Look who’s talking! Why should my child learn mother tongue which she already knew? My God, that Grade 1 teacher doesn’t know how to speak English! Instead of teaching Mathematics, Science and English the teacher resorted to teaching Iloko. If that’s the way a teacher teaches, I will pull out my child in her class.
Is that you? Yes, it’s me. I can’t understand the importance of mother tongue education. I was never taught that way. But wait, we have a book in Ilokano, Da Berting ken Nena when I was in Grade 1. I love reading Ilokano stories which I could relate to my cousins and friends.
The only book we have at home is the Ilokano and English versions of the Bible. I learned to read Ilokano Bible stories and sing Ilokano hymns. Ilokano is the person while Iloko is the language. I learned to speak Iloko because my first teacher is an Ilokano. When I talk to my teacher I mix Kankanaey and Iloko and she always understands what I’m telling her. My teacher also mixes Iloko and Kankanaey, so we communicate in Iloko and Kankanaey or the other way around. When we communicate purely in Kankanaey or Iloko alone, there are times we don’t understand each other. Thus, our communication is a mixture of Iloko and Kankanaey and that’s Ilokanaey!
The “Komisyon ng Wikang Pambansa” identified Iloko as the lingua franca here in Baguio City.
However, our Ilokano-Baguio language is not the same as the Iloko language of the Ilokanos in the Ilocos Region. Our “Ilokano-Baguio” is a mixture of Iloko and other languages in the region. We must then develop our own Baguio-Ilokano language. We adapt (not adopt) Iloko with the inclusion of other indigenous languages. By the way, Kankanaey is our second (next to Iloko) dominant language. This is so because it is spoken in two (2) provinces in the Cordilleras: Benguet and Mt. Province. It must also be noted that the Cordillera languages have similarities and variants in Kankanaey and Iloko. For example, in Kankanaey, letter l (el) and d is letter d and sh respectively in Ibaloy as in lata (can) is data while danan or dalan (pathway) is shalan. Letter s and e in Kankanaey is letter h and o respectively in Tuwali as in senggep (to enter) is honggop while sak-en (me) is hak-on. Of course, there will always be exceptions.
Could I be of help? I have some suggestions:
First, listen to our learners and recognise what they already know. Let them speak and think in their mother tongue. Second, appreciate and support our K to 3 teachers using mother tongue as the sole language of instruction in all learning areas. Third, it is important for us parents to understand that our children learn best in a language they fully understand, their mother tongue. When we strongly encourage them, they will stay and learn better in school. Fourth, discover and develop Ilokanaey: Its system of sounds (phonology), word parts (morphology), and word combination rules (syntax) and to choose a spelling system. Fifth, standardise the language. We establish norms for the written language and incorporate many of its varieties. Sixth, expand and elaborate the vocabulary. Let us invent and borrow new words from other languages. Seventh, modify the curriculum and develop new materials to reflect our learners’ culture. We write local stories, legends, songs, and poems that build on the life experiences of the community. Eight, recruit and hire teachers who are fully proficient in the language of the community and are skilful at using that language for teaching and learning. The success of the Ilokanaey language education (like any other language program) is dependent on good teachers.
In conclusion, let’s remember that the purpose of teaching is to enhance children’s learning. Our children learn to read and write in their mother tongue and gain the cognitive basis for learning the language of wider communication.
I’m contemplating to enrol in Kindergarten since I never had it before. I want to listen to Ilokanaey stories, recite Ilokanaey poems and sing Ilokanaey songs to reconnect myself to my cultural heritage. Soon, I will enrol in Grade 1. I may be a repeater, but I look forward to enjoying reading, writing, singing, studying and staying in school. I will avoid getting absent and maybe, I will be a repeater again in Grade 2. But never mind, I will write stories about my friends, classmates and teachers. I will expressively record such memories in Ilokanaey.
What a wonderful world that would be! Come, join me, let’s go to school and learn Ilokanaey.
