MOTHER

TONGUE
CHAPTER 1
OBJECTIVES
a. Discuss the definition of mother tongue;
b. Enfolds the importance of mother tongue
to a child;
c. Familiarize the diversity of mother
tongue used by children.
 OVERVIEW
Mother tongue refers to the language of one's ethnic
group regardless of actual proficiency. Mother tongue
defines as "the first language learned at home in
childhood and still understood by the individual at the
time of the census. Mother tongue is the most
important element used by children in communicating
with other people. It helps them to connect with their
loved ones and build a bond with a good relationship
with the family and the community.
 WHAT IS MOTHER TONGUE?
➢ Mother tongue is defined as the first language
that a person learns and the language used in that
person's home country.
➢ one's native language; the language learned by
children and passed from one generation to the next
➢ the first language that you learn when you are a
baby, rather than a language learned at school or as
an adult.
 USE OF THE TERM MOTHER
TONGUE
The term "mother tongue" refers to a person's native
language — that is, a language learned from birth. Also
called a first language, dominant language, home
language, and native tongue (although these terms are
not necessarily synonymous). The general usage of the
term 'mother tongue'...denotes not only the language
one learns from one's mother, but also the speaker's
dominant and home language.
 CULTURE AND MOTHER
TONGUE
"It is the language community of the mother
tongue, the language spoken in a region,
which enables the process of enculturation,
the growing of an individual into a particular
system of linguistic perception of the world
and participation in the centuries-old history
of linguistic production."
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
Mother tongue is crucial in framing the
thinking and emotions of people. A language
plays an essential part in the life of a human
being. This language cultivates confidence
and a sense of self-worth to a child in
learning other things.
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
Learning in school accentuates with the use
of mother tongue. Mother tongue is a
powerful tool in advancing the learning in
people.
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
Mother tongue develops a strong foundation
for learning additional languages.
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
Mother language develops a personal and cultural
identity. An individual hears their native language
first when in the womb, and it subconsciously
begins shaping their thoughts and emotions.
Nelson Mandela said,” Talk to a person in their
language, and it goes to their heart.” Thus, it
becomes the source of instance connection with
family, society, culture, and identity.
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
The mother tongue creates job opportunities.
 IMPORTANCE OF MOTHER
TONGUE
Mother tongue elicits the development of strong
family bonds.
REASONS WHY IT IS
IMPORTANT TO
KNOW YOUR
MOTHER TONGUE
WELL
 1. Intellectual Development
Studies have shown that cognitive
development as well as intellectual
development is comparatively faster in
those who are fluent in their mother
tongue.
 2. Better connection with
your culture
Languages are the most important way of
keeping our culture alive. Often the direct
translation of one language to another might
not carry the same essence as it is in the
source language. Thus, the best way to
thoroughly know about a culture is to know the
language.
 3. Second language learning
If one has a firm grasp of their mother
tongue, it is easier for him or her to master
a new language. When a child reads out
in their mother tongue since childhood, he
or she would have stronger literacy skills
in other languages.
 4. Commercial benefits
As the businesses go the local way, the
importance of mother tongues has
exponentially increased. Thus, in such a
scenario, having a firm understanding of
your mother tongue where you know how to
read and write is immensely helpful if you
are interested in becoming an entrepreneur.
 5. The Pride
Knowing your mother tongue well is a
matter of pride. It boosts one’s confidence
and creates awareness in the individual’s
mind while also helping them connect with
their cultural identity in a better manner.
 WHY SPEAKING THE MOTHER
TONGUE IS IMPORTANT?
Our mother tongues are an essential part of our thinking minds, our
identities and the bedrock of all our learning. Languages tap into the
world’s rich cultural diversity, memory, tradition, unique ways of
thinking and expression. It is very important in today’s global village to
preserve one’s mother tongue.
Mother tongue has nothing to do with the ethnicity, mother tongue is
important as a precursor to the world. It is through your mother
tongue that your child 1st learns how to communicate.
“Mother tongue is very important because it's the language that introduces the world to us”
 WHY IS MOTHER LANGUAGE
IMPORTANT?
Language is a tool not just for communication
but a vehicle for culture and heritage. Mother
languages symbolizes one’s identity, safety,
grounding and birth.. Noam Chomsky put
forward a theory, summed up, for humans,
language is a basic instinct. Initially criticized
there is more evidence that shows he was right
after all.
 WHY IS MOTHER LANGUAGE
IMPORTANT?
Forgetting your first language can potentially
lead to;
• Identity loss and confusion
• A sense of alienation
12 MAJOR MOTHER TONGUES IN
THE PHILIPPINES
 TOP 20
MOTHER
TONGUES OF
THE WORLD
English is the lingua franca of the digital age,
and those who use it as a second language may
outnumber its native speakers by hundreds of
millions of their region’s majority. Assimilation
confers inarguable benefits, especially as
internet use proliferates and rural youth gravitate
to cities. But the loss of languages passed down
for millennia, along with their unique arts and
cosmologies, may have consequences that
won’t be understood until it is too late to reverse
them.
1. English – 1132 million speakers
Did you know? “I”, “we”, “who”, “two” and
“three” date back tens of thousands of years,
making them the oldest words in the English
language.
2. Mandarin Chinese – 1117 million speakers
3. Hindi – 615 million speakers
Did you know? The Hindi language does not
use the word “the”, or what we call a definite
article.
4. Spanish – 534 million speakers
Did you know? Spanish is also the official
language of a country in Central Africa,
Equatorial Guinea.
5. French – 280 million speakers.
Did you know? 75% of French citizens did not
speak French as a mother tongue when the
French Revolution too place. Instead, they
spoke regional languages.