BIBLIOGRAPHY LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013. Intercultural Communication Benefits
and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade Six Students from Mixed
Marriages.Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Maria Luz D. Fang-asan, PhD.
ABSTRACT
This study on intercultural communication benefits determined the languages used
in the respondents’ homes; the benefits gained from the languages used at home; the
challenges faced by the respondents in using multiple languages at home and, how the
respondents dealt with such challenges.
The study was conducted in Benguet State University – Elementary Laboratory
School with 30 grade six students from mixed marriages as survey respondents.
Majority (86.66 %) of the respondents had parents who used Ilocano to
communicate with each other. English and Ilocano were the dominant mother tongues of
the respondents. Ilocano was the leading language used by the respondents in
communicating with their siblings and other home mates. Playmates and television
contributed to their being multi-lingual children.
Benefits gained from using multiple languages at home were better performance in
school, more effective communication, and cultural awareness and appreciation.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Challenges encountered related to the languages used at home were on the sustainability of
mother tongue, difficulty in learning languages, and learning languages simultaneously.
These were dealt with by continuing to speak in their mother tongues, whether it is English
or Kankanaey; persistence in learning another language and reading. The study concludes
that English was an emerging mother tongue for many households in La Trinidad instead
of Ibaloi or Kanakana-ey as identified by the Department of Education for Benguet; that
the mother tongue was determined by the lingua franca in the area more than the parent’s
heritage; that children from mix marriages were more likely to be multi-lingual; and that
children from mixed marriages who were raised multi-lingually more likely performed
better in school, communicated effectively, and learned about their parents’ heritage.
Recommendations are: the conduct of a more extensive study on the mother tongue
and languages used by students in their homes to include those from households aside from
mixed marriages; the review of implementing guidelines for the MotherTongue-Based
Education program to ascertain which should be considered as mother tongue in urban
areas like La Trinidad; and the teaching of local languages depicting the locality’s
indigenous culture although not necessarily as medium of instruction.
It is then recommended that implementers or teachers of Mother Tongue Based-
Multi Language Education (MTB-MLE)policy may allow the use of combined languages
(Ilocano, Filipino and English) - as mediums of instructions when needed in appropriate
subjects. Also, since the MTB-MLE policy is a new program, other researchers may want
to conduct a widespread study with the cases of non-mixed marriages children in urban
areas on their written communication to compliment the implementation of MTB-MLE
program.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
La Trinidad is a first class municipality in Benguet where business has been
proliferating with vegetable trading, supermarkets and fast food chains almost everywhere.
Prior to this commercial boom was the establishment of the La Trinidad Farm School (now
Benguet State University) in 1916 which attracted people from different places through the
years.
These two developments made La Trinidad a melting pot of different cultures.
People who have come for economic reasons or for educational purposes met others from
other places or from the place itself and intercultural marriages took place, thus changing
the demographic landscape dramatically. If the houses along the La Trinidad business
district were a gauge, it can be said that only a small portion of the town’s population are
descendants of the original settlers in the valley.
Along with the marriage of different cultures is the coming together of different
languages. According to Johanson (1991), in the general case of two people with different
languages wanting to communicate, they will normally have the option of not
communicating directly. They may simply refrain from doing business, or they may use an
intermediary, or they may just try to get along with a very low level of understanding.
However, for married couples from different linguistic communities, they cannot
simply refrain from communicating with one another. They need to reach a high level of
mutual understanding without intermediaries, hence they develop an agreement of sorts as
to what language to use. This language then becomes the means of communication between
the married couple and with the children that they have brought into this world. In turn,
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
this is the language that the children are armed with as they move out of their homes and
deal with other people in other social institutions like the school.
The oldest school in La Trinidad has already become the Benguet State University
after almost a century of providing education to the growing population in the valley. Since
it began in 1916, the medium of instruction has been English except for a few years during
the Japanese era when Nipponggo was taught in the school. In later years, the use of
Filipino was added, first as a separate course and then later, as a medium of instruction in
some subjects like social studies. For a very long period of time from the 50’s until 2011,
only Filipino and English were used as the official media of instruction. It followed,
therefore, that instructional materials have been produced in English or in
Filipino and that teachers and students alike are already used to the two languages.
However, this situation was challenged by the implementation of the mother-tongue based
education by the start of school year 2012-2013.
