Permanent residence in one and the same environment does not make it possible to fully understand what a native language means for a person. When there is no difficulty in overcoming the language barrier, few people think about the role of communication for the psychological, moral state of each individual. Sometimes the arrival of foreigners can only shake confidence and peace. Even the slightest difference in languages ​​with residents of neighboring countries makes it clear how difficult it is for a person to understand the speech of the interlocutor.
The importance of speaking skills in human life
From birth, the child is instilled with knowledge and skills that will help in life. And it is speech that is one of the most important skills that a small person possesses. Remember how embarrassing you feel when you cannot understand what exactly a two-year-old kid wants from you. With babbling and distorting words, he struggles to convey his point of view, desire, emotions. And if it is simply difficult for adults to understand such a “conversation”, then it is sometimes even more difficult for a child. Despite all his efforts, he remained unheard. It is from this age that it is important to form an understanding in children of what their native language means to a person, to instill a love of the word.
How to instill a love for the mother tongue in a child ?
It is very important to help children learn the language. And this applies not only to the school curriculum. In educational institutions, teachers polish the basis already received by the baby, expanding the vocabulary, correcting some errors that are present in the speech of the child and his environment. But you can’t put all your hopes only in the school curriculum, which is limited by the scope, time and methods. Teachers can not always convey to their students the role of their native language in human life. Discussions, reading, watching movies, listening to songs in a relaxed atmosphere at home will become the key not only to spend time together, but also to preserve the native language.
The language of the people is a mirror of their soul, cultural heritage
Language is not only a tool for communication between different people. The meaning of the mother tongue in human life is much deeper and more important. He is the bearer of the culture, mentality, traditions and history of every nation. In the world there are more than 6 thousand different languages. Some of them are similar, and representatives of neighboring countries can understand each other’s spoken language in whole or in part, others are completely incomprehensible and have nothing similar to a person’s native dialect. Even within the same country, different dialects can be used.
Each of them is a highlight of the region, its soul. After all, language is a reflection of the thought of both one individual person and a group of people, an entire nation. This is a defining component of national unity, uniting people who are different in spirit, mode of existence, and social aspects. The statement of E. Sepira very characteristically describes the role of language in the formation of culture as a phenomenon and culture of an individual person: “Culture can be defined as what this society does and thinks. Language is what they think. ”
Away away, but home is better
The easier it is to realize what a native language means for a person, the farther it is from their native home. This problem is very acute for emigrants who, due to various circumstances, were forced to leave their homeland. The need for communication, which cannot be fully satisfied by talking in someone else’s dialect, encourages people to create interest groups, communities, and diasporas. Very often, such communities keep centuries-old traditions much more reverently and reliably than their compatriots who do not experience difficulties of this nature.
It is very important to be able to hear, speak, and be aware of the mother tongue daily. In a person’s life, he is a path connecting him to his house and loved ones. No wonder many, unable to withstand separation from their native land, suffering from nostalgia, can not take root in a foreign land. Often the reason for this is not only the economic aspect, different mentality and habits. The impossibility of free communication in the language you think becomes an insurmountable obstacle to permanent residence abroad.
Indeed, the lack of conversational practice, writing, reading can lead to forgetting, distorting even the native language that a person has been using since birth. Of course, some everyday phrases soaked in mother’s milk will not disappear forever, but the vocabulary, the ability to talk freely and without accent can be lost. It is all the more important to try to save a piece of their homeland, to cherish and sing it through the word.
Is it necessary to teach a child a native language while living abroad?
For each person, his native language is the language he speaks from birth, these are lullabies of mothers, the first questions and answers. However, what about children born in a country alien to the parents, or those who have moved to a new locality while still quite a baby? How to determine which language is native to them? How to explain the difference between two different ways of expressing your thoughts and feelings?
The trends of the modern world are such that knowledge of several foreign languages ​​is no longer a whim or desire of parents. Most often this is a necessity, without which it is difficult to navigate in adulthood, to get a good job. Psychologists and educators argue that it is much easier for a baby to learn a language than an adult. Moreover, the main base is laid at a very young age, even before school. The ability of the brain to perceive information in this period of life is enormous. Children living in a bilingual country or family can freely communicate in either a generally accepted language or their own language.
It is very important for parents to pay a lot of attention to their native speech, because school, communication with peers will help the child competently and clearly communicate in the language necessary for life. But the complete absence or lack of practice will lead to the fact that the native language is completely erased from memory, the invisible thread connecting the person and his homeland is forgotten and broken.
How to overcome the language barrier
Often communication problems arise due to a person's inability to solve this problem. An extensive vocabulary, an understanding of the basics of grammar, methods of constructing sentences still do not allow free communication. Such difficulties are due to a lack of understanding of the spoken language. The acquisition of the necessary skills occurs only during live communication, through reading fiction, periodicals, watching a movie. It is important not to forget to improve the pronunciation of individual words and phrases. What does the native language mean for a person will help to find out the possession of several dialects. And only by feeling the difference, you can really understand how much you love your country and its language.