Whether a person’s native tongue is the same as their native language is a complex question with no definitive answer. On the surface, it may seem obvious that someone’s first learned language is their native tongue and native language. However, there are many factors that complicate this assumption.
What is a native tongue?
A person’s native tongue refers specifically to the language a person learns from birth. It is usually the language spoken by a child’s parents or caregivers. Native tongue is also called mother tongue or first language. This is the language that a person first starts absorbing sounds and communicating in from the time they are an infant.
For many people, their native tongue is the language spoken at home during their early childhood. It is usually the language they initially learn to speak, understand, read, and write. The native tongue shapes a person’s thinking and perception of the world.
However, situations like adoption or moving to a new country at a very young age can result in a child having a different native tongue than their parents. Environment and exposure play key roles in determining someone’s true native tongue.
What is a native language?
A native language is the language a person identifies with as their first cultural language. While someone’s native tongue is defined by early life exposure, a native language is defined by cultural identity.
Someone may consider a language their native language because:
- It is their family heritage language
- It is the dominant language of their country of origin
- They feel a personal sense of belonging with the language, culture, and community
Unlike native tongue, native language is not strictly defined by order of acquisition. Someone can consider a language their native language even if it wasn’t the absolute first language they learned.
Can native tongue and native language differ?
For many people, their native tongue and native language are one and the same. However, there are some key situations where a person’s native tongue and native language may differ:
Adoption at a young age
Children adopted as infants often learn their adoptive parents’ language as their native tongue, rather than their biological parents’ language. However, they may still feel a cultural connection to their birth country and consider its dominant language their native language.
Moving countries as a child
Similarly, children who move to a new country at a young age often adopt the local language as their native tongue. But their native language may remain tied to their country of origin.
Living abroad
People who move abroad as adults already have established native tongues and native languages. But if they live abroad for many years, their children may end up with different native tongues than native languages.
Ancestral language revival
Some people seek to rediscover or revive knowledge of their ancestral or indigenous language later in life. In this case, they may consider this ancestral language their native language, even though it is not their childhood native tongue.
Multilingual environments
People raised in multilingual environments from birth sometimes have difficulty identifying a single native tongue or native language. They may feel equally affiliated with multiple languages.
Extreme isolation
In rare cases, children with extremely limited language input during childhood may not develop a clear native tongue. But they may later identify with a native language linked to their place of origin.
How do native tongue and native language interact?
A person’s native tongue and native language influence each other in complex ways:
- Native tongue shapes how native languages are learned. Childhood language acquisition impacts second language proficiency.
- Strong native language identification can motivate native tongue learning later in life.
- Mixing native tongue and native language vocabulary and grammar is common in bilinguals.
- The first few languages learned impact thinking patterns, even for later acquired languages.
Often a person’s native tongue remains their dominant language for communication. But their native language retains deep personal and cultural significance.
What role does environment play?
The environment a child is raised in determines native tongue acquisition. Key factors include:
- Parents/caregivers – The native tongue is usually the language spoken by a child’s family or caretakers.
- Schooling – The main language used for instruction in school impacts language dominance.
- Community – Broader interactions in the social community shape language exposure.
- Input – The quantity and quality of native tongue input affects fluency.
- Age – Younger children more readily absorb native tongue sounds and patterns.
At the same time, cultural identity develops through a sense of shared values, customs, beliefs, and historical commonality. This helps determine what language someone identifies as their native language.
Does native tongue ability relate to cultural affiliation?
There is no direct correlation between native tongue fluency and cultural affiliation as a member of a language community. Many factors influence language ability and cultural identity, including:
- Age of acquisition – Early childhood language absorption differs from later language learning.
- Input and use – More exposure and practice leads to greater fluency.
- Education – Formal instruction accelerates language mastery.
- Affiliation – Self-identification with a culture motivates language development.
- Experience – Interacting with the language community reinforces cultural ties.
Ultimately, both native tongue fluency and subjective cultural affiliation contribute to a language being considered a native language. Neither factor alone is definitive.
Do people have multiple native languages?
It is possible for people to have affiliations with multiple cultures and languages. Key examples include:
- Bicultural individuals – People balanced between two cultural communities may consider both languages native.
- Multilingual societies – Residents of multilingual countries like Canada, India, or Nigeria may reject one singular native language.
- Global nomads – Those who move frequently between international locations may internalize multiple languages.
However, most often one language still tends to dominate as the main native tongue and language. The exception is simultaneous bilinguals who natively absorb two languages from birth.
Does native language change over a lifetime?
A person’s native language identity can evolve over their lifetime:
- Children usually adopt the native language of their parents.
- Adolescents may assert their own cultural affiliations.
- Adults can reconnect with family heritage languages.
- Older people sometimes revert to the language of their youth.
Major life events like immigration, family ties, personal study, or community immersion can lead to native language re-affiliation. However, native tongue still tends to reflect childhood acquisition.
Conclusion
In summary, native tongue and native language are related but distinct concepts. Native tongue reflects early childhood language acquisition, while native language indicates cultural identity. For many people, their native tongue and native language are the same. But for bilinguals and multilinguals, these concepts can diverge in complex ways. Ultimately, both environment and personal affiliation contribute to native tongue and native language formation.