As stated in the Multi-Lingual Education (MLE) House bill No. 162 formerly
known as HB 3719, the main thrust of this bill is the establishment of a multi-lingual
education program that aims to upgrade the literacy program of the government by making
the native tongue as the medium of instruction (MOI) for formative years of basic
education. Department Order No. 74 promulgated by the Department of Education
institutionalizes mother tongue-based lingual education for the critical years of basic
education in line with the K-12 Program.
Stakeholders have varied views on this change in the educational system. For those
who have negative reactions, as cited by Braid (2011), Azurin summarized
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
observations made by advocates of Mother Tongue Based-Multi-Lingual Education
(MMTB-MLE) as follows: (1) that many teachers have, in fact, been making use of the
mother tongue (L1) as the medium of imparting knowledge despite the existing policy of
bilingual instruction which is limited to English and Filipino and which is considered by
many as obsolete; (2) that the use of L1 has improved scores in the national achievement
tests; (3) there is general consensus that it is the most vital reform for the country’s basic
and general education system; (4) the use of the L1 facilitates learning a second and third
language; and (5) all neighboring countries use the mother tongue and have likewise
garnered better scores in international Mathematics and Science tests.
A major challenge to the application of this change in urban areas like La Trinidad
is the diversity of mother tongues in the locality. While the lingua franca is highland
Ilocano, it is a general observation that it may not actually be the mother tongue for many
children. In fact, it may even be more accurate to say that many children in urban areas had
English as their mother tongue which is defined by Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL)
Philippines (n.d.) as the language first learned by a child. Teachers are now in a situation
where they have to innovate in order to meet the challenges posed by the mother-tongue
based education.
Looking into the benefits and challenges of intercultural communication in mixed
marriages may provide insights that may be helpful in crafting such innovations, hence this
study was conducted.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Statement of the Problem
While studies on intermarriage communication in other countries have already
been conducted, literature review shows that the case for intermarriages in the Cordillera
Administrative Region is not yet documented.
To address this information gap, this study sought answers to the following questions:
1. What language/s is/are used at home
a. between the couple?
b. between the couple and their children?
c. between the children and their siblings or other housemates?
2. What were the benefits gained from using the language/s at home?
3. What were the challenges faced by the respondents in using multiple languages
at home?
4. How did the respondents deal with such challenges?
Objectives of the Study
Generally, the study looked into intercultural communication benefits and
challenges among BSU grade six students from mixed marriages.
The specific objectives were:
1. To determine what language/s is/are used in the respondents homes
a. between the couple
b. between the couple and their children
c. between the children and their siblings or other housemates
2. To determine the benefits gained from the language/s used at home
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
3. To determine the challenges faced by the respondents in using multiple
languages at home and,
4. To determine how the respondents dealt with such challenges.
Importance of the Study
The findings of the study may help teachers in crafting innovations in order to meet
the challenges posed by the mother- tongue based education in La Trinidad which is a
melting pot of cultures where people from different ethno linguistic backgrounds coexist.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The study focused on the intercultural communication benefits and challenges
among Benguet State University grade six students from mixed marriages. It only
considered oral communication, not written communication. However, it was not able to
gather data on what age they learned to use other languages at home other than their mother
tongue.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Kankanaey Tribe
The term ‘Kankanaey’ is a linguistic category that non- Cordilleran’s popularized
from the turn of the century until 1900s. Popular explanation points out its etymological
origin from the word ‘kankanan’ which means “as the saying goes” or “it is said” as
mentioned before a narration song (Lunas, 2009).
The name ‘Kankanaey’ came from the language which they speak. The only
difference among the ‘Kankanaeys’ is the way they speak, like intonation and the usage
of some words. In intonation, there is a hard ‘Kankanaey’ or ‘Applai’ and soft
‘Kankanaey’. Speakers of hard ‘Kankanaey’ are from Sagada, Besao and the surrounding
parts or barrios of the two municipalities mentioned. Furthermore, their ‘Kankanaey’
differ in some words from the soft-speaking ‘Kankanaeys’. The soft speaking
‘Kankanaeys’ on the other hand, come from Northern Benguet and from the
municipalities of Sabangan, Tadian and Bauko from Mountain Province.
Rivera (1989) stated in her research that ‘Kankanaey’ dominating the southwest of
Benguet speaks of Kalkali, a dialect similar to the Bontocs and akin to the Iloko.
