English as an international language
By pahak627
@pahak627 (5346)
Philippines
February 13, 2026 5:37pm CST
I am really grateful that we know how to speak english. When my siblings' and my grandchildren meet for any reunion, they can understand each other since they speak english. Although we have our national language but our grandchildren prefer to speak english.
My grandchildren speak tagalog which is our national language while their cousins in our hometown speak cebuano-visayan.
3 people like this
3 responses
@pahak627 (5346)
• Philippines
14 Feb
Yes, that's correct. But our common way of communication is english. There are times that there are words that we don't know what to say so we ask what's its meaning and there is always an answer. So there goes the saying that 2 heads are better than 1.
1 person likes this
@pahak627 (5346)
• Philippines
14 Feb
Our country though it is so small we have several dialects but we have a national language which we can use when talking to other filipinos who speak in another dialect. My dialect is not our national language. But during family reunions when there are hat some of us didn't speak the same dialect, some speak in english being our second language. I am fortunate cause I can speak my own dialect, our national language and english.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (170554)
• United States
14 Feb
At least you all know a common language to use amongst yourselves. 
Some of my brothers and cousins married people from other races/countries and it's tricky understanding their spouses and children, even though they all learned English as a second or third language. One cousin-in-law is Japanese and, while he speaks English, he has a strong Japanese accent. He has to repeat something several times before we figure out what he's saying. His wife/my cousin will explain if she's there but often, we talk to him when she's talking with someone else... I like him for himself but really like him because he doesn't get tired of repeating himself so I can understand him. Their kids speak very good English and I have no trouble understanding them.
I remember him teaching me a trick with a rubber band. He kept saying the rubber band would row beck... Until he demonstrated what he was talking about, I didn't understand he was telling me it would roll back if I held it a certain way and then released it.
Some of my brothers and cousins married people from other races/countries and it's tricky understanding their spouses and children, even though they all learned English as a second or third language. One cousin-in-law is Japanese and, while he speaks English, he has a strong Japanese accent. He has to repeat something several times before we figure out what he's saying. His wife/my cousin will explain if she's there but often, we talk to him when she's talking with someone else... I like him for himself but really like him because he doesn't get tired of repeating himself so I can understand him. Their kids speak very good English and I have no trouble understanding them.
I remember him teaching me a trick with a rubber band. He kept saying the rubber band would row beck... Until he demonstrated what he was talking about, I didn't understand he was telling me it would roll back if I held it a certain way and then released it.1 person likes this
@pahak627 (5346)
• Philippines
14 Feb
There is really a great advantage if we know the english language especially if we go out of the country. Generally, we expect that every filipino can speak the english language. We are among the english speaking asians and our accent is not heavy. Most english speaking people can understand us. We speak american english.
1 person likes this
