The term “mother tongue” refers to a person’s native language or the language a person learns from their parents or caregivers as a young child. Some key points about the term mother tongue:
What does mother tongue mean?
A mother tongue is the first language a person acquires in early childhood because it is spoken natively by the people in their family or community. It is often a person’s native language. Some specific things about mother tongue:
- It is the language a person grows up speaking from early childhood.
- A mother tongue is usually acquired without formal education – it is picked up naturally from the environment.
- It is the language that a person thinks and dreams in.
- A mother tongue shapes a person’s identity and becomes their natural method of self-expression.
Is it politically correct to say mother tongue?
Use of the term “mother tongue” is generally seen as politically correct and acceptable in most contexts. Some key points on this:
- Mother tongue is commonly used in linguistics, language education and language policy.
- It does not imply bias toward women – “mother” refers to the idea of a birth or native language, not just the female parent.
- “Mother tongue” is often interchangeable with terms like native language, primary language, first language, home language.
- Some alternatives like “parent tongue” are not as established in usage.
There are some specific situations where alternatives may be preferred, such as:
- A child’s main caregiver was not the mother – then “family language” or “native language” may be used.
- Discussing communities with flexible child care arrangements.
- Talking about transgender or non-binary parenting.
But in general, “mother tongue” is an accepted and commonly understood term.
Is it the language our mother spoke?
A mother tongue is associated with the language spoken by a person’s parents or family during childhood, but it does not necessarily mean the language spoken by the mother specifically. Some key points on this:
- Mother tongue refers to language exposure from birth parents and/or caregivers.
- It may be the language of either parent, or both.
- In some cases, it is the language of the child’s wider community or environment, not parents.
- It is possible for parents to have different native languages.
The determining factor for a mother tongue is early childhood exposure and acquisition, not specifically the language spoken by the mother. The mother’s language may influence the child’s native language, but there are exceptions.
Can you have more than one mother tongue?
It is possible for a person to have two or more mother tongues or native languages in situations such as:
- A child grows up in a multilingual family or community, and learns two languages from parents or caregivers in early childhood. For example, a Canadian child with an Anglophone mother and Francophone father.
- A child is raised bilingually from birth by bilingual parents. For example, Indian parents speaking both Hindi and English at home.
- A child is exposed to a second language consistently from infancy, for example at a daycare, in addition to family language.
- A child is adopted as an infant and learns a new native language.
However, linguists emphasize that true native bilingualism from early childhood is relatively rare. More commonly, one mother tongue forms a person’s primary natural language.
Does mother tongue depend on ethnicity?
A person’s mother tongue or native language is related to early childhood language exposure rather than biological ancestry or ethnicity. For example:
- Children adopted from another ethnic group at birth often have the adoptive family’s language as a mother tongue.
- Children of immigrant parents may have the language of their new home country as a mother tongue, rather than parents’ language.
- In ethnically diverse societies, children from the same ethnic group can have different home languages.
However, mother tongue often correlates with ethnic culture and identity, as language is a vital part of cultural heritage.
Does mother tongue mean fluency?
A mother tongue is a language acquired instinctively from early childhood immersion. But a person does not necessarily retain full fluency in their mother tongue. For example:
- In migrant communities, a mother tongue may fade if it is not used enough.
- Children with learning disabilities may exhibit weak oral skills in their native language.
- Lack of mother tongue fluency does not change the fact that it is a person’s first natural language.
However, mother tongue ability generally indicates a high capability for fluency, even if it is dormant. Reviving a mother tongue is easier than learning a foreign language from scratch.
Conclusion
In summary, “mother tongue” refers to the language or languages acquired naturally in early childhood because of exposure at home or in the immediate environment. It is a person’s foundation language that shapes their linguistic identity. While mother tongue ability may vary, the term does not imply fluency and has no fixed connection to gender or ethnicity. “Mother tongue” remains a widely accepted and understood term in linguistics, education and multicultural societies.