The Bago Tribe
Buaquen (2003) explained that the Bagos are hill tribe dwellers in the border
regions between Ilocos and Cordillera mountains who are off springs of intermarriages as
well as product between tribes of the Cordillera and the Iloko of the lowlands.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Many aspects of the ‘Kankanaey’ and Ilokano cultures are practiced by the Bago people.
Bago communities can be found along the province of Benguet, Ilocos Sur, IlocosNorte,
Abra, La Union and Pangasinan (Anonymous, n.d.).
In Benguet, they settled somewhere along the boundaries of Bakun and Ilocos Sur. They
attributed their origins to the Besao area.
The Ibaloi Tribe
Ibalois. These are the native people of Benguet that speak the Ibaloi dialect. Being
mostly farmers, they occupy the agricultural valleys. They trace their seat of culture in
Kabayan, an adjacent municipality of Bokod at the foot of Mount Pulag (Celino, 1983).
Rivera (1989) stated in her research that the Ibaloi occupies the southern Benguet speaks
the Nablay, a linguistic sound nearer to the Pangasinenses. This may due to the free
movement and interactions of Pangasinan in the pre- Spanish era.
Language and Learning
Owens (n.d.) defined language as socially shared code or conventional system for
representing concepts through theme of arbitrary symbols and ruled- governed by
combinations of those symbols. Dialects are sub categories of the parent language that use
similar but not identical rules.
The National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and other
Communication Disorder (NIDCD, n.d.) states that language is the expression of human
communication through which knowledge, belief, and behavior can be experienced,
explained, and shared.It further said that this sharing is based on systematic,
conventionally used signs, sounds, gestures, or marks that convey understood meanings
within a group or community.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Communication is man’s foremost tool in dealing with his fellowmen. It is man’s
powerful means in either elevating or degrading his fellowmen and even himself. Between
oral and non-oral, communication is more straightforward Labi (2009).
UNESCO (2002) that ethnic and linguistic minority people face obstacles to
access quality basic education. This leads to high illiteracy rates and eventually poor
quality of life. This too becomes threat to the survival of language and culture. Such reality
is evident among the ethnic minorities in the country. Many school children academically
learn using a language that is foreign to them.
On the other hand, Muhammad (2009) defines the medium of instruction as the
language that is used in teaching which may or may not be the official language.
Usage of Mother Tongue
Mother tongue according to Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Philippines
(n.d.) is defined as a child’s first language, the language that a child learns from birth. It
is the language that is used by a child’s first carers at home without any contribution from
educational institutions – hence ‘home language’ (Bourne and Reid, 2003).
Diane Dekker as cited by Braid (2011) said that the use of the learner’s home
language and culture allows teachers to begin lessons with a discussion of what is already
familiar to the learner. The mother tongue also provides quick access to the main concepts
of the lesson (Baguingan, 2010).
Mother language is the medium of one’s inner thoughts and reflections. The
mother tongue being the primarily tool for thought processing and knowledge acquisition
is considered as the best medium of instruction as source of creativity and vehicle for
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
social expressions, the mother language along with linguistic diversity matter for the
identity of individuals and vital for health and societies. It opens opportunities for dialogue
necessary for understanding and cooperation. As wellspring of knowledge, the mother
language is starting point for greater sustainability in development and growth endeavors,
and for managing more harmonious relationships with environment and necessary change
(Manila Bulletin, 2012).
One’s own language enables a child to express himself easily, as there is no fear
of making mistakes. Multilingual education encourages active participation by children in
the learning process because they understand what is being discussed and what is being
asked of them. They can immediately us the mother tongue to construct and explain their
world, articulate their thoughts and add new concepts to what they already know,
(Nolasco, 2010).
Divindo (2012) as stated in his research said that as a result strongly propose that
education should provide experiences that are relevant to learner’s daily life and prior
knowledge. In all these tasks, language plays a vital role because it is a basic tool in
experience construction. It is therefore necessary to use the local language as a medium
of instruction.
By using the child’s language for basic education, we start from they already know
and build on this. Since the child is already familiar with the language used, learning to
read and write becomes the focus and not learning the medium of instruction.
The child can immediately use this language to add new concepts to what he has already
learned. Rote memorization where the children know to “read” but do not understand can
be avoided, (Nolasco,2010).
