My language learning so far has been interesting because I’m tackling a language I already know and simply want to enhance my knowledge of. It’s a bit funny, I think, because as I’m getting more accustomed to reading and learning more Tagalog words, I try to sample them out when I converse with my family. My brothers, aged 26 and 15 respectively, think it’s hilarious that I’m attempting to speak less Tag-lish, and more straightforward Tagalog, telling me I sound way too professional, and “too Filipino” for their liking. (Re)learning the Tagalog culture is captivating; the way one speaks in the Philippines, particularly in Manila, deeply reflects their social and economic status. Back home, speaking English signifies an elevated status--reflecting privilege and wealth. There is a Filipino term called ‘sosyal’ that is slang for someone who is classy, or is wealthy. Those who are ‘sosyal’ tend to speak English amongst their friends, families, relatives, and even work colleagues, avoiding Tagalog because it is too ‘local’, simple, and a bit inferior in a way. Having grown up in Manila speaking English all throughout childhood, and speaking/learning Tagalog in school instead of at home, my ability to fully speak Tagalog, only using Tagalog words, is very limited. Furthermore, I moved to Northern Virginia when I was only 9-years-old, thereby removing any formal Tagalog-training off my priorities.
Although my parents, upon moving to the United States, switched from having us speak English at home to speaking Tagalog at home, I have never had to read or debate about Filipino topics with my family. Our Tagalog is limited to daily, normal conversations, and so my knowledge of formal, more complicated words and sentence structures is restricted and narrow. However, as I try to keep up to date with current affairs in the Philippines by reading random newspaper articles, watching Filipino soap operas, etc., I’m learning that a lot of Tagalog words are very deep. In a way, they feel out of place when you’re simply trying to have a normal conversation with someone. I guess what I’m really trying to do is learn Tagalog on a more academic level, because ultimately, my goal is to be able to read classic Filipino literature like El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere. If I really think about it, how many people, on a daily basis, just randomly talk about literature in a social setting. I feel my nerdiness really shining through because I’m trying to develop my learning for a language I already know how to speak.
To improve my communicative competence, I should probably just start reading Filipino literature and become familiar with the words and grammatical structure of the language. I’m realizing now that I cannot improve my reading and writing comprehension by trying to talk it out with my family when our conversations are not centered on the formal, academic side of the language. Reading and watching the news is an excellent source of learning because I can get a sense of the more formal side of the language.
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