“No language is superior or inferior to any other language” this was the first gem of information which our Linguistics teacher shared with us when I was a university student. An incident in the morning brought back this memory vividly to me. A girl of seven Fatimah resides in my neighborhood. She often calls on my house though mostly for the sake of chocolates and candies I keep aside for her. I felt that she was a bit low. On being asked, she revealed that her mother had reprimanded her severely and slapped her for speaking Punjabi. It was really annoying and disturbing to me. I assured her that she can always talk to me in Punjabi as it is a beautiful language. She left me contemplating over what we are implanting in our young minds. I have myself often felt that when you start speaking your native language at some public place, people start staring at you as if you are an alien from a far-off planet. Even at my workplace, when we have parents- teachers conferences, I often notice my students feeling disturbed, embarrassed and even angry when their parents or grandparents communicate in their mother tongue. I personally know many schools where children are fined and punished for speaking any other language other than English. Believe me, our kids are not at fault. It is the teachers and parents who are directly responsible for inculcating such utterly wrong ideas in their minds.
Language is a beautiful and unique gift that humans possess. Animals do communicate but their communication mainly comprises of signals and signs. The basic purpose of any language is communication. All human languages are equally productive, rich and highly organized. The idea of a particular language or dialect being prestigious or stigmatized is highly deplorable, though much prevailing. A language spoken by a small community is as fertile and complex as any other language which is used by millions of speakers.
Today, the linguists throughout the world agree on this point that children’s basic education should be in their mother languages. Usually a child of 4 or 5 learns to communicate fully in his mother language. He learns it from his environment and also without much instruction. His mother language shapes his thoughts and he expresses his feelings of fear, happiness, surprise and pain in this language. It links him with his family and friends. It is through the first language that a child expresses his needs, comprehends the world around him and learns the skills and concepts. His connection with his family, relatives, community, customs, history, traditions, beliefs, fine arts, and literature is ensured only through his mother language. Otherwise; he feels himself mentally, socially, and culturally alienated.
We live in a trilingual society. For most of the children in Pakistan, regional languages like Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Saraiki, Putohari, Balochi etc serve as first languages. Not much effort is needed to learn the first language. At early years, most of the communication is oral. Learning and using first language without complex, guilt, fear and shame helps in enhancing the confidence of the early learners. Dear parents, stop yelling at your children. Try to communicate with them in their first language as much as possible. Buy them story books. Watch their favourite cartoons and T.V programmes with them. Motivate them if they use it properly. Once they have gained proficiency in its use, they can learn their second language at school because skills acquired in first language acquisition also help in learning second and in many cases even the third language properly.
Every language in the world is an epitome of certain culture and has its distinctive colour, beauty, rhythm and flavor which make it exotic and unique. Learning a new language other than the mother tongue opens up a whole new world, a whole new vista and horizon. It makes us more receptive, flexible, knowledgeable and open ‑minded. It brings us close to humanity. It not only enhances the academic performance but also multiplies career potentials. In Pakistan, mother languages are already subordinate to national and official languages and with many additional stigmas attached to them, they have started suffering a setback.
A language is like a beautiful plant which grows when people come close to one another and communicate, so a language sprouts, grows, expands, brings fruit when endeared and preserved as an asset by its users. It also withers, shrinks and dies when neglected. Many languages of the worlds are already endangered, because their users have failed to transfer them to the next generation. Our mother languages are at stake. If the recent ignorance-led attitudes are not reversed, many known languages will be found only in history books. Due to the fast growth in the process of globalization and communication, there will only be four to five major languages in the world after almost two centuries, the linguists claim. The languages which will survive and thrive in the race of “The Survival of the Fittest” only depends on their speakers.