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
In a press release (2012) from the office of Department of Education secretary,
DepEd Undersecretary Vilma Labrador said that if a child can fully understand what is
being talked about, he can make sense of things and participate intelligently in discussion
because a familiar language is used (www.deped.gov.ph).
Mother Tongue Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is the use of a
child’s mother tongue as a medium of instruction among pupils. It is also the effective use
of more than two languages for literacy and instruction (DepEd, 2009).
Eight major languages or Lingua Franca and others will be offered as a learning
area and utilized as language of instruction. These are the Tagalog, Hiligaynon,
Kapampangan, Waray, Pangasinense, Tausug, Iloko, Maguindanaoan, Bikol, Maranao,
Cebuano and Chabacano (DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2012). However, in Cordillera, other
native dialects such as Kankana-ey and Ibaloi maybe used since these may also help
improve the learning ability of children and preserve the culture of indigenous peoples
(Dumlao, 2012). Maybe
DepEd Order No. 16 (2012) which provided the guidelines for the implementation
of the program stated that the MTB-MLE program will be implemented starting school
year 2012-2013 in two modes: as a learning/subject area and as a medium of instruction.
It also states that as a subject, mother tongue will focus on the development of beginning
reading and fluency from Grades 1 to 3.
Bilingual Child
According to Hayes (2009) bilingual is the ability to read speak and write and
orevenunderstands more than one language. The extent of bilingual child disparity in
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
fluency depends on the child unique environment which is comprise by the language
spoken by his parents, the languages of his extended family and culture the language of
the community and the language he hears and uses in school. Because a child brain is so
adaptable to her needs the balance between her two languages may shift if she place in
different circumstances: a new country, a visiting relatives or even a new school.
Bilingualism is not only learning two different words in different languages but
connecting with cultures.
Research shows children who are brought up to be bilingual have a sense of where
they came from and feel proud of their heritage. These children sometimes describe
themselves as bridge between cultures. For instance a U.S. study of adolescent who are
second immigrant shows that those who kept their parents native languages have better
relationship with their families feel better about them, and have a more positive attitude
about school than their peers who “lose” their heritage and become a monolingual
English- speakers.
Linguist describes levels of proficiency in many different ways. Level one is being
able to understand a second language. This level is sometimes called “passive”
bilingualism because while the people understand the language she doesn’t “actively”
speaks. Level 2 is being able to speak second language more or less fluently. At this level
a person can carry on a conversation in the language and speaks his thoughts with ease.
Level three is being able to speak, read and write in two languages. It’s important to note,
though, that even people who can write, read and speak fluently in two languages usually
have a stronger or dominant language. It is unusual to be called “balanced bilingual”
which is someone who is equally high proficient in both language (Haznedar, 2008).
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Labi (2009) stated on his research that one such difficulty may arise from differences
between the learner’s native language and the target language not found in one’s native
language will prove speaking difficulties to the learner. Hence, the learner would
substitute a sound in his native language not found in one’s native language similar to the
sound in the target language.
Operational Definition of Terms
Bilingual child/children.Children who were raise by mixed marriage parents with
2 or more language at home where in they can speak, write and understands them.
Children.They are born of mixed marriage parents.
Ethnic affiliation.Refer to designs made by indigenous people to be classified to
their own group.
Intercultural communication. It is refer to the people coming from different background.
Language. Owens (n.d.) defined language as socially shared code or conventional
system for representing concepts through theme of arbitrary symbols and ruled-
governed by combinations of those symbols.
Mixed marriage. It is the union of couples having different cultures.
Monolingual child/children.Children who were raise by mixed marriage parents in
one language at home.
Mother tongue.Defined by Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Philippines (n.d.)
as the language first learned by a child.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Mother Tongue Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE).It is the use of a
child’s mother tongue as a medium of instruction among pupils. It is also the effective use
of more than two languages for literacy and instruction (DepEd, 2009).
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in BSU Elementary Laboratory School, La Trinidad,
Benguet (Figure 1). La Trinidad, the capital town of Benguet, is a first class municipality.
According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 67,963 people in 13,658 households
from sixteen barangays.
Benguet is a landlocked province in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon.
