Is the Mother Tongue always the strongest language of a person? And why still only “mother” and not “father” or why is it not called better “Parents Tongue”? I’m going to dive into this and other questions like how important the “mother tongue “is for a healthy overall development of a multilingual child. Also, do international families have to necessarily use their “mother tongue” with their children? All of this in a second but first, if you are new here, please consider subscribing and joining my mailing list for more useful content on how to raise multilingual children. My name is Andrea and I’m a teacher specialized in multilingualism, currently working at a trilingual school in ZH- Switzerland with children and parents from all over the world. I also raise my children in several languages and share my know-how and experience in this channel. So please hit the like button to help me help more cosmopolitan families. My cousin is visiting me in a few hours and I remember her wanting to persuade her father to speak in his “mother language” to his granddaughter. He grew up bilingual in Ecuador. With the mother, he spoke EN, with the father ES. In his case, his mother tongue (meaning the language of his mother) is EN and still he never used it to communicate with his children, let alone his grandchildren. Why? Isn’t the “mother tongue” supposed to be one’s strongest language? The language that we are supposed to pass on to our children? Not always. Let’s see why. The term “Mother Tongue” refers to the language that a person learns from birth or early childhood and is considered their first language. It is also sometimes referred to as a person's native language, the one that the person is most familiar with and comfortable using in daily communication. This doesn’t apply though to people that moved to another country as young adults and are after several years more comfortable using the language of that place. Their mother tongue remains the one that they learned in early childhood. Now the term “Mother Tongue” is a bit old-fashioned. In the past, it was clear that the language that the mother spoke, was the strongest of a person because mothers were the main caregivers. In our modern lives, that often doesn’t apply anymore. Children don’t necessarily spend most of their time with their mothers anymore. The term “Mother Tongue” has been in use for several centuries. It’s an old term, but it’s still commonly used today. While there are other terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, such as "native language" or "first language," "mother tongue" remains a widely recognized and accepted term for referring to the language that a person learns as a child from their mother or primary caregiver. So it is not necessarily attached to the mother but much more to the person that has the most contact with the child. “Mother Tongue” continues to be used in both academic and everyday contexts. However, since the primary caregivers are not necessarily the mothers anymore, in professional contexts the term “first language” is often preferred. The other day a bumped into my neighbor… And so, back to our topic, some cosmopolitan couples are sometimes confused about what language to speak to their children because the level in their mother tongue decreased while being abroad and another language becomes stronger. The rule of thumb is to pass on to your children the language that you grew up with. But, because of globalization, as you saw in the example before, some family compositions have become quite complex and so there are more and more exceptions to the rule. In other words, it’s necessary to analyze each family case individually to make the right decisions. Let’s investigate how important the development of the mother tongue is for a healthy overall development of a child. A child’s first language or mother tongue is important for their healthy development in many ways. Here are some reasons why: First, for communication: The mother tongue is the language a child is most comfortable with and understands best. It is the language that facilitates communication with family members, caregivers, and peers. When children can communicate effectively, they are more likely to feel confident and secure, which are two basic needs. The next reason is the ccognitive development: Research suggests that children who learn their mother tongue well, have an easier time learning additional languages later on. Science shows that they need to develop at least one language well enough to build up other languages on top of it effectively. Children who have a strong foundation in their first language are better equipped to learn and retain new information. But ACHTUNG: This doesn’t mean that children can’t learn languages simultaneously. That is an option, children can have two first languages, but the quantity in quality input must be accordingly high and if that is not possible for some reason, then it’s better to resort to sequential multilingualism. The next reason is emotional development: The mother tongue is closely tied to a child's cultural identity and sense of belonging. When children can communicate in their mother tongue, they feel a sense of connection to their family, their roots and their community. This helps to build a strong self-esteem, identity, and confidence. This is crucial for a healthy development and a successful school career! This reminds me of some of my students that are taking off like rockets… The next point is the social development: Learning a language is a social activity that involves interacting with others. Children learn through their mother tongue lots of social skills such as turn-taking, listening, and responding to others. And all of this they learn from parents that speak confidently and fluently the strongest language they grew up with. In summary, a child's mother tongue is important for their healthy development in many ways. It provides a foundation for communication, cognitive, emotional, and social development. The term mother tongue is rather old but still widely used and it means basically the strongest language you grew up with. Thanks for watching, watch these videos, they might interest you as well. Please share your thoughts in the comments and talk to you soon.