Why You Must Learn Your Native Language
Why You Must Learn Your Native Language
Written By Luis Reds
English remains the dominant language for business, travel, and internationalizing oneself. It is the de-facto language for the world.
In many countries, it has overtaken the native language(s) that existed. This is a phenomenon that can be referred to as a language shift. This language transfer or language replacement is a process in which a community shifts to a different language.
LANGUAGE SHIFT
This process tends to occur over an extended period of time. There are several factors that tend to contribute to this process. Anne Kandler and James Steele published an article in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in which they discussed some of the factors that contribute to a language shift.
Kandler and Steele note that processes globalization and urbanization are just two of the factors that lead to a language shift. Another factor that contributes to this process concerns the perceived status that is assigned to a native language.
This seems to be occurring in several countries. One country where this has taken place is Singapore. In Singapore, there was a general language shift that took place after the country gained independence in 1965 and broke off from Malaysia.
During this period, it was decided that English would be the dominant language in the new country. Lee Kuan Yew, the Founding Father of modern Singapore and former Prime Minister, encouraged students in Singapore to also learn their Mother Tongue languages. He knew that English would help Singapore become the global powerhouse that it now is.
Nevertheless, he also wanted the country to not become monolingual in English as it would bring its own set of disadvantages. He argued that this would lead the country and its various ethnic groups to lose cultural identity. Unfortunately, in many ways, this did occur as the number of people who choose to speak English over the mother tongues increased.
Will the increased language shift to English in several parts of the world lead to additional replacement of native languages and culture? This is one of the concerns that many associate with cultural imperialism.
This term refers to the extension of influence or dominance of one nation over another in various areas like cultural values, traditions, and practices. This is often observed in the introduction of a language as is the case with English.
Anna Corradi touched upon this in her article in the Brown Political Review. Corradi notes that some contend that English is now a universal tool of communication, but she argues that in many ways, English has effectively put indigenous languages to the side, thus hinting that the cultural heritage and history associated with these languages may be forgotten.
Corradi is not the only one to point this out.
GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURE
Ho Chong, Logistics Manager-Central at CARLSBERG VIETNAM, writes that globalization has contributed to the loss of cultural identity as the introduction of English has caused many communities (e.g., communities in Africa and South America) to forgo speaking their native language in favor of English.
This has led to a more serious problem that needs to be discussed. Without the presence of native languages, many people around the world are unable to understand their respective cultural roots. It prevents them from exploring their own literature and philosophy. In the long run, this leads to a continuous loss of cultural identity.
While not everyone notices this as a point of concern, it should be viewed as a major concern as it can result in the loss of exchange of ideas, beliefs, customs, literature, and habits among many other things. It is certainly a significant loss for humanity.
Fortunately, there are things that can be done to prevent this from happening, or at the very least, slow down the progression of this process. It is up to every individual in each country where English is gaining track or is currently overtaking their native language to master their native language. This is one action that needs to be taken to resist cultural imperialism.
INDIA
Likewise, in India, with its diverse range of beautiful languages, vernacular, and dialects, there is still an elitism toward the English language. English is the de-facto lingua franca of India, and it is no doubt important for Indians to learn English. No doubt Indians will have a major advantage for speaking and writing in English.
But not mastering one’s native language means that Indians can deprive themselves of learning their own culture.
An English-speaking Indian can expose themselves to the ideas of Adam Smith, G.K. Chesterton, and Shakespeare. If they master Hindi, they’ll also become inculcated with the richness of Chanakya, Vashishth, and Premchand.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE DIASPORA
The same can be said about the children in Latin America. In many Latin American countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Venezuela, English is recognized as the official language. Due to globalization, English is being recognized as an important language throughout this region. English is now being taught to school-aged children in many countries in this region as is the case in Nicaragua.
The Nicaraguan government is taking steps to introduce English into the national curriculum so that children can learn English. The same goes for many Nicaraguan adults, especially those who are seeking to work in the tourism industry. Many of these individuals are taking English classes to learn the language in the hopes of improving their chances of getting hired.
This is slowly leading many people to lose their ability to speak Spanish. The problem seems to be worst among Hispanic people who are growing up outside of Latin America. There is a growing percentage of Hispanic Americans who have trouble speaking Spanish. There are even some Hispanic Americans who do not speak Spanish, despite Spanish being the native tongue of their parents and relatives.
Surely, in all those years, a language cannot be forgotten or not spoken anymore. Well, Wong notes otherwise. Wong states that this is becoming a reality. Wong writes about a Hispanic woman who as a child was scolded by her maternal grandmother because she did not know how to speak Spanish. Despite her maternal grandmother’s wishes, the child attempts to learn Spanish were in vain, wrote Wong.
This is not a case isolated to this individual. It is one that is all too common in this day and age especially among certain generations of Hispanic Americans who are no longer bilingual. Most Hispanic parents still speak Spanish to their children, but this is becoming less common as noted by the Pew Research Center.
The reason why many Hispanic families (i.e., older adults) are no longer speaking Spanish to their children and the younger generations is because they want to assimilate to the community. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but it goes back to the point that is being made. This is contributing to cultural imperialism which is one reason why people whose native language is not English must master their native language to resist.
You can argue that it is a catch-22 for Hispanics who grew up in the United States, as well as for those who have just recently immigrated to the United States. Again, the problem is that if Hispanic Americans do not know master their native language, they will not be able to effectively communicate with their grandparents.
On a personal note, this is something that I have observed. As a first-generation American I sought to learn the language of my parents. My parents spoke to me in Spanish at home while I learned English at school.
This was not the case for several of my cousins. In fact, one of my cousins who is also a first-generation American has lost the ability to speak Spanish altogether. When she was younger, she could not speak with our grandparents.
On a side note - this was great news for me as I was able to get under the good graces of our grandparents and get the overall share of the money, they sought to give their grandchildren!
Nonetheless, my ability to speak fluently speak Spanish gave him the opportunity to effectively communicate with my grandparents. I was able to learn about the history of Nicaragua and its culture.
This is truly an experience that the I truly cherish - especially after the passing of my grandparents. I was able to learn about the rich history and culture of Nicaragua, the country where my parents immigrated from. I can share it with my children and one day, they will hopefully share it with their children.
LANGUAGE AND STORYTELLING
The previous example is what one can equate to being a storyteller. This is something that Ernst Van Zyl aka Conscious Caracal goes over in one of his YouTube videos:
In the video, Van Zyl discusses the importance of being a storyteller. He goes into details about how civilizations and communities need to have storytellers who can help to preserve cultures that are in danger of being lost. The importance of a country’s native language cannot be underestimated.
The goal should remain on learning to master one’s native language. Those who believe they are in danger of losing their respective native language should take steps to actively communicate with others who are fluent in the language.
As the saying goes: practice makes perfect! It would be ideal to take a course that covers one’s native language. This is an effective way to relearn the language or improve upon it. These are just some of the steps you can take.
Consider taking these steps not only as a way to resist cultural imperialism, but as ways to empower yourself so that you can keep communicating in your native language and help to share on your cultural beliefs, practices, and values to others.
This is, of course, not to dismiss the importance of learning and writing well in English.
Just make sure you also have a firm connection with your roots by learning your native language.