It is surrounded by Pangasinan on the south, La Union, and Ilocos Sur on the west,
Mountain Province, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya on the east. It is home to three major tribes:
the ‘Kankanaey’, the ‘Ibaloi’ and the ‘Kalanguya.’The languages mainly spoken are
Kankanaey and Ibaloi. Other languages spoken are ‘Kalanguya,’‘Karao,’ and ‘Lowak.’
Majority of the population can speak and understand English.
The study was conducted from January to February 2013.
Respondents of the Study
Thirty grade six students from Benguet State University- Elementary Laboratory
School were chosen as respondents of the study. They were chosen based on the following
criteria: they should be children from mixed marriages and they should be residing in La
Trinidad, Benguet. Out of 83 grade six students from two sections, 30 met the two criteria.
Eighteen of them were male and 12, female. Majority of them have resided in La Trinidad
for at least ten years.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Figure 1 .Map of Benguet, showing the surrounding provinces includingthe location of the
study, La Trinidad
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Each respondent was asked about his/her fathers and mothers ethnic affiliations to
check if they indeed come from mixed marriages.
To support information from the student-respondents, 10 parentswere also
interviewed. They are chosen based on the following criteria:they should befrom mixed
marriages and that they have children who were studying at BSU Elementary School.
Data Collection
Data were collected through a survey. The researcher requested for two periods
from their teachersand she gathered the thirty students in one room. The researcher then
provided a background of the study to the students. This included the definition of mixed
marriage and being monolingual or bilingually-raised children. A questionnaire was
distributed to the students who answered the questions simultaneously in one sitting. Each
question in the instrument was read and explained, and then students wrote their answers.
Queries from students regarding the questions were clarified.
Ten parents from mixed marriages were also interviewed using guide questions.
The interviews were done using the lingua franca, Ilocano.
Data Gathered
The data gathered were on languages used in mixed marriages, the perceived
benefits, challenges encountered and solutions employed by the children in dealing with
languages used at home.
Data Analysis
The data were consolidated and tabulated for presentation. Frequency counts and
percentages were used to analyze the data.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Languages Used at Home
Ethnic affiliation of parents in mixed marriages.The respondents were asked to
indicate the ethnic affiliation of their parents to show the different combinations. Table 1
shows that Kankana-ey-Ilokano was the more common combination with 11 respondents.
This was followed by Kankana-ey-Ibaloi with seven; Ilocano-Tagalog with six;
Kankanaey-Tagalog with four. Tagalog-Ibaloi and Tagalog-Pangasinan combinations had
one each.
Table 1 further show that among the fathers of the respondents, 22 were Kankanaey;
six, Iloko; and two, Tagalog. This indicates that almost three-fourths of the fathers were
mostly native highlanders from Benguet and Mountain Province, and the remaining one-
fourth came from the lowlands.
Table 1.Ethnic affiliation of parents in mixed marriages
MARRIAGE COMBINATIONS
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
FATHER MOTHER
(n=30)
(%)
Kankanaey Ilocano
11
36.66
Kankaney Ibaloi
7
23.33
Ilocano Tagalog
6
20.00
Kankanaey Tagalog
4
13.33
Tagalog Ibaloi
1
3.33
Tagalog Pangasinense
1
3.33
Total
30
100.00
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
On the other hand, 11 mothers were Iloco; ten, Tagalog; eight, Ibaloi; and one,
Pangasinense. This indicates that 22 or almost three-fourths of the mothers were lowlanders
while the remaining one-fourth were from the widely-perceived “shy” tribe of the
Cordilleras, the Ibaloi.
Languages used between couples in mixed marriages. The respondents were asked
to indicate the languages used by their parents in communicating with each other. Table 2
shows that majority (86.66 %) used Ilocano which is the lingua franca in La Trinidad. This
was followed by English with 73.33 %. Kankana-ey came in third with less than half of
the couples using it despite the fact that almost three-fourths of the combinations had a
Kankana-ey father. This implies that the fathers’ ethnic affiliations had little influence on
the languages used at home among the couples.
There were more non-Ilocano mothers than the Ilocano mothers, yet a great
majority (86.66 %) used Ilocano to communicate with their partners.
Table 2. Languages used between the parents of the respondents
LANGUAGES
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
(n=30)
(%)
Ilocano
26
86.66
English
22
73.33
Kankanaey
14
46.66
Ibaloi
6
20.00
Filipino
3
10.00
*multiple responses
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Among the six couples who used Ibaloi, an Ibaloi mother married to a Kankanaey
said, “I want my husband also to learn my language so he would be able to talk with my
parents very well when we visit them”.
