A Guide For The Millennial & GenZ Ghanaian Parent On Passing Down Your Mother Tongue.
I realized from an early stage of motherhood, the importance of passing down Ga my mother language to my daughter. She was 1 year and something and I had noticed how I was constantly communicating with her in English. Even when she was in my womb, all my communication was in English. It was such a wake up call, which shook my innermost being! Like how did I miss this? The throes and chaos of being a new parent had clouded my thought process for a hot 13months minute! It took me several intentional actions to be where we are today where she completely understands spoken Ga and haltingly speaks it at 4years. I recently chanced upon a tweet by my friend Dr. Kuranchie on how it’s not a flex to speak English to your kids and honestly that inspired this post.
But before I share this guide to help you as a young parent, you need to understand the importance of our children speaking their mother language.
What is Mother Tongue/Language
This refers to the language a person learns from birth or early childhood, typically from their parents or immediate community. It is often the first language a person becomes proficient in and is deeply connected to their cultural identity.
The Importance of Mother Tongue
The importance of one's mother tongue lies in its role as a foundation for our communication, cognitive development, and cultural identity. Your mother tongue immediately shows where you’re from. It forms the basis for understanding complex concepts, expressing emotions, and connecting with one's heritage.
International Day of Mother Language
21st February has been globally marked and annually celebrated as International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. A day set aside to celebrate and promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism. This day came about due to the recognition of more indigenous languages disappearing every two weeks! How insane is that?
Come to Ghana, even data shows how certain Ghanaian languages are slowly disappearing from schools and communities. We all know how Ga, the language of Accra is losing grounds to Akan in the media, in the marketplaces, in music and movies, amongst friends and colleagues. I once tried buying from a streetfood vendor in Osu ( a Ga neighborhood) and I spoke Ga. She boldly and rather rudely responded in Twi that she didn’t know how to speak THAT (stressed on that word) language. I was so taken aback I walked away without buying anything.
More and more parents are also forgