Paulina Gutierrez

What is Civic Engagement?

1. Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference (Oryx Press, 2000.)
2. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes. (Youth.gov, 2014)

- In my opinion civic engagement means helping the community, for example, volunteering for your children’s school. Civic engagement can also include things like voting and signing positions. Overall, I believe that civic engagement is a citizen(s) that is involved in their community to make a difference for a better future that can later help the youth.

Is our mother tongue important?

 “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, it goes to his heart,” says Nelson Mandela. Many people all over the world are criticized and judged due to their language. Many people can be affected by such harsh judgments by others around the world. For example , on Ted Talks "Don't kill your language" by Suzanne Talhouk, she states that she goes in a restaurant asking for the menu in Arabic language but is quickly judged and denied by the waitress due to her language and accent spoken. Talhouk found this very hurtful in her point of view because she was quickly denied due to speaking her mother tongue that represents her culture overall. This made her question herself, "Should I forget my culture, thoughts and intelligence to be accepted for what I speak?" Her mother tongue was the Arabic language, the language that brought a powerful connection with her mother, family, and loved ones. A multiplicity has made us think that English is the proper language to speak in the United States and without speaking English you will not reach the top of your field. The Arabic language is the base of English and now it is not 'OKAY' to speak it, we are not here to convince each other with our different mother tongues, we are here to bring to attention to the importance of someone language/Mother tongue.

"Mother tongue is a prerequisite for creative expression in other languages." Mother tongue is a first  a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity. Many people all around the world migrate to different countries for different purposes for example to pursue better lives, education, the need of employment etc. but moving and living to an another country can affect one's mother tongue. Every language spoken all around the world represents a different culture, color, asset and the mother language is the most beautiful treasure in one’s life. Language isn't just for conversing, nor words coming out of our mouths it is something a person has climbed a ladder with and that has become a big part of their lives. Language represents specific stages in our lives, and terminology that is linked to our emotions. 
            

Why does this matter to me?

     This means so much to me because in my opinion, I believe that you should not ever think that others have authority over you or your language, nor control you or make you feel less than them. Don't kill your language; your language identifies you and your background. If you were to kill your language a big part of you will be killed, your identity, your culture and most importantly where you come from. Not only does your mother tongue identify you but it also helped you as child by connecting with your parents and loved ones. A child's first comprehension starts with the language first taught to him, it is their mother tongue. Mother tongue has such a powerful impact in framing our thinking, emotions, and how it leaves imprints. It is beyond powerful to know that as a parent you can speak to your child or loved loves in your language and feel a connection. “Our mother tongue is the language we use to think, dream and feel emotion,” said Alice Mado Proverbio, a professor of cognitive electrophysiology at the Milano-Bicocca University in Milan.

Interview

Mario Gutierrez

Fui a Arizona el año pasado para el entrenamiento de primavera de los  Dodgers y antes de asistir al juego fui a comer. Esperé dos horas para ser reconocido. Parecía que todos los demás estaban sentados, pero yo. Finalmente me acerqué a un camarero y le pregunté qué tardaba tanto en español, y él respondió que no hablamos ese idioma aquí.  Me dolió mucho escuchar eso porque mi lengua materna es algo que atesoro tanto porque ha dado forma a lo que soy, mi cultura, pero lo más importante es que me ha ayudado a conectarme con mi familia y mis seres queridos. Mi lengua materna es el español, el idioma que utilizo para conversar con mi familia en casa. En conclusión, creo firmemente que siempre debe estar orgulloso de su lengua materna y de cómo lo identifica como una persona en general.

Translation- 

I went to Arizona last year for the spring training of the Dodgers and before attending the game I went to eat. I waited two hours to be recognized. It seemed that everyone else was sitting, but me. I finally approached a waiter and asked him how long it took in Spanish, and he replied that we do not speak that language here. It hurt me a lot to hear that because my mother tongue is something that I cherish so much because it has shaped what I am, my culture, but most importantly, it has helped 

me to connect with my family and my loved ones. My mother tongue is Spanish, the

 language I use to talk with my family at home. In conclusion,   I firmly believe that you should 

always be proud of your mother tongue and how you identify it as a person. 

What can we do?

 Many different languages are endangered due to learning other languages and many then feel that their language is DEAD! Many people will get impressions from others such as, "They no longer exist." They later question “WHO ARE THEY?” People will feel like they are no longer nothing and something that was such an impact to their life while growing up is now gone! If a language disappears a language is lost; it also losses the knowledge within many other generations. Little do we know but society today tries to kill a nation, but the only way to kill a nation, is to kill someone’s language. Many other nations like Germans, French, and the Chinese protect their language and accent because it is their culture and they believe that no such thing like that should be taken away from them. Society has reached it's point, where we are all convinced that English is the only language used in the United States to succeed; well that is where we all go wrong. “We cannot sit back and watch one’s language disappear. The knowledge is irreplaceable.” We have to believe that there is a solution to this, which we all have to be part of. We should teach children and other generations to learn about other languages and cultures but also to respect them. We must encourage our children to learn their mother tongue and admire it. Promote to leave their second language in the outside world and only speak to your children with your mother tongue at home. 

"That is why International Mother Tongue Day is a worthy initiative, seeking to emphasise the importance of mother tongues, especially to children in the early learning stage. Research shows that children whose early learning is in their mother tongue show accelerated cognitive abilities and greater mental agility than children who are forced to study in another language at an early stage. Children familiar with a culture will find it easier to build associations in the language of that culture, helping them conceptualise abstract ideas. Indeed, countries like Japan indicate the ingenuity of people taught in their mother tongue and trained in other languages later in life, though there too many regional languages have died." (Daily Times, 2014)

References:

Talhouk, Suzanne. "Don't Kill Your Language". Ted.Com, 2019, https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_talhouk_don_t_kill_your_language/discussion.

Votes, Pakistan et al. "Saving Our Mother Tongues - Daily Times". Daily Times, 2019, https://dailytimes.com.pk/105718/saving-our-mother-tongues/.