Mother tongue of the respondents. In Figure 2, half of the respondents claimed that
their mother tongue is English. This means that their parents used English in
communicating with them from the time that they were born. This is quite common in
homes in the Cordilleras, and maybe even in the Philippines. It follows therefore that when
we talk to babies or toddlers, we use English.
Figure 2 further illustrates that almost half of the respondents (47%) said their
mother tongue is Ilocano, the lingua franca in La Trinidad. Only one of the respondents
had Filipino as mother tongue, the child of the Tagalog-Pangasinense combination.
Languages
n=30
Filipino
3 %
English
Ilocano
50 %
47 %
Figure 2. Mother tongue of the respondents
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Mother tongue of respondents as influenced by their parents’ mother tongue. Of
the 15 respondents whose mother tongue is not English, Figure 3 shows that 10 of them
or two-thirds claimed that their mother tongue is Kankana-ey. Kankanaey is the leading
ethnic affiliation of the fathers in the different combinations.
Languages used between the respondents and their parents.Table 3 shows the
languages spoken at home between the respondents and their parents. Among the languages
used in their daily conversations were llocano (83.33%), English (63.33%), Filipino (40%),
Kankanaey (33.33%), and Ibaloi (13.33%). The multiple responses show that the
respondents used at least two languages at home. Those whose mother tongue was English
continued using English in communicating with their parents. This also Table 3.
Languages used between the respondents and their parents
Languages
n=15
Ilocano
33.33 %
Kankanaey
66.67 %
Figure 3. Mother tongue of respondents as influence
by their parents’ mother tongue
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
LANGUAGES USED AT HOME
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
(n=30)
(%)
25
83.33
Ilocano
English
19
63.33
Filipino
12
40.00
Kankanaey
10
33.33
Ibaloi
4
13.33
*multiple responses implies that they learned other languages aside from their mother
tongue. Unfortunately, the study failed to find out when exactly the respondents started
acquiring other languages.
Languages used between the respondents and their siblings or other housemates.
Table 4 shows that Ilocano was the leading language used by the respondents in
communicating with their siblings and other home mates at 93.33%. This is followed by
English, Kankana-ey and Filipino with 76%, 60% and 50%, respectively.
It is noted that Kapampangan was an additional language used at home for two
respondents. Though none of the respondentshad any of the parents from the Kapampangan
group, these two claimed to have learned the language from their Kapampangan nannies.
“My nanny tends to speak straight in Kapampangan every time she gets mad. She would
explain afterwards when we asked so we learned a little of Kapampangan language,” as
said by the respondent.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Table 4. Languages used between the respondents and their siblings or other housemates
LANGUAGES
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE
(n=30)
(%)
Ilocano
28
93.33
English
23
76.66
Kankanaey
18
60.00
Filipino
15
50.00
Ibaloi
6
20.00
Pangasinense
3
10.00
Kapampangan
2
6.66
*multiple responses
Other factors contributing to the acquisition of additional languages.As shown in
Table 5, all of the respondents claimed that their playmates and television contributed to
their being multi-lingual children. The languages they did not hear, speak or use at home
were learned from their playmates or from television. One respondent said he did not know
how to speak Ilocano since no one used it at home. But his best friend who lived nearby
spoke Ilocano with him every time they were playing even if he answered him in English.
As a result he learned how to speak Ilocano.
All the respondents also claimed that their parents encouraged them to watch
shows in English.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Other contributory factors identified were reading materials (60%), radio (43.33%), and
extended families and nannies (40.00%). “Listening to Bombo radio every morning and on
weekends helped me to know more Ilocano words and I used them to Table 5. Other factors
contributing to the acquisition of additional languages
FACTORS
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
(n=30)
(%)
Play mates
30
100.00
Watching Television
30
100.00
Reading materials
18
60.00
Listening to Radio
13
43.33
Extended families and nannies
12
40.00
*multiple responses speak with my Lolo who does not speak English fluently,” one of the
respondents also added.
Benefits Gained from Using Multiple Languages at Home
When asked what could be the benefits gained from using multiple languages at
home, the respondents pointed out better performance in school, more effective
communication, and cultural awareness and appreciation.
Better performance in school. All of the respondents agreed that the multiple
languages they used at home helped them in their performance in school (Table 6). The
good exposure to the Englishlanguage at home helped them to have self-confidence and
therefore actively participate in class discussions.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Since English is the main medium of instruction in school, they did not have to
adjust to the language anymore as they are already comfortable with the language. “It
Table 6. Benefits gained from the languages used at home
BENEFITS OF LANGUAGES USAGE AT HOME FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
(n=30)
(%)
Active class performance
30
100.00
Effective communication for socialization
30
100.00
Culture education and appreciation
26
86.66
*multiple responses lessens my fear to recite in front of my teachers who spoke English
fluently because I was already taught English at home,” shared one of the respondents.
This better performance in school can be explained by Diane Dekker’s statement,
as cited by Braid (2011), that the use of the learner’s home language and culture allows
teachers to begin lessons with a discussion of what is already familiar to the learner.
Baguingan (2010) also added that the mother tongue also provides quick access to the main
concepts of the lesson.
In like manner, the lone respondent who used Filipino only at home in
communicating with her parents, siblings and other home mates also said that her
familiarity with Filipino in subjects like Heograpiya Kasaysayan at Sibika (HeKaSi) and
Edukasyong Pagpapahalaga where the medium of instruction is Filipino.
Effective communication. Almost all the respondents agreed that having been raised
bilingually or multi-lingually raised helped them to be more flexible and therefore more
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
effective in communicating with others. If the person they are talking to could not
understand English, they use Ilocano or Filipino.
Culture education and appreciation. A third benefit, according to almost 87% of
the respondents is culture education and appreciation. These respondents claimed that they
learned how to appreciate their culture because they were also exposed to the languages of
their parents. With this, they found it more comfortable and easy to participate in the
community practices of their parents’ provinces, like caǹao, burial and occasions like
weddings, house blessings and clan reunions. This corroborates Hayes (2009) who said
that bilingualism is not only learning two different words in different languages but
connecting with cultures.
Table 7 shows how many of the respondents benefited from the opportunity to learn
other languages by virtue of their parents’ heritage. Of the 22 respondents with one parent
belonging to the Kankana-ey tribe, 14 and 18 used the corresponding language Kankana-
ey in communication with their parents and with their other home mates, respectively.
Speakers of Ilocano and Filipino (the corresponding language for Tagalogs) either
with their parents or other home mates exceeded the number of those with Ilocano heritage.
This is attributed to the fact that Ilocano is the lingua franca in the locality while Filipino
as the national language is commonly used in school.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Table 7 .Distribution of respondents according to ethnic affiliation of both parents and
non-English languages spoken at home
PARENTS’ ETHNIC
FREQUENCY*
USING
USING
AFFILIATIONS
CORRESPONDING CORRESPONDING
LANGUAGE WITH LANGUAGE WITH
PARENTS
OTHERS AT HOME
Kankana-ey
22
14
18
17
25
28
Ilocano
Tagalog
12
12
15
Ibaloi
8
8
4
Pangasinense
1
0
3
*multiple responses
Perceived Challenges Encountered and Solutions
Employed byRespondents onLanguages Used at Home
Three challenges encountered related to the languages used at home were on the
sustainability of mother tongue, difficulty in learning languages, and learning languages
simultaneously (Table 8).
Sustainability of mother tongue. For those who learned English as their first
language, thesustainability of mother tongue became a challenge when second and third
languages were introduced to them. Even when their parents talked to them in English, they
answer in Ilocano or in a mixture of languages with only a few English words included. In
like manner, those whose mother tongue was kankana-ey also started talking in mixed
languages. For both cases, adeptness in either English or Kankana-ey is compromised. To
address this challenge, some respondents claimed that reading and continuing to speak
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
Table 8. Perceived challenges and solutions encountered by mixed marriages
respondents in their languages used at home
CHALLENGES
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE SOLUTIONS
(n=30)
(%)
Sustainability
29
96.66
Continue
using
mother
of mother tongue
tongue at home
Reading materials at home
18
60
Difficulty
in
Perseverance
in
asking
learning
the
meanings, of new
vocabulary of other
encountered words
languages
9
30
Consistency of speaking one
To learn other
language at a time.
languages
simultaneously
*multiple responses in English will help maintain their command of English. Continuing
use of the Kankanaey will likewise help those whose mother tongue was Kankanaey.
