Is It Really Possible To Forget One’s First Language?

 

M, my mom’s friend from highschool lamented that most of their batchmates ceased to speak their language, they all now prefer to speak Tagalog. When asked why, they just replied, “because we forgot how to speak Pangasinense.” After learning that, M, stopped talking to these people.

How tragic! I don’t know anything more tragic than this, that is to forget one’s first language. It is like a tree being uprooted from its own roots. Agko manesya (I don’t believe it), that’s totally impossible. They should consult their neurologist or some specialist for they may be afflicted with Alzheimer,  they may soon forget their names or where they came from, worst they might get lost and may never find their way back home. Was the language so bad that they never wished to speak it ever again? 

Growing up, we were never taught that there’s a superior language, Tagalog, Pangasinense, they’re both the same and spoken. Mangan tila (let’s eat) is often shouted throughout the house every lunch time to call everyone for lunch, or if you are nearby my dad will call Galala (let’s eat) while dipping his hands into the rice. And who would forget my dad’s usual question whenever he gets home, Antoy sira? (anong ulam?) and my mom’s usual answer, pising (vegetable), and that vegetable will always be pinakbet, probably the whole family’s favorite gulay, of course with bagoong. 

Do my mom’s other batchmates still eat their food with bagoong? I could not imagine my pinakbet without bagoong, it just completes the whole cooking process. Do they still eat balimbing (basta it’s a fruit) or kasuy (the fruit and not the nut)? Btw, my mom will never pass an opportunity to eat these fruits. And as much as possible she would excitedly make kwento about her memories related to these fruits and make us eat them.

To them, how could you turn your backs from your roots? Just how could you? So you now think highly of yourselves for forgetting to speak your first language, ingratas!