Would you teach your children your native language?

Hello Eileen, I am so sad that my mom never really taught me how, but they're small Pangasinan conversations had allow me to understand a little and make a surprise out of her some relatives. I have a cousin from boston, he has little way of speaking tagalog but he understands it. I am sure he will learn to speak tagalog again once they visited us here

I think children should learn to be multi-lingual at an early age. It serves them well growing up and especially in their adulthood. Most of my friends who migrated to other countries talk to their children in Filipino or any of our regional dialects. I like hearing a child speak in languages other than English. I especially like it when I hear them speak in Bisaya.

I am an Indian from Kerala. Our mother tongue is Malayalam. But I was raised in Kuwait. My parents insisted that we kids speak Malayalam at home. So, we learnt to speak our native language. We also learnt to read and write the language....not literary stuff but enough to get by. Now we live in another state. My kids do not know the language but our older son who is 10 knows Malayalam and can read and write a bit. The younger one who is 4 can understand but speaks more English than Malayalam.

That's a pretty tough question to answer. I would think that if you were fluent in your native language you would teach your children. But after a couple generations I'm sure it doesn't seem as important when you're not in your native country. My ancestors are from English-speaking countries so it's all the same for us...

My sister in law is from the Philipines. She dd not know English when she married my brother and moved to the US. That was 20 years ago. She had three daughters and wouldnt teach the Tagalog. Then they moved to the Philipinnes, my brothers work, and the girls struggled very hard in school. After 7 years there, they are doing better. But in my opinion, you should teach your children everything you know, that way they can learn more! My daughter speaks English, Spanish and is teaching herself French. I speak English...

If a child of mine will be born in foreign country or my future husband is a foreigner, I still want to teach my child my native language. If he or she will adopt the language of his or her father, I want him or her to learned my own language too, to be equal. It is good so that when he or she will visit my country he or she can comprehend with my family and relatives here.

I think a parent's native language is part of their cultural heritage and should be passed down to their children even when they leave their native country. I have some nieces and a nephew that can't communicate with their grand parent and aunts and uncles because they weren't taught their mother's native tongue. I think that's a shame.

if it happened that i live outside the philippines, i am sure i will also teach my children tagalog. even now that i am in the visayas, i teach my kids tagalog, because it's my native tongue and i want them to learn it too.

I also think so. When a family migrated to America or any other country the parents should give teaching native language to their children. They should talk in native language at their home. None should forget his or her root.

For me I will teach my children even a little of my native tongue. As it is very important as we go back home to our beloved ones and grandparents. Usually if we forgot to teach that , sometimes parents surprised why they don't understand them as they speak in native language. That is very important as we Filipinos are more conservative to it than other country. Even though that's the medium of instruction at least they can comprehend and conversate with other people as they come here in the place. They think of changing behaviour sometimes as they got amazed of the response they acted as they cannot deal with them speaking Tagalog they always have puzzled in mind and need interpreter of it.

Same here, I would make sure that my child knows mother tongue very well and that would be first language to learn. We speak national language of my country "Hindi" and most of us speak english as well. English is the second language of communication for us and we do realize that it is an international language as well. We need to know english as good as native language for success. If I do not know english, perhaps I had no job today and that is where I find the importance of english but at the same time I fell that one should know native language for sure.

Helow eileen!! I think that where ever we are we should inculcate our children some of our very own.That's what makes them them because of where their origins are..

This seems to be very common. I don't know why anyone would choose to not teach their children both languages, but for some reason they don't. Many Americans just don't understand the value of learning more than their native language. I realize that Tagalog may not be the most useful second language, but in this case, it's the family's native language and so it should be important. Any 2nd or 3rd language would be wonderful, but Americans tend to have this idea that everyone should speak English and they don't need to learn anything else. I say this as an American who has traveled extensively. I'm sad to say, we don't often present ourselves well in other countries.

Yeah, I will definitely teach my children to learn my native language. I believe in this way we can make our children more intelligent, since they can undertand more culture backgrounds.

For me I need to teach so that they became linguistic.

i 100%support the idea that teach children their own native languages!....in my opion if you living other country far from your place and your culture ,people and of course that children taturely influined by current nations cunstoms and started to learn their language,,,so if you don't teach them your mather languanges and don't give them more and more informations about your culture and your identify that your kids growing with another identtiy ...at that time you and your kids hard to say i am belongs to that your nation and culture... really istead say ...i am memeber of other groups... like that so i think every people stugy and teach to their new generation their own mather languges ..and study second languages is must be second steo .... have a nice day ...

Yes, I think you should. It's important for our later generation to be able to at least speak our native tongue. Like myself, I only started learning my own native language after turning 19 and even until now and believe me it's hard and humiliating sometimes. Sometimes, my grandpa talk to me, and i can't understand it and it was embarrassing. Well anyway, my point here is that.. don't make you children turn out to be people like me. Don't lose our own culture.

I am going to teach my children my native language, I will use it at home with them. My family use that method to maintain their local language at home, so I can speak my native local language and national language. I think your cousin need to teach her son speak Tagalog, language is a great infestation for the future.

I also think so. He should learn to speak Filipino since he's also a Filipino. And he can easily socialize if ever they come home to the Philippines. Also it really wouldn't hurt if he learned new language.

of course, you have to teach them your mother tongue. Though, you are living in the other side of the world it doesn't mean you are not Filipino. You're roots are Filipino, your color is Filipino and you are raised by Filipino, so you are 100% Filipino. so share it with your children wherever you are. You have to stand for your own country, Philippines, and be proud about it.