Key Points
- Filipino-Australian soldiers have the opportunity to reconnect to their culture.
- Learning a language is made easier if done in an engaging manner.
- The intensive language course prepares them for possible assignment to the Philippines.
The Filipino language students
Liam's interest in learning the Filipino language was sparked by his interest in the Filipino culture.
Mark's parents on the other hand were both born and raised in the Philippines, he couldn't explain how proud and happy they were when he called them one day and spoke in Filipino (Tagalog). 'Sobrang proud nila' shares Mark.
While Vincent initially learned how to speak in Filipino and Kinaray-a, having lived in Australia for most of his growing up years, he lost the ability to easily converse in Filipino.
My relatives would speak to me in Filipino or the dialect and I would try my best to reply in Tagalog, they loved hearing me speak in Tagalog with my Aussie accent.Vincent
The challenge of learning a new language and discovering a new culture was what captured Australian-Greek soldier Maria to enroll in Filipino language classes.
In learning the Filipino language, I also learned that Filipinos are very kind and discovered how important family is to them.Liam
LISTEN TO
Aussie soldiers learning a new skill: Speaking, reading and writing in Filipino
SBS Filipino
24/06/202220:01
