Language: An Undiscovered Power

Language: An Undiscovered Power

“Woe is me!”, I cried, and my mother playfully swatted my shoulder. I had been making the same mistake over and over again. I was supposed to be writing the தமிழ் alphabet, and the last four letters were such a pain. First of all, let me be honest. They sounded the same and they looked the same as other, different letters. Now according to my mother, they have distinct sounds but I secretly think she’s making it up. “What’s the difference between ண and ன?”, I asked my mother. “One is ‘na’ and the other is ‘na’. Focus Nakul, it's easy.”, she so helpfully replied. Just like how it looks the same in text, it also sounds the same. I grumbled something about the hardships of life and dodged another swat. Now even though I was bantering and didn’t seem to take it seriously, I did, and I enjoyed writing with my mother, which is what brings me to my main topic.

Kids should learn their parents’ mother tongue. It may seem trivial or unimportant, but it isn’t. For a long time, I never knew who I was culturally, I was just “Indian”. I always craved something more, however, some deeper connection, perhaps a more specific form of heritage. I never felt I could fit in with the people I thought I should be, and I always felt ashamed and oddly annoyed at myself when I couldn’t feel pride in my culture. But that shame made me think of what actually was “my culture”. Over time, I came to realize that to survive in a diverse world, I had to remember my roots, because if I didn’t, I would be anchorless, like a drift weed, floating and lost. Another realization came shortly after, something I had overlooked for a long time: language is the most important part of culture, it brings people together and reminds them of who they are, perhaps more than any other aspect of culture might.

I started learning தமிழ் (Tamil) last summer. It’s a beautiful language, with almost musical sounds. I remember when my mother read out an excerpt from an old epic, even though she struggled to read it, for it was in Old Tamil: archaic and formal. I understood only a few  simple, 1-2 syllable words, but it was magical. The beauty of தமிழ் is that it flows, sometimes like a lazy river coursing through bends, sometimes like rapids, fast and sharp. It gave me immense pride to write my name. I had learned it before but I had quickly forgotten because its importance was not evident to me until later. To this day, I’ll pull out a piece of paper and write my name, over and over, just to prove to myself I know who I am. It made me feel like someone, people say I’m “Indian” but I never know what that means. I do know now though, I am Tamil, from the southern tip of India, and I am proud of it. 

Learning தமிழ் didn’t just help me understand my culture, it had an impact on what I thought of my parents. I spent time with my mom and we would work through exercise books and small story books. I laughed at her English, she laughed at my தமிழ். I learned to be proud of my parents and their parents before them. Learning தமிழ் helped me understand their heritage and their parents’ heritage. I should admit, there have been days when I have felt overly conscious, even borderline embarrassed, about where I’m from. It’s the way India is portrayed in modern media, especially social media and movies. People think India is largely poor people and tech experts and spicy food. People laugh at the highly dramatized, highly extreme notions of culture - like the Sikhs wearing turbans or women being stifled in patriarchal society. Learning தமிழ் taught me to appreciate India for what it is: a diverse land rich in culture, and nowhere near as unilateral as a Bollywood movie may portray. I learned to feel proud of who I was, I learned to say India, not America, when people ask me where I'm from. And I can honestly say that I want every child to have the experience that I did, I don’t want anyone to feel ashamed of who they are just because of how sensationalist modern media ignorantly portrays it. I want people to feel a sense of identity and pride for their homeland. 

It’s the hardest for children of immigrants. There’s always a struggle of who to be, whether to conform to surroundings or to roots. Should I speak English all the time, wear American clothing, and stare blankly at those who don’t? Or should I proudly wear kurtas on Diwali, vivudhi smeared on my forehead? I’ve learned to strike a balance, and enjoy the best of both worlds while staying true to my roots. It’s important for kids like me, to have a connection to something bigger and greater than ourselves, to be a part of something bigger and greater than ourselves. 

This is not just about my language though, languages as a whole have immense power. Take the Irish language for example, they spoke their language as a form of resistance against British rule. They have been doing it for almost 200 years. Famous Irish revolutionary and author, Pádraig Pearse, said “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam” (Cody, 2), which roughly translates to: a country without a language is a country without a soul. Their language united them, and slowly, throughout many years, some parts of Ireland have gained independence. Never before has the power of a language connected so many people, and brought so much change. So many examples in history show us how powerful a language can be. Remarkably powerful, the way it draws people together over different continents, even.

Not to mention, learning a second language has several cognitive benefits. According to a Cambridge article published in 2022, “Bilingual people have more of these neurons and dendrites compared to people who speak only one language. This means that their grey matter is denser.”(Spence, 3). Learning a language boosts academic performance, memory, and concentration. Furthermore, research has shown that learning a second language increases communication between the lobes of the brain. 

So many reasons, it’s crucial for immigrant children to learn their native language. Language preserves the essence of culture, it draws people together from all over the world, helps them empathize with each other even if they don’t understand the words,  and gives people an identity. For children of immigrants, it helps us find who we are, helps us know who we are. Learning a language also helps the brain, no matter the age. It gives people a sense of diversity, almost purpose. Perhaps next time I learn தமிழ் with my mom I’l be grateful that I have someone to tell me the difference between ண and ன. 

Works Cited

Cody, Charlotte. The Irish Language and Nationalism in the 20th Century. 15 Apr. 2021, www.pdx.edu/challenge-program/sites/challengeprogram.web.wdt.pdx.edu/fi…. Accessed 1 Sept. 2024.

Spence, Carley. “How Learning a New Language Changes Your Brain.” World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 29 Apr. 2022, www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/04/29/learning-language-changes-your-br…. Accessed 1 Sept. 2024.