Speak your Language!!
5 Ways to Preserve Our Language
In this day of age its not that cool to speak the language of your parents. Growing up in a traditional Tongan home I was mainly raised by my grandmother so that somewhat forced me to speak Tongan. But with my parents, who were exposed to more English through work, I got away with speaking to them in English. This then raises a few issues...Teachers in Primary Schools and Secondary schools are then faced with having to reteach English and undo some habits that have already been formed by the children.
The issue is that children are speaking BROKEN English and BROKEN Tongan (in my case). They don't have either or.
Although our parents do have lovely intentions of trying to speak to us in English to get us to practice, or maybe they too are trying to practice for their sake. Personally for me more than anything we need to be sticking to the language we know best and cultivate it so that it becomes rich for our children. English will defiantly come in time and we don't need to worry our kids will eventually learn English the proper way.
Research shows that those who speak two or more languages have extra brain stimulation through out their entire life. Allowing them to be able to adjust to different circumstances and adapt to unexpected or unfamiliar events. A study that was done by Dr Brain. T. Gold from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine between those who spoke 2 or more languages and those who just spoke one language proved that both groups were able to complete the task, but those who spoke 2 or more languages completed it faster and used less brain power to do so. So why wouldn't you want your children to learn and keep your language!! Here are some tips that I have seen have helped me and my family...
1. Speak it all the times. At home make it a rule to speak your language. Living with my grandma this was a house-rule otherwise she wouldn't respond to us.
2. Read together in your Language. My parents would get us to read the bible with them in our language which was a pain then but I am truly grateful for it now.
3. Encourage and Praise your children. Don't laugh and mock them if they say something silly or incorrect.
4. Constantly remind them of the long term benefits of knowing both languages.
5. Help them develop pride in who they are and where they came from. That their culture is what makes us who we are and unique.
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