filipino?

(This post has been imported from doktorko.com.)

I've always been saddened at how many first-generation Filipino-American children do not know how to speak their native tongue.  This is compounded by the fact that i am almost constantly surrounded by people of other ethnicities - specifically South Asian and Latin American - who can speak both English and their own language (be it Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, or some obscure South Indian language) fluently. 

The reason often given for not teaching the Filipino-American child how to speak the mother tongue is the misperception that this will somehow cause confusion.  Allegedly, the child's language development will be STUNTED - he'll be held back in school, he won't understand what everbody else is saying, he won't be able to make himself understood, etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseam. 

Well, let's blast this myth to bits. 

Practically every Filipino i know learned both English and Filipino at a young age.  English was spoken in the classroom and in American movies, while Filipino was spoken at home.  Everyone grew up with an excellent understanding of the foreign tongue.  And while English was (and still is) spoken with the peculiar Filipino accent and cadence, this is no different from the ethnicization of English in other parts of the world (examples being American English - the language originated in Germany and England after all (1), Manglish, and Singlish).  So the question begs to be asked: if native Filipinos can grow up bilingual ( i.e. speaking and comprehending two languages), why can't Filipino-Americans?  It seems unlikely that the scions of Filipinos who have gone abroad (generally regarded as the best and the brightest) would have IQs so low as to preclude learning more than one language. 

In truth, there has never been any hard evidence to show that growing up bilingual causes any dysfunction whatsoever.  While schoolteachers all around the Western world tell their students' parents to speak only one language (usually the country's dominant one) so as to not cause the child any confusion, this seems to be more rooted in personal belief (i could call it prejudice, but i won't) versus any objective data.  

What do the experts say? 

According to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), there are various phenomena which can masquerade as deficit arising from bilingualism; however, the recommended approach is actually REINFORCEMENT of both languages (and cultures, as the case may be) and NOT EXCLUSION of one or the other.  Interestingly, it states that " Children all over the world learn more than one language without developing speech or language problems.  Bilingual children develop language skills just as other children do. [emphasis mine]." (2)  A study done on German-English bilingual toddlers and published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology in 2002 comes to the conclusion that "early simultaneous acquisition of more [than] one language is not an inherent disadvantage for the child [emphasis mine]." (3) 

The truth is that teaching a second language can be BENEFICIAL.  According to an article in the Linguistic Society of America's website, "Some people worry that learning more than one language is bad for a child, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, there are a lot of advantages to knowing more than one language [emphasis mine]."  They then go on to say that bilingualism can ENHANCE cognitive development, IMPROVE the development of a child's cultural identity, and ENCOURAGE cross-cultural awareness and understanding. (4)

Tragically, many Filipino-American children grow to rue the fact that their parents never taught them Filipino while growing up - regardless of the noble reasons the parents had.  It makes many of them feel isolated from their ethnic roots and wish that their parents had shown more foresight when they were younger.  Some try to learn the language later on, and while this is laudable, it is often a humongous task because the damage has already been done; the more you wait to learn a new language, the harder it is. (5-7)

There is NO REASON why Filipino-American children should not be taught Filipino (or Ilokano, Bisaya, Ilonggo, etc.) at a young age.  If anything, the evidence shows that they SHOULD  be taught another language early on.  Sadly, many Filipino parents cling to the belief that speaking to their children exclusively in English provides the greater good and gives them a better shot at life; look at the facts - IT DOES NOT.  In fact, it is the opposite that is true. 

Teach your children how to speak your mother tongue; it's one of the few lasting legacies you can bequeath to them. 
(Special thanks to Teena Dacanay and Anne F. Hokett)


Additional Reading: Bilingual Families Perth Website 

References:
1. Wikipedia article on English Language History. 
2. American Speech Language Association: "Children and Bilingualism" 
3. Dorte A. Junker and Ida J. Stockman.  Expressive Vocabulary of German-English Bilingual Toddlers.  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol.11 381-394 November 2002.
4. Linguistic Society of America: "Bilingualism"
5. Sharon Glennen and M. Gay Masters. Typical and Atypical Language Development in Infants and Toddlers Adopted From Eastern Europe.  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol.11 417-433 November 2002. 
6. Lynn Hansberry Mayo and Mary Florentine.  Age of Second-Language Acquisition and Perception of Speech in Noise.  Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research, Jun 1997; 40: 686-693.
7. Jenny A. Roberts et al.  Language Development in Preschool-Age Children Adopted From China.  Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research, Feb 2005; 48: 93-107.