Language is an integral part of any country’s culture and identity. However, some countries have policies or social dynamics that suppress or discourage the use of native or indigenous languages in favor of other dominant languages. This article will examine which countries struggle to preserve and promote mother tongue languages due to historical, political and social factors.
What is a mother tongue or native language?
A mother tongue, native language or first language refers to the language a person learns from birth. It is the language of one’s ethnic, cultural or linguistic group and the language a person grows up speaking at home. For many people, their mother tongue is deeply connected to their identity and heritage.
However, in some countries, native or indigenous languages can become minority languages due to colonization, migration or government policies that impose another dominant language. This leads to many complex language issues as populations may speak the dominant language publicly but retain mother tongue languages privately. Suppressing mother tongues can erode cultural diversity.
Why do countries suppress native languages?
There are various interconnecting reasons why countries adopt policies or social attitudes that discourage the use of mother tongue languages:
- Colonial legacy – Former colonial powers often imposed their language on dominated regions to solidify control. Even after independence, the colonial language persists due to embedded economic and social power dynamics.
- Nation building – New nations seeking unity may promote one official language to forge a common national identity and suppress regional mother tongues seen as divisionary.
- Migration – Influxes of large migrant groups can make indigenous mother tongues minority languages within their original regions.
- Globalization – The need for global communication and economic competitiveness encourages the adoption of dominant world languages like English at the cost of native tongues.
- Cultural prestige – Some languages are associated with social advancement or high culture, leading parents to prefer them over mother tongue education for their children.
However, suppressing native languages cuts people off from their cultural heritage and knowledge systems encoded in those languages. Preserving mother tongues should be part of any diverse, egalitarian society.
Which regions struggle with mother tongue suppression?
Here are some key examples of countries and regions where native language suppression is a contested issue:
Africa
Many African countries use former colonial languages like English, French, Portuguese and Arabic as official languages, suppressing indigenous African languages that people still speak at home. Promoting mother tongues is hampered by lack of educational resources or social stigmas.
Asia
Indonesia’s diversity of local languages suffers from the dominance of the national language Bahasa Indonesia. Malaysia discourages native tongues like Iban and Kadazan with pro-Malay language policies. China suppressed non-Mandarin languages like Uyghur and Tibetan.
North America
Indigenous languages like Navajo and Inuktitut have suffered centuries of active suppression. Canada now tries to revive French language rights outside Quebec and indigenous tongues.
Mexico
The Mexican government historically marginalized indigenous peoples and languages. But communities are now revitalizing languages like Nahuatl, Maya, Mixtec and Zapotec.
Eastern Europe
The Soviet Union tried to crush regional languages and cultures in favor of Russian. Many survived as spoken languages and are slowly regaining formal status after independence.
France
Strong pro-French language policies and attitudes suppress recognition of minority languages like Breton, Basque, Catalan and Corsican.
What social factors discourage mother tongue use?
Even where policies formally allow minority language rights, social and economic factors can still pressure populations to switch to dominant languages:
- Education and literacy – Schooling in dominant languages hampers mother tongue fluency.
- Social mobility – Native tongues get associated with rural poverty and ignorance versus urban advancement.
- Economic opportunity – Jobs may require new language skills creating pressure to assimilate.
- Population dispersal – Urbanization and migration disrupt indigenous communities and language transmission.
- Cultural prestige – Pop culture and media increase the “cool factor” of global languages like English.
- Technology – Digital communication favors languages with major online presence and tools.
Even where mother tongues retain legal status and protection, they can become seen as archaic hindrances to success rather than core elements of identity and worldview.
What efforts counter native language loss?
Despite the challenges, diverse stakeholders promote awareness and revitalization of endangered mother tongues:
- Indigenous activism – Local communities advocate for language rights and multicultural policies.
- Linguistic research – Academics document and analyze minority languages and cultural knowledge.
- Language technology – Digital dictionaries, learning apps and online platforms aid endangered languages.
- Educational reform – Bilingual and mother tongue-based schooling models cognitive benefits.
- Government initiatives – Policies like official multilingualism, language academies, media licensing requirements.
- Popular culture – Native language music, films and art celebrate linguistic diversity.
With concerted effort across various sectors, languages that suffered active suppression or social marginalization can regain visibility and vitality as assets rather than obstacles.
What countries actively promote mother tongues?
Some nations explicitly encourage native language diversity and balance through proactive policies:
New Zealand
Grants official language status to the indigenous Maori tongue and promotes its use in schools and government.
South Africa
Recognizes 11 official languages spanning English, Afrikaans, and major Bantu and Khoe languages.
India
Supports 22 official regional languages alongside Hindi and English at the national level.
Singapore
Accepts 4 official languages including Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English as mother tongues.
Switzerland
Has no single national language but recognizes 4 major mother tongues – German, French, Italian and Romansh.
Finland
Puts Swedish on par with the majority Finnish language despite a small Swedish-speaking minority (5%).
These examples showcase that valuing diversity through multilingual policies strengthens national identity rather than threatening it.
Conclusion
Preserving and promoting native languages requires tackling complex post-colonial realities, ethnic tensions, socioeconomic mobility issues, and cultural value systems that tend to elevate major global languages over mother tongues.
Raising awareness of how language policies and social attitudes can suppress linguistic diversity is vital. So are active initiatives that counter ingrained cognitive and structural biases against minority native languages through education, technology, political reform, community activism and popular culture.
With thoughtfully inclusive policies and patient long-term effort, countries can ensure their linguistic heritage survives rather than succumbs to the dominance of global languages. Honoring mother tongues pays dividends for both cultural diversity and individual cognition.