MOTHER TONGUE, A TOOL FOR CULTURAL AWAKENES
By Grace Tolu Dogara
What
does mother tongue mean?
The term “mother tongue” refers to a person’s native language —
that is, a language learned from birth. It is also called a first language,
dominant language, home language, and native tongue (although these terms are
not necessarily synonymous).
Mother tongue is a general term for the language of the
childhood home, learned ‘at one’s mother’s knee’, often used synonymously with
NATIVE LANGUAGE. Mother tongue pertains to the language that you speak since
you were young. It is your native language.
When you use the term mother tongue, you refer to the language a
person learns from birth. It is the language one was initially exposed to and
the first language learnt. However, it also means the speaker’s home and
dominant language, not only from acquisition but also from its importance and
the speaker’s ability to fully learn its communicative and linguistic features.
In language translation terms, it means that the translator is highly capable
of translating the text into one’s dominant and primary language.
What
is the difference between the mother tongue and the first language?
Technically, there is no difference between first language and
mother tongue, as they both pertain to the native language a person speaks. But
if you are talking about contexts, you can say that the mother tongue is the
language that the person’s ethnic group speaks, which may not be a person’s
first language.
When you refer to a person’s first language, it could be a
mother tongue, but it could also be the language of choice when the speaker is
bilingual or multilingual. Often, the child learns the language that their
parents and other caretakers speak. This is a natural language acquisition
because it is the only language that the child hears since birth.
In a bilingual household where the parents teach their children
to learn their mother tongue simultaneously, which will be their first
language. It becomes a choice of which language the child is most comfortable
with and fluent in speaking, despite speaking two languages.
Although the implication is usually clear, there is no necessary
connection between a child’s use of language and the language of its mother:
some children learn the language of a nurse or nanny first; a mother may talk
to her child in a language not originally her own.
Use
of the Term ‘Mother Tongue’
The general usage of the term ‘mother tongue’…denotes not only
the language one learns from one’s mother, but also the speaker’s dominant and
home language; i.e. not only the first language according to the time of
acquisition, but the first with regard to its importance and the speaker’s
ability to master its linguistic and communicative aspects. For example, if a
school advertises that all its teachers are native speakers of English, we
would most likely complain if we later learned that although the teachers do
have some vague childhood memories of the time when they talked to their
mothers in English, they, however, grew up in some non-English-speaking country
and are fluent in a second language only. Similarly, in translation theory, the
claim that one should translate only into one’s mother tongue is in fact a
claim that one should only translate into one’s first and dominant language.
“The vagueness of this term has led some researchers to
claim…that different connotative meanings of the term ‘mother tongue’ vary
according to the intended usage of the word and that differences in
understanding the term can have far-reaching and often political consequences.”
Culture
and Mother Tongue
This is the language community of the mother tongue, the
language spoken in a region, which enables the process of enculturation, the
growing of an individual into a particular system of linguistic perception of
the world and participation in the centuries-old history of linguistic production.
“Cultural power can…backfire when the choices of those who
embrace American-ness in language, accent, dress, or choice of entertainment
stir resentment in those who do not. Even if the world celebrates International
Mother Language Day held on February 21 each year for cultural diversity and
language awareness, there is no denying the fact that minority languages are
dying more rapidly. Many factors contribute to this, including globalization,
modernization and the blending of international culture.
UNESCO said that, on average, one language disappears every two
weeks. A disappearance of a language is the disappearance of an entire
intellectual and cultural heritage. According to the 2020 edition of
Ethnologue, 2,926 languages are currently endangered, and UNESCO estimates that
about 90% of languages worldwide may disappear by 2050.
Besides being a communication device, languages are of cultural
significance, and their disappearance means losing unique traditions and
knowledge, heritage, and ancestral memories.
It is a way to raise awareness about the language in different
areas. A civilization’s foundation is language, which binds people together. It
is all right to learn other languages, but it is vital to use your national
language whenever possible.
Why
is language heritage important to a country?
Language identifies a culture’s ethnic identity; thus, the
development, preservation, and research of culture are linked to learning a
nation’s language code. Language is the way to represent the formation and
expression of a nation’s culture.
Language is a vital factor in a nation’s development. It is the
carrier of a country’s intangible heritage, as it shows the nation’s
ethno-cultural, mythological, and psychological experiences and ideas.
Aside from the currency, flag, name or geographical boundary, the
national language makes a country unique and respectable. Language is the
indicator of the country’s national identity and a part of a person’s heritage
or a nation.
