English or Mother Tongue, What Do You Choose?

Struggling with the mother tongue seems to be a common phenomenon among the urban population today. It’s also considered ‘fashionable’ ‘refined’ or socially superior if children are seen conversing in English rather than the mother tongue.  Parents also tend to speak to their children in English because they want to send them to English medium schools and don’t want them to lag behind in the class. So English becomes the primary language spoken at home and the mother tongue takes a backseat.

Due to increasing globalization English, it is a fact that English has become a gateway to the world. But should we be adopting the English language at the cost of the mother tongue?   

A child’s first understanding of the world, learning new concepts and skills comes from the first language that he or she is introduced to. Learning the mother tongue first allows them to frame their thinking and emotional behavior in the cultural milieu they are born into.  The mother tongue is in fact one of the most effective ways of keeping a culture alive.

Mother tongues have beautiful sounds that children hear and become familiar with. It gives them a sense of comfort and belonging. It creates a strong sense of identity and connects children to their culture. And this can be a very strong foundation for growth especially as children reach adolescence and are learning to understand themselves and their families. At that stage the mother tongue can becomes a subconscious tie to their roots and helps them be comfortable or at least comprehend who they are and where they come from.  And as young adults when they do leave the home for studies or work knowing the mother tongue will help them connect with people who share the same language, and build a  circle of friends in a new city or town.

Studies have shown that cognitive development as well as intellectual development is comparatively faster in those who are fluent in their mother tongue. It has also been noted that if a student is educated in his/her mother tongue, the rate of his or her educational success is higher than someone who is taught in a medium other than their mother tongue.

Today, knowing more than one language is an asset. It allows us the ability to think in different ways and broaden our perspectives.  Being fluent in one’s mother tongue allows you to pick up other languages quickly. Also knowing the mother tongue can be a source of great pride. Especially at a time when local languages are slowly being lost or replaced by English

It is true that English is important but it can be learnt simultaneously with the native language during early childhood. Between the ages of 1-5 children have a lot of potential, they are naturally curious and have the ability to pick up new knowledge quickly. Introducing multiple languages at this stage will allow them to learn those languages fluently. But as they grow the reluctance to learn a new language increases.  So if you start with English, it is likely, that a child will continue to use English as the primary mode of communication and will fail to pick up the mother tongue.

It is imperative we introduce children to the mother tongue first and then bring in English. After all, English is only a medium of communication it is not an education in itself! English cannot and should not be a replacement for the mother tongue!