The Warsaw High School Times

By Camille Dubno

Graphic by Rita Pasiewicz

As children, most of us have probably heard as our family spoke in their native language, which later became our own. We think in it, speak it, and generally use it to communicate with people around us. However, language is much more than what we speak, but is a big representation of the culture we grew up in, which is why its loss is not only puzzling, but also extremely sad.

“How can one actually lose their native tongue?” You might think, since you have used this language all your life. Well, the loss of a mother tongue – academically known as ‘language attrition‘ – is caused by two main factors: isolation from speakers and the learning of a secondary language. Usually, the interference of the second language stops the comprehensive learning of the first, which limits the ability of the speaker to use their primary language. Despite most bilingual individuals experiencing this to an extent, it is most evident in speakers whose second language gains a prominent role in their life.

How come the first language becomes lost, if they still have their community of natives to speak to? Undeniably, school and the internet are to blame. With our world becoming more and more interconnected each day, the learning of foreign languages has become integral to school, with some schools even teaching almost exclusively in, for instance, English. While this does bring ‘internationality’ and ‘prestige’ (since international programmes and people from different countries can be present), it does also bring language attrition, as the main language in a student’s life is no longer their native language.

Nonetheless, non-international schools are not safe either. The internet has become a crucial part of teens’ lives, so to communicate more widely a universal language (English, our current lingua franca) has been adopted. Coincidentally, for the better or for the worse, this is where loan words come from.

You might believe that this is an inevitable process, and, as such, one we should not bother about. Undoubtedly, we should care, since language is a crucial part of culture and communication. Language is not merely a tool used to tell others about something, but a living representation of the beliefs, customs and attitudes of a given community. For example (and perhaps a more extreme one), a community not having a word for ‘sorry‘ might imply that apologising should not just be a word, but an action. Moreover, knowing a past language had a word for farming or a loom can tell us that those people were farmers or weavers, which might seem mundane, but it is actually incredibly fascinating that language – something we use everyday- might tell us so much about our ancestors.

Furthermore, language is a part of a country’s heritage. In occupied countries, native languages where often prohibited, as it represents nationality. (Not to sound like an old person, but a losing a mother tongue destroys the years our ancestors fought for our right to be here.) However, this is not a thing of the past. Many Native American languages are endangered, due to the years of forceful assimilation of these people, creating generations which can no longer connect with their heritage due to the language-barrier. Forceful language attrition is defiantly not limited to native Americans, but it clearly shows how influential language is in preserving culture and the negative impact of colonialism and imperialism on it.

To end on a more personal note, I myself struggle with language attrition quite a lot. Despite being a Pole, I use much more English than Polish, and even struggle while using the latter, which is quite a shame since it is a key part of who I am. Despite this, I try to somehow reintegrate Polish into my daily life, as I see my mother tongue as a duty to my culture. However, it does not also mean that other, secondary languages should not be used; quite the contrary, communication is key (as the cliché goes), but that does not mean you should forget your roots. You are your native language!