Research shows that high mother tongue proficiency makes learning a second language easier and results in better academic performance. English is essential in today’s globalized work force, but language acquisition should be accumulative, not subtractive.
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According to a 2013 report, individuals who speak English fluently earn 34 percent more than those who cannot. However, this English obsession is not without reason. Ultimately, our mother tongue was neglected no matter where we lived. While I studied Marathi for years surrounded by the threat of English monolingualism, my cousin preferred and strived toward English living in India. Later, as a Marathi word eluded me, I requested his help in translation. As we chatted in Marathi, he noted how formal my vocabulary was compared to his English-peppered speech.
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But this system, marred with vestiges of colonialism, instills inferiority and shame in students for expressing themselves with a core part of their identity.ĭuring a call with a cousin in India, I witnessed this mentality firsthand. They are drilled to speak only English and rebuked for slipping back into their vernacular. According to The Times of India, an increasing 26 percent of Indian school children attend English-medium schools. Inside Indian English-language schools, dubbed “English medium,” reprimand for speaking one’s native language is nothing new. Each of their boards read, “I never speak Telugu.” The crime? Speaking their mother tongue, Telugu, instead of the convent school’s mandatory English. Other students stared at the passing “criminals,” their heads hung low. In a primary school in Andhra Pradesh, India, two children roamed the halls together with boards hanging from their necks.