You can only have a deeper access to a community if you can
speak and understand its language. A person has to be fluent in a language to
understand the community’s cultural aspects and nuances. When you are fluent in
a country’s national language, it makes it easier for the country’s citizens to
accept you.
Maintaining the languages of ethnic and cultural groups is
critical for the preservation of cultural heritage and identity. Using one’s
mother-tongue at home makes it easier for children to be comfortable with their
own cultural identity
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on
February 21 since 1990, after the declaration by the United Nations to
recognize the sacrifices of people who lost their life for the sake of their
mother-tongue in Bangladesh. To every one of us, mother language is one of the
most precious gifts that we have in our lives. Each and every language spoken
throughout the globe represents a unique and distinct cultural heritage,
melodious songs, colorful environment, tasty food and a healthy society to live
in, where people express their feelings and emotions without any hesitation.
The beautiful sounds of which one hears, understand and gets
familiar in the mother-tongue since the very beginning, has an important role
in shaping our feelings, emotions and thought-processes. The concept of the
mother-tongue is a fascinating aspect of language that has transcended
generations.
Mother language has a very powerful impact in the early
formation of an individual, and maintaining the language equates with
preserving a cultural and upholding tradition. Language is how we not only
communicate, but how we connect to the growing world around us.
According to Leanne Hinton, “More broadly, the loss of language
is part of the loss of whole cultures and knowledge systems, including
philosophical systems, oral literary and music traditions, environmental
knowledge systems, medical knowledge, and important cultural practices and
artistic skills. The world stands to lose an important part of the sum of human
knowledge whenever a language stops being used. Just as the human species is
putting itself in danger through the destruction of species diversity, so might
we be in danger from the destruction of the diversity of knowledge systems.”
Within multilingual societies, maintaining the languages of
ethnic and cultural groups is critical for the preservation of cultural
heritage and identity. Using one’s mother-tongue at home will make it easier
for children to be comfortable with their own cultural identity. A language is
more than just a means of communication. It is a repository of a community’s
collective history and heritage. It also provides an identity and a focus that
binds a community together, which makes individual accomplishments easier.
Preservation
of Mother Tongue
On the importance of mother-tongue, Sanjeev Shekhar, an
Indian-American living in St Louis, Missouri, says: “It allows children to know their roots and they will be able to pass
it on to their children, thus securing their culture for the future
generations.”
One of the most effective ways to preserve a language is to
continue using it, whether in written or spoken form. We can also buttress the
preservation of mother tongue by teaching with it in early education and also
in our Secondary Schools which will also enhance the ability of a child to
assimilate learning fast.
It is a way to raise awareness about the language in different
areas. A civilization’s foundation is language, which binds people together. It
is alright to learn other languages, but it is vital to use your national
language whenever possible. To preserve our linguistic and cultural diversity,
we must encourage the use of mother-tongue as much as possible. Therefore,
familiarity with the language is seen as the gateway into the culture because
it provides the bridge into understanding the culture by providing access to
literature and poetry, original historical texts, religious texts,
philosophical works as well as music and art. We should always practice, speak
and teach our new generation to speak and communicate with each other in their
mother-tongue. We must not and should not underestimate the power of language
and work together to promote mutual understanding and cooperation. We should
take this opportunity to reaffirm our respect for it as it is a way to raise
awareness about the language in different areas.
It is quite disheartening seeing Nigerian parents of the same
tongue and culture communicating with their children in English instead of
their native/mother tongue. This anomaly has in no little way encouraged our
young ones from shying away from our rich and esteemed culture.
Language and culture are so intertwined that one cannot survive
without the other. Both of them are sensitive and adopt to prevailing
circumstances. Language gives full expression to people’s values and norms. They
are dynamic in nature. Languages have to be fully associated with cultural
transformations. It is impossible for one to teach language without teaching
culture. The impotence of the indigenous language in the educational system of
Nigeria is very important.
Although our revised none year UBE curricula may have
substantial cultural contents, the English language has become irreplaceable in
our national history and development, our culture must be vigorously preserved
and promoted by giving due and appropriate attention to our indigenous language
in our educational curriculum and planning. The indigenization of English in
Nigeria is major process of bringing the relationship between language and
culture to the fore. Since the English language is our national language,
Nigerian English has been adopted to home use and made applicable to our
numerous conveniences, experiences and responsibilities.
In conclusion, let us help each other and celebrate the great
diversity of languages and cultures throughout the globe and Nigeria in
particular so that we can keep our culture of “Inestimable Value” alive for
posterity.
• Grace
Tolu Dogara writes from National Museum, Minna
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