February 21 is observed as Mother Language Day. It is unfortunate that this Day is not given due importance in Meghalaya. Mother language is about identity, the sense of self, the cultural values and the meaning of words and aphorisms that the ancestors had coined and why they did so. Most importantly it is language that keeps cultural heritage alive. Cultural information read or heard in a foreign language can be difficult to understand or identify with, owing to a loss of meaning, impact and context.
Humans are social beings who connect to each other through language and the best connect is the mother language. Prof Jim Cummins of the University of Toronto states that the mother language has a very important role in the over-all development of the child. It helps in better cognitive and intellectual development. Cummins also says that there is enough evidence that a person who has mastered the mother language is better able to learn a second and third language and therefore has a deeper understanding of how to use different languages effectively and learn from other cultures as well. Extensive research supports the notion that a child who only knows only one language doesn’t know it well enough. Also, that children who speak more languages are often more flexible in their thinking as they can process information in different languages. Cultures are enriched through synthesis and language is that synthesizer. It is unfortunate that many so-called English medium schools in the past never emphasised on learning the mother language. On the contrary students were told not to speak anything other than English in the classroom and the school premises. Students were taught Hindi as a second language but not their own mother language. Those who had passed out of school during that phase lost something valuable in their life experiences.
The undue emphasis on English as a language for passing examinations and for better job opportunities has relegated the mother language to the background. Today, elected representatives in Meghalaya who don’t speak English are unable to make speeches in the Assembly. Since when has the mother language become less important than English? It is high time that MLAs are allowed to express their views and answer questions in their mother languages. It is for the State Assembly to organise the simultaneous translation facility. It is important that parents speak the mother language at home since feelings which are so important for the child’s development are transferred through the mother language. It is high time for the Government of Meghalaya to dig in its heels and push for the recognition of Khasi and Garo languages to give them the official language status they deserve.
