As mother tongue based multilingual education mtbmle or mle programs are piloted and promoted in various contexts around the world, it is important to plan carefully for the assessment practices that will best meet the goals and needs of the programs. It may or may not be the language spoken by both parents. Make an overhead transparency of the discussion questions for mother tongue, or arrange for an lcd projector to show the questions to the class. This article recalls me some adversities when the first few days i came to the united states. Benefits and challenges mebratu belete beka department of psychology, wolaita sodo university, ethiopia. Tan describes her mothers english as broken or fractured 40. Applies to contexts where more than one language is spoken. Effectiveness of mother tongue based instruction on pupils achievement in mathematics a masters thesis masters of arts in education major in educational administration. So, cognition is an umbrella term that covers all of the mental activities that we engage in. Language, participation, and indigenous knowledge systems research in mqatsheni, south africa.
Mother tongue, by amy tan university of missourist. The main idea of amy tans mother tongue is the limitations that imperfect english can impose in society and the richness that such english can bring to writing. Jul 25, 2019 the term mother tongue refers to a persons native language that is, a language learned from birth. I would recommend this book to anyone with a casual interest in linguistics, in spite of rumoured historical errors. Mother tongue meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Amy tan the purpose of the amy tan in in writing the novel mother tongue was to attempt to sensitize on the importance of language and the power it wields in society. Mother tongue based instruction deals primarily with the teaching of particular. Strategies and problems encountered by teachers in. It is the language that a person learnt at home, usually from parents. Mother tongue the essay i want to write on is mother tongue, which is written by amy tan.
Amy is an ethnic chinese writer who was born and living in united states. But there are exceptions where not even this is a good, fair and respectful definition. Mother tongue is a personal essay by the american novelist amy tan. Furthermore, the definition of mother tongue is a contentious subject, as many parents teach their children english at home. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the english language and its variations in this country or others. At grade 4 level, the pupils performed significantly better in the xhosa version of the narrative. Tan becomes well aware of the change in her language when she is with her mother. The concept of mother tongue can be difficult to operationalize, particularly for students with multilingual home backgrounds. The use of mother tongue has always been a great area of interest to me partly because of my personal early learning experience. Importance of mother tongue essay sample august 21, 2017 by admin essay samples, free essay samples. It helps one understand words and concepts in the style of that language. Since school year sy 201220, the mother tongue basedmultilingual education mtbmle began to be implemented in all public schools, specifically in kindergarten, grades 1, 2 and 3 as part of the k to 12 basic education program. The initial work was performed on african and european samples by a team of population geneticists led by laurent excoffier. Mother tonguebased multilingual education in the philippines.
It is based on the discovery, in 1997, of a closer correlation between language and ychromosomal variation than between language and mitochondrial dna variation. The mother tongue does not have to be the language spoken by the mother. A child first comprehends what is around them through the. Mother tongue definition of mother tongue by merriamwebster. Mother tongue as the medium of instruction at author.
Tan elaborates this idea by scrutinizing her mothers language, her own use of english and societys response to different peoples english usage. Hardcover joel davis mother tongue is an excellent overview of language development in people and in cultures. Mother tongue, by amy tan i am not a scholar of english or literature. Mother tongue annotationa \mother tongue annotation.
Apr 02, 2020 in the early middle ages, mother tongue was largely a pejorative term to describe the unlearned language of women and children haugen 1991. Often a combination of mother tongue definitions by origin and by internal identification is a good mother tongue definition for linguistic minorities. The l1 can indeed be completely lost without leaving any traces in the brain. Mother tongue interference in the acquisition of english articles by l1 arabic students rana abid thyab ministry of higher education and scientific research,tikrit university. But what if a deaf child or an indigenous child is not one of those fortunate ones. A first language also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or l1 often means the language that a person learns first. In mother tongue, tan writes about the awareness and discrimination about broken english compared to standard english.
Mother tongue can be conceived of as the students first language or home language. This is usually the language that children speak at home with their family. The failure to provide mother tongue teaching is a form. Mother tongue interference in the writing of english as a second language esl malay learners article pdf available december 2017 with 10,684 reads how we measure reads. She spends a great deal of her time thinking about the power of language the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Mother tongue definition, the language first learned by a person. Mother tongue essay examples download free or order unique. Tan begins to recognize that she uses different styles of english depending on people she meets.
Jul 12, 2012 furthermore, the definition of mother tongue is a contentious subject, as many parents teach their children english at home. In this sense the bilingual child has two mother tongues. Mlastyle works cited bibliographical entry models for selected essays reprinted in our muller textbook. Also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your mother tongue essay. Pdf the first language l1 or mother tongue model vs. Your mother tongue is the language that you learn from your parents when you are a baby. The following working definitions of languages for various purposes are used in the study. Therefore it is not fair to use a mother tongue definition by function they have.
Mother tongue is interpreted by some as the cultural language, but others as the language taught from birth, regardless of whether it is part of traditional heritage. The mother tongue is the language that they identify with and that they can express themselves fully in. An example here is angola, where after the colonial period portuguese was selected as the national language. A mother tongue is the language the child can speak fluently before going to school. Mother tongue, a necessary step to intellectual development. Those who are desirous of pleasing the gods chant prayers to them in the mother tongue.
Mother tongue languages as the language of instruction, but mother tongue does not enjoy the same reverse role as english did earlier on. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved language. College of education for women, iraq abstract native speakers of arabic face a number of problems in their attempt to acquire the english language. Although the implication is usually clear, there is no necessary connection between a childs use of language and the language of its mother. Mothertongue interference in the acquisition of english. I believe that the wisdom of rethinking mother tongue policy as foundation of learning and literacy cannot be emphasized enough. Mother tongue, a necessary step to intellectual development 27 moreover, reber defines the word cognition as a broad term, which has been used to refer to such activities as thinking, conceiving, reasoning, etc. Informed use of the mother tongue in the english language. Note that it is not necessarily the most widely spoken, but rather the national. May we always look upon our mother tongue with favor. The mother tongue of the learner shall be the primary medium of instruction for teaching and learning in the kindergarten level. 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. A general term for the language of the childhood home, learned at ones mothers knee, often used synonymously with native language.
Sociologically, it is a means of identification among members of the. The definition of mother tongue plus the worlds top 20. What benefits and detriments have we discovered from. Now, more than one school year after the start of its implementation, what have we learned from this program. Mother tongue education refers to any form of schooling that makes use of the language or languages that children are most familiar with. Teachers attitudes towards the use of mother tongue as a. Tan believes that a language has a fascinating power to conduct and guide mental activities paragraph 34. At grade 4 level, the pupils performed significantly better in the xhosa version of the narrative task. Policies regarding the medium of instruction at universities have a range of shortterm and longterm implications. The aim is not to alienate the child from a form of language with which he has grown up and which serves him efficiently in the speech community in his neighbourhood. The definition of mother tongue plus the worlds top 20 thoughtco. Mother tongue definition and meaning collins english. For example, if a language school advertises that all its teachers are native speakers of english, we would most likely complain if we later.
Pdf role of mother tongue in second language learning. Sometimes, first language means the language that a person speaks best the second language is then spoken less well than the first language, etc. Enhancing learning of children from diverse language backgrounds. Mother tongue by amy tan purpose essay example graduateway. In some countries, mtbmle includes four languagesthe students mother tongue or first language, a regional language, the national language. The struggles of communication communication is arguably the most essential and powerful part of everyday life. As a communication tool, it may have both positive and negative implications among members of the society.
Mother tongue based education in the philippines cultural. Tilburg university mother tongue and mother tongue education. Amy tans short story, mother tongue is an admirable tale that discusses the implied meaning of languages and how language is not only a device of communication, but a social tool of measuring an individuals worth. Mother tongue based bilingual or multilingual education in early childhood and early primary school years prepared by jessica ball, m. For example,when learners are required to engage in. Parents should pass down their mother tongue to next generation in order to protect the languages. Nonformal education, accelerated learning programmes, nomadic education and communityled education programmes are all examples of education solutions that respond to local needs. For instance, marginalised tribal groups struggle to have their identity and languages fully recognised, respected or understood within wider society. Enhancing learning of children from diverse language. She is then able to divide her different englishes. Education systems inattentive to mother tongue languages different from the second language l2 used for. Through strenuous and conscious efforts, one could try to avoid it provided the second language learner. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved.
