Day 63: Which Language in Grade One
In the faculty room of a public elementary school in Taguig, Virgie (A) and Mylene (B), two grade one teachers, debate the end of mother-tongue instruction in the early grades.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Tagalog. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day
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A
Sayang talaga. Mas mabilis matuto ang bata kung ang inang wika ang wikang panturo.
It's such a shame. Children learn faster when their mother tongue is the language of instruction.
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B
Kaninong inang wika, Virgie? Sa klase ko, may Waray, Bisaya, Bikolano at Maranao.
Whose mother tongue, Virgie? In my class there are Waray, Bisaya, Bikolano and Maranao kids.
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A
E 'di ang wikang alam ng lahat. Hindi ba't Tagalog ang gamit nila sa palaruan?
Then the language they all know. Isn't Tagalog what they speak on the playground?
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B
Iyon nga ang punto ko: Tagalog na ang unang wika ng marami sa kanila.
That's exactly my point: Tagalog is already the first language of many of them.
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A
Pero sa mga baryo, iisa ang wika ng buong klase. Bakit doon aalisin?
But in the villages, the whole class speaks one language. Why take it away there?
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B
Doon, sang-ayon ako sa iyo. Ang sa akin lang, hindi pare-pareho ang bawat silid-aralan.
There, I agree with you. My only point is that no two classrooms are the same.
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A
Ay, pareho lang pala tayo ng sinasabi. Isang buong recess natin itong pinagtalunan.
Oh, so we've been saying the same thing. We spent a whole recess arguing about it.
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