Difficulty in learning the vocabulary of other languages.Sixty (60%) of respondents
agreed that they had a hard time learning vocabulary of a second language. They were
referring to words that are unfamiliar. According to respondents, for them to become more
familiar with these vocabularies, they spend more time communicating with their
housemates who know the language as well as in the community for more exposure.
One parent, a native of Benguet married to an Iloko with two children studying at
BSU-ELS, said that personally it was a challenge for her to speak and use Filipino and
Ilocano to her children. “It was more convenient for me, as a highlander to speak in the
English language rather than in Ilocano simply because English is the common household
language when you have children at home,” she explained.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
To learn other languages simultaneously.The table further shows that 30% of the
respondents said that learning languages simultaneously was also a challenge.
Respondents claimed that in school they tend to mix English with Ilocano and other
languages even while reciting in class. Respondents said that in order to avoid this, they
tried hard to speak in the language they were asked to use whether at home or in school.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study looked into intercultural communication benefits and challenges among
BSU grade six students from mixed marriages. The specific objectives were to determine
what language/s is/are used in the respondents’ homes; to determine the benefits gained
from the language/s used at home; to determine the challenges faced by the respondents in
using multiple languages at home and, to determine how the respondents dealt with such
challenges.
The study was conducted in Benguet State University – Elementary Laboratory
School, La Trinidad, Benguet. Thirty grade six students from mixed marriages were chosen
as survey respondents using questionnaires. Ten parents from mixed marriages were also
interviewed using guide questions.
Kankana-ey-Ilokano was the more common combination with 11 respondents. This
was followed by Kankana-ey-Ibaloi with seven; Ilocano-Tagalog with six; Kankanaey-
Tagalog with four. Tagalog-Ibaloi and Tagalog-Pangasinan combinations had one each.
Majority (86.66 %) of the respondents had parents who used Ilocano to communicate with
each other. Half of the respondents claimed that their mother tongue is English and 47%,
Ilocano. Among the languages used at home were llocano (83.33%), English (63.33%),
Filipino (40%), Kankanaey (33.33%), and Ibaloi (13.33%). The respondents used at least
two languages at home. Those whose mother tongue was English continued using English
along with other languages in communicating with their parents. Ilocano was the leading
language used by the respondents in communicating with their siblings and other home
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
mates at 93.33%. This is followed by English, Kankana-ey and Filipino with 76%, 60%
and 50%, respectively.
All of the respondents claimed that their playmates and television contributed to
their being multi-lingual children. The languages they did not hear, speak or use at home
were learned from their playmates or from television. All the respondents also claimed that
their parents encouraged them to watch shows in English.Other contributory factors
identified were reading materials (60%), radio (43.33%), and extended families and
nannies (40.00%).
Benefits gained from using multiple languages at home were better performance in
school, more effective communication, and cultural awareness and appreciation.
Challenges encountered related to the languages used at home were on the sustainability
of mother tongue, difficulty in learning languages, and learning languages simultaneously.
These were dealt with by continuing to speak in their mother tongues, whether it is English
or Kankanaey; persistence in learning another language and reading.
Conclusions
Based on the findings of the study, these conclusions were drawn:
1.
English is an emerging mother tongue for many households in La Trinidad instead
of Ibaloi or Kanakana-ey as identified by the Department of Education for Benguet. The
mother tongue is determined by the lingua franca in the area more than the parent’s
heritage.
2.
Children from mix marriages are more likely to be multi-lingual.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
3.
Children from mixed marriages who are raised multi-lingually more likely perform
better in school, communicate effectively, and learn about their parents’ heritage.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions, these recommendations are forwarded:
1.
A more extensive study on the mother tongue and languages used by students in
their homes should be done to include those from households aside from mixed marriages.
2.
There should be a review on implementing guidelines for the MotherTongue-Based
Education program to ascertain which should be considered as mother tongue in urban
areas like La Trinidad.
3.
Teaching of local languages depicting the locality’s indigenous culture should be
encouraged although not necessarily as medium of instruction.
Intercultural Communication Benefits and Challenges among Benguet State University Grade
Six Students from Mixed Marriages.| LAPA-AN, SHAMANY B. APRIL 2013
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