MOTHER TONGUE BASED – MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

What is Mother Tongue?

“The origin of the term mother tongue harks back to the notion that
linguistic skills of a child are honed by the mother and therefore the language
spoken by the mother would be the primary language that the child would learn
– a type of culture specific notion about mother tongue.”
The term of mother tongue refers to a traditional/conventional family
situation where the mother is the person who transmit the language to the child
and is the main provider for input in that language for the child in their first
years. However, this scenario is not very accurate, especially in today’s world
where fathers and other care givers are involved in providing input in the home
language.

- Mother tongue – or father tongue to be politically correct – is defined as the

first language a child were exposed to, chronologically speaking, the L1,
the first language we understand and speak. It's the language a child
grows up with or that their parents (or caregivers) speak with them. – And
usually people tend to speak this language for a long time. It is the language
that a person is most fluent in and is most comfortable communicating in.
- The role of mother tongue in language understanding cannot be overstated. It
is the foundation on which all other languages are built. Children learn their
mother tongue naturally, without any formal instruction, by listening to their
parents, siblings, and other family members speak. The mother tongue
provides a framework for understanding how language works, including
grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.
- Research has shown that students who have a strong foundation in their
mother tongue are more successful in learning a second language. This is
because they have already developed the cognitive skills and language
 awareness that are necessary for language learning. They are also better
equipped to recognize patterns and structures in the new language because
they have a reference point in their mother tongue.
- When a person learns a new language, they initially translate the words and
phrases back and forth in their mind, from their mother tongue to the new
language. This translation process can be challenging and time-consuming. It
can also lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations if the translation is
not accurate.
- Moreover, the structures and grammar of the mother tongue can also affect
the learning of the new language. For example, some languages have more
complex grammar structures than others. If a person’s mother tongue has a
complex grammar structure, they may find it more challenging to learn a
new language with a simpler grammar structure.
- On the other hand, a person’s mother tongue can also be beneficial in
language learning. If the new language has similarities with the mother
tongue, it can make it easier for the person to learn and understand the new
language. The person may also be able to recognize and remember certain
words and phrases more easily. In addition, a person’s mother tongue can
have a significant impact on their language learning and understanding.
While it can pose some challenges, it can also be a useful tool in learning a
new language. Understanding the influence of the mother tongue on
language learning can help learners and educators develop more effective
language learning strategies.
 WHY MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION BASED ON MOTHER
TONGUE?

The mother tongue instruction in the context of multilingual education from the
earliest years of schooling is promoted because;
1. It lays a solid foundation for learning.

2. It facilitates learning both of academic subjects as well as the second

language (L2). At school, children can concentrate on the subject matter
instead of struggling to understand the language instruction as well.

DepEd issued OrderFNo. 74 series of 2009,

entitled “Institutionalizing Mother Tongue –
Based Multilingual (MLE).”

That is, the use of more than two languages for literacy and instruction –
as a fundamental policy and program in the whole stretch of formal education,
including preschool.

Under this framework, the learner’s first language (L1) will be used as
the primary medium of instruction from preschool to at least Grade 3, and as the
main vehicle to teach understanding and mastery of all subject areas like Math,
Science, Makabayan, and language subjects like Filipino and English.
Moreover, the mother tongue as a subject and as a language of teaching and
learning will be introduced in Grade 1 for conceptual understanding, while
additional languages such as Filipino, English, and other local or foreign
languages are to be introduced as separate subjects no earlier than Grade 2.

GAPS, ISSUES, AND CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF

MOTHER TONGUE BASED – MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

1. Instructional Materials and Teachers trainings

Teachers practicing MTB-MLE were faced with the challenges of
limited, inappropriate or even the absence of instructional materials. Also,
teachers were poorly prepared and had to undergo training session delivered in
haste. (Martin, 2015)
The main issue in teaching mother tongue-based in terms of reading is
also the lack of instructional materials. There are limited reading materials for
students to develop their reading skills. The challenge is that students have
difficulty in understanding some words they are not familiar with.

