Are English speakers from post-colonial countries considered native speakers? [closed]

I am originally from the Philippines and I work as an editor for a research center in Germany. I also speak Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, but for all intents and purposes English is my first language. I can honestly say I cannot remember a time when I didn't speak English, and I have built a solid career on my language abilities that I couldn't achieve with Filipino. Yet no matter how qualified and skilled I am as an editor, I find myself constantly defending and justifying my sociolinguistic background. People at work have said rather unkind things like "I'm surprised they hired a Filipino for this job" or "But English really isn't your native language, right?" or "But your Filipino is still much better than your English, right?" Others have asked my co-editors to go over my work and would only accept my edits upon verification by my British and American colleagues. Worst case scenario would be explicitly asking my boss not to pass on their draft manuscripts to me. Usually I shrug these incidents off, but lately it has begun to weigh me down. I love editing and would love to stay in this field, but I'm afraid I will never be good enough because of something I have zero control over.

Before this post turns into a pity party, I would like to hear from you--both native and non-native speakers--about your views on varieties of English from post-colonial countries (e.g., Singapore, Malaysia, Jamaica, Nigeria etc). Maybe this can help me understand the reactions I've gotten.

Solution 1:

You live in a country where English is widely spoken and you have spoken it since childhood. Your question above is written in perfectly good English. I think you meet the definition of a "native speaker".

Different countries have different dialects. British English is not quite the same as American English which is not quite the same as Indian English. Frankly I have no idea what Filipino English is like. But arguably being a "native Filipino English speaker" is not the same as being a "Native British English speaker". For most purposes such differences don't matter much. I suppose for an editor that might be an issue.

In any case, the relevant qualification for an editor should surely be that he be fluent in the language, whether he is a native speaker or not. If someone from Russia has studied the language extensively for many years and speaks and writes excellent English, while a native American is poorly educated and totally inarticulate, which would you rather have for an editor? I'd try to shift the discussion from "am I a native speaker" to "am I a fluent speaker". If others can point out frequent flaws in your grammar or spelling, then it doesn't matter whether you meet some definition of a native speaker or not. Likewise if your grammar and spelling are impeccable, it again doesn't matter whether you qualify as a native speaker.

Solution 2:

The Oxford Dictionary Online defines a native speaker as:

• A person who has spoken the language in question from earliest childhood: native speakers of English.

and other dictionaries give similar definitions. There is no reference to ethnicity or nationality.