Why pass on your mother tongue to your child?

 

When I became pregnant with my daughter in France, a major question crossed my mind: Which language should I teach her first? My mother tongue, Arabic, or the language of the country where she will grow up, French? This question raised doubts and reflections within my couple, as is often the case for parents living in a country where the main language differs from their mother tongue.

But I couldn't see myself speaking to my daughter in anything other than my mother tongue. I wanted to introduce her to the world in the language I knew. So, I followed my intuition and spoke to her in Arabic.

After diving into this adventure, I discovered the various advantages gained by following this decision.

 

Cultural identity

Cultural heritage

One of the main reasons for teaching your child your mother tongue is to pass on a piece of your cultural heritage. Language is much more than just a means of communication; it carries stories, traditions, and thoughts that we share with the world. By teaching our mother tongue, we offer our children a connection to our roots and family history.

Broadening horizons

Passing on one's mother tongue, which is different from the main language of the country in which we live, allows children to develop a deeper open-mindedness and understanding of diverse cultures. They internalize the notion of diversity at a fairly young age, which is now an integral part of their own history.

 

Early bilingualism

Cognitive benefits

Several studies show that children exposed to multiple languages ​​from an early age develop additional cognitive skills; early bilingualism can improve problem-solving ability, creativity, and mental flexibility.

Linguistic flexibility

Bilingual children tend to learn other languages ​​more easily in the future. Their brains become more adaptive to learning new languages, which can be a valuable asset in an increasingly connected world.

They also learn to communicate and make themselves understood beyond language. Finding themselves in a context or environment where their language is not spoken does not worry them; they adapt quite quickly and find ways to communicate and make themselves understood more quickly.

 

Received ideas

Linguistic confusion

One of the main concerns of parents is that their child might become confused while learning two languages ​​simultaneously. However, numerous studies show that this confusion is temporary and that children eventually become clearly distinguishable between the two languages.

They even manage to associate each language with a context/person with whom to practice it. In my experience, my daughter has never made a mistake speaking Arabic in the context of her French school.

Language delay

A common concern is that a bilingual child may be delayed in learning the local language. However, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, bilingual children can have language skills that are quite comparable to those of monolingual children.

And if they may have a slight delay at the beginning, in one of the two languages, it balances out quite quickly.

 

 

Ultimately, the decision to pass on one's mother tongue to one's child is a personal choice, but it can be extremely beneficial. It helps preserve cultural identity, provides cognitive benefits, and prepares the child for a diverse world. Of course, this can present daily challenges, but they are manageable when the desire to pass on knowledge is there.