2. MTB – MLE continues to be seen as threat to the development of

English language proficiency in the country
Cebu Congressman Gillas Jr. penned to restore English as a medium of
instruction in all school levels. The bill requires that English should be used “as
the language of assessment in all government examinations, and in entrance
tests in public schools as well as state universities and colleges.” According to
this congressman, his bill shall have English “forcefully promoted as the
language of interaction in schools.” (Martin, 2015)
One study also found out that the use of mother tongue had a negative
influence in performance of English in secondary schools in kamuganguzi sub
country. It emerged from the study that use of mother tongue influences the way
students write and pronounce in English, hence negatively influencing the
performance of English.

3. Difficulty in understanding concepts across subjects

The children cannot understand, memorize, and use terminologies in
newly-translated subjects like Values Education, Science, and Mathematics
because they don’t possess the new vocabulary. They liked being talked to in
the conversational mother tongue and they prefer lessons to be taught in English
because “the mother tongue seems more difficult”.
1. The teachers reported that “the children replied in English whenever
they were talked to in the mother tongue”.
2. They often asked for the English translation of unfamiliar words.
(EspadaJ. et al, 2017)

4. Struggles in pronouncing and using archaic terms

The content of the subject is translated into the ‘chosen’ mother tongue
using extremely unfamiliar words that substitute technical terms.
Examples of these are “balor hit kinahihimutangan” (place value
“undukay” (triangle) or “napolokagsiyam” (nineteen). (EspadaJ. et al, 2017)

5. Code Switching
It is done very often. They explained that the mother tongue words are
highly new, so they often switch to English and vice versa when they run out of
words. The teachers recall that the first time they used the Waray counterpart of
place value, they got a collective blank stare from the students which they
described as ‘nganga’ or which millennial would call in English ‘loading’ or
‘nose bleeding’ which means “difficult to understand”. (EspadaJ. et al, 2017)
 In addition, code switching can be a useful tool but it can also lead to
potential problems such as miscommunication, linguistic insecurity,
stereotyping, and exlusion.

6. There is a widening gap in the scaffolding process

The gap is due to the difficulty of bridging two genres of the mother
tongue contemporary, conversational language spoken by parents at home and
policy-based mother tongue used and taught to children by teachers. The parents
state that they encountered communication gap whenever their children are
confused with meanings because of the difficulty in interpreting the archaic
terms. Another parent states that they find it difficult to tutor their child because
they too, need to translate their mother tongue to English. (EspadaJ. et al, 2017)
This widening gap is not only felt by parents but also by teachers.

3. Stakeholder’s Perspective
Stakeholder’s general views of these challenges were reflected in their
perceptions of the feasibility of classroom implementation. Four (4) main
themes were uncovered in the data related to these challenges. These include
the multilingual environment, difficulty in translation, inadequacy of
instructional materials and mandatory compliance to DepEd order. (Cabansag,
2015)

4. Lack of adequate teachers’ guide and students’ textbooks

The teachers in kindergarten to Grade 3 (of Green Valley Elementary
School, Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao) shared that while they had been
provided with these teaching and learning materials, the textbooks do not come
on time each year. In the last two years, the textbooks and teachers’ guides
arrived in the middle of the school year, and this delay caused them a lot of
problems. Some teachers were forced to use their own. (Parba, 2018)

5. Inclusion and Exclusion of some local languages

Stakeholders of Philippine languages have also raised concerns about the
inclusion and exclusion of some local languages. Questions about which
language to use in MTB-MLE are often raised alongside protests about
excluding certain languages from the policy. Clearly, not all of the 181 living
Philippine languages can be used in the classroom. Languages that do not have
an orthographic system (or writing system) cannot be used for education.
However, even some languages with established writing systems have not been
included in the policy. To date only 19 languages are recognized in MTB-MLE.
These are the 12 major languages of Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense,
Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausog, Maguindanaoan, Maranao,
and Chabacano, as well as 7 more languages namely, Ybanag, Ivatan, Sambal,
Alkanon, Kinaray-a, Yakan, and Surigaonon.