The languages I speak

I can speak and understand fluently in four languages: English, Filipino, Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a. The latter three are native languages of the Philippines and among the most widely spoken in the archipelago.

I am lucky to have been born and raised in Antique which uses Kinaray-a. Our close proximity to the province of Iloilo allows us to mingle with the Ilonggos, and therefore be exposed to Hiligaynon which is their main language. When I migrated to Laguna, which is a province near Manila, the country's capital, I was able to sharpen my skills in speaking Filipino - or tagalog as what it is widely known - which is the Philippine national language. English is the second national language of the country and I guess I can claim that I am also pretty fluent in it.

I call myself multi-lingual. I converse with my family in either Kinaray-a or Hiligaynon, use Filipino with my friends and mostly write and converse in English at work. Transitioning from one language to another is easy for me.

But albeit the advantages, the struggles cannot also be denied. There are times when I am unable to translate directly to another language what I want to say because the word is unique in its original state and synonyms cannot adequately suffice. There are also times that I unconsciously speak in another language, a situation which caused more than raised eyebrows. But I managed and always enjoy every part of being a multilingual.

There are, however, some people who would disapprove. Some say Kinaray-a is not a language but only one of the many Hiligaynon dialects. Others would even argue that Hiligaynon, like any other languages in the Visayas, is a mere dialect and that Filipino or tagalog is the only language in the Philippines, despite linguistics and experts saying otherwise. A few would point out that I only boast about being multilingual to pump up my resume. Others would say it doesn't even matter since I can't use my expertise on local languages internationally anyway. There are even some who dare say I'm just being proud and arrogant.

Well, I am proud. The Philippines is a home to more than a hundred languages and knowing and understanding at least three of them is a personal achievement.

But my love for languages doesn't end in what I have naturally acquired. Thanks to a required foreign language elective in college, I am also able to read and write in Hiragana and a little bit in Katakana, and can understand simple words and phrases in Japanese. Furthermore, my love for everything Korean has taught me how to read and write in Hangul and know basic sentences, greetings and expressions in Korean.

Multilingualism is something to embrace and be proud of. It does not mean betraying your own mother tongue but accepting and understanding other cultures. It provides an opportunity to coexist and share thoughts with other individuals. It allows you to express yourself in many ways possible.

Multilinguisim is an art of expressing the beauty of language and words.