A mother tongue is the first language a person learns at home during childhood and still understands.
Defining Mother Tongue
The term "mother tongue" generally refers to the language an individual first acquires as a child, typically from their family or immediate environment. However, it's not always a simple case of the very first language heard.
Key Aspects of Mother Tongue
Here’s a more detailed look at what constitutes a mother tongue:
- First Language Learned: The language learned at home during one’s earliest years is usually considered the mother tongue.
- Understanding is Key: Crucially, the individual must still understand the language at the time of assessment.
- Shift in Mother Tongue: If the first language learned is forgotten, the second language learned that is understood becomes the mother tongue.
- For example, if a child learned language "A" first but no longer understands it, and then learned language "B" that they still understand, language "B" becomes their mother tongue.
Understanding Through Examples
To clarify, consider these examples:
- Scenario 1: A child learns only Spanish at home from birth and still speaks and understands Spanish fluently. Spanish is their mother tongue.
- Scenario 2: A child learns Mandarin Chinese first but later uses English almost exclusively and no longer understands Mandarin. English is now their mother tongue.
- Scenario 3: A child grows up speaking English and German at home from a young age and understands both languages equally well. In this scenario, that person has more than one mother tongue: English and German.
Why Understanding Matters
It's important to note that understanding, not just exposure, is a core element in identifying a mother tongue. A language learned early but subsequently lost does not qualify. The language the person actively understands and uses in a practical sense becomes their recognized mother tongue.
Summary
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Primary Language | The first language learned in childhood |
| Continuing Use | Still understood by the individual when assessed |
| If Forgotten | If the first language is no longer understood, the next language understood becomes the mother tongue |
