Today we are all witnessing an aspect of globalization which is
the increasing movement of people from one country to another for different
purposes, such as education, desire for a better life, the need for employment,
escape from conflicts between groups including oppression of one group by
another, or natural disasters. Whatever the reason, while such phenomenon may
have a lot of benefits, living in another country affects one’s mother tongue.
Every language spoken in the world represents a special culture,
melody, color, and asset and to everyone the mother language is certainly one
of the most precious treasures in our lives. It’s a duty and responsibility to
preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation.
Mother language have many powerful impacts in the formation of
the individual and these are; it helps us to be enhanced emotionally and
mentally while we are growing, it helps us to indicate our own cultural
identities and at the same time, it helps us to provide the basis for learning
another language, because learning a new language opens a new window in our world
view and makes us more aware, open-minded, and respectful to other cultures,
lifestyles, customs and beliefs. Moreover, knowing another language has been
proven to contribute to helping us understand our mother tongue better.
I am proud that I’m an Ilocano and at the same time, I’m proud
of my Mother Tongue; the Ilocano Language!