She was faced with language problem during her life. Therefore, it is not fair to use a mother tongue definition by competence either. After lower primary, mother tongue is not taught as a subject nor used as a language of instruction. Language proficiency for academic achievement in the. Dec 06, 2015 mother tongue education implies a linguistically homogeneous community, a teacher who speaks the language, and the curriculum materials in the mother tongue mother tonguebased instruction provides an opportunity for our children to exercise their right to learn in their first language. Mother tongue is the initial language one learns as a baby. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. Pdf mother tongue interference in the writing of english. If the authors name is included in a signal phrase, you only need to cite the page number in parentheses. Lingua franca is the dominant language of the community, or the national language. In south asia, multilingual education usually follows the first definition, learning and using multiple languages in school. Advantages and disadvantages of mother tonguebased education. Mother tongue definition of mother tongue by the free.
In some countries, the term native language or mother tongue refers to the language of ones ethnic group rather than ones first language. The unesco document states that, psychologically, the mother tongue is a. Oct 03, 2011 mother tongue the essay i want to write on is mother tongue, which is written by amy tan. Get a the mother tongue mug for your daughterinlaw julia. Arrange for copies of the essay mother tongue by amy tan. In the examples and casestudies presented in this paper, the.
Feb 21, 2014 i think it should be your mother or fathers tongueor more interestingly, mother or fathers mother tongue. Also called a first language, dominant language, home language, and native tongue although these terms are not necessarily synonymous. A first language, native language or motherfatherparent tongue also known as arterial language or l1, is a language that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. It is the language in which the child can operate confidently in all domains relevant to the childs life. Profanity, especially when used to berate another person. Thus students whose mother tongue is used as the language of instruction at their universities have an advantage over students whose mother tongue is not the language of instruction at their universities. Skutnabbkangas alerts us to the fact that the definitions of mother tongue she. For example, initial teacher training does not include training in pedagogie. The state shall hereby adopt the mother tongue based multilingual education mtb mle method. In the atharvaveda it is said, let us not turn away from our mother tongue. Tan elaborates this idea by scrutinizing her mother s language, her own use of english and societys response to different peoples english usage. Before looking at the details of the statement of the problem and the approach to this research, this.
Mother tongue or mother language refers to a childs fi rst language, the. While studies have long supported the use of mother tongue as the language of instruction, they have primarily been conducted in community rather than national settings. A rhetoric and reader for writers, edited by marjorie ford and jon ford, 7th ed. Mother tongue definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Guidelines for contextembedded assessment of mother. The term mother tongue refers to a persons native language that is, a language learned from birth. This reflected the low status of women in society and contrasted with latin, the more prestigious father tongue on the continent. In tans essay she quotes her mothers speech to demonstrate her mothers broken english, it was a very trivial story but the thing that is worth looking at was her mother s grammar. The importance of the definition of mother tongue varies from country to country. In the amy tans mother tongue, she states that she is someone who has always loved language. The following example will highlight how i arrived to that particular answer. The answers to these questions form the platform of any curriculum, and can be. Advantages and disadvantages of mother tonguebased. The unesco document states that, psychologically, the mother tongue is a system of.
The father tongue hypothesis proposes that humans tend to speak their fathers language. Mother tonguebased bilingual or multilingual education in early childhood and early primary school years prepared by jessica ball, m. It is important that the teacher selects the resources in advance, ensuring that they are as culturally appropriate as possible. Societies ability to run smoothly, efficiently and benefit as many people as possible, hinges greatly on communication and how effectively it is used. As it was adults who were being questioned, the definition of mother tongue was slightly different. It is the mother tongue which performs the function of purification. Global campaign for education policy brief mothertongue.
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