Lucía Ringuelet
While doing some research for another EDSL course, I came across the results of a 2016 census. I thought the data was presented in a very fun way. Here is the link: play around, and enjoy!
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dv-vd/lang/index-eng.cfm
The results kept me thinking about the concept of “mother tongue,” one that for a long time I thought to be simple and straightforward. Today, as an immigrant in very multicultural country and a current student in Second Language Education, however, the concept seems less and less simple and straightforward. I looked through our Van Herk textbook for reference, but this term is unfortunately not defined in it. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as “The first language that you learn when you are a baby, rather than a language learned at school or as an adult.” It appears indeed that “mother tongue” is used as a synonym of “first language,” the language of the “native speaker.” This brings two big questions to mind:
Question 1
If we agree that one’s “mother tongue” is the language one uses at the home, what happens when more than one language is used within the home? Can we have more than one mother tongue? I believe some people do, as my friend’s son who speaks French with her and Korean with his dad. How would he answer this census question (once he turns 18)?
Question 2
Along the same line, how accurate is this depiction of our population’s “mother tongue,” as enquired by this Census? I wonder if the questions allowed for people to write two or more languages, but I doubt. In fact, if it did, the result would present a superior number of “mother tongues” than the actual number of citizens, which could seem illogical. Does this discredit the census as a representation of our population?
I have a lot of questions and no answers, but I believe it is extremely interesting to look at the way the government portrays our country’s linguistic repertoire.
Your turn!
Would you have had any trouble in answering this census question?
Do you have an answer to any of my questions above?
How representative do you think these census results are?
Do you see this census changing in a near future?
I would have a hard time answering the census for my son!
Hello ! You bring up a really good point, and I don’t really have any concrete answers. In reference to your first question: I was just wondering if it’s possible to maintain a bilingual household ? I can understand one parent speaking to the child in one language, while the other speaks in another, but I would think there would come a time when one language would unite the family at the dinner table, and establish itself as the “mother tongue”. I actually don’t know, and I’m just thinking out loud. What do you think ?
Chris
In answer to Chris about whether it’s “possible to maintain a bilingual household”…my own experience has been that what unites the family at the dinner table is its own very idiosyncratic mixed idiom! Who else has had that experience?
I liked your blog, Lucia. I have trouble understanding the concept of “first language” and “mother tongue” too. My son started talking English as his first language although he was raised in the home with Persian as the language of communication. Now it is a while, he has started to speak Persian with us (after he was sure that he can fully communicate in English). Now according to consensus and the definition presented at Cambridge Dictionary, I assume that English is his first language, though Persian will be considered his mother tongue!!
this is a really good post and also great questions, and for my part I beleive that someone can have more then one mother tongue. Especially if you are leaving in a bilangual house. I m also wondering ca someone have a native language or mother tongue and not be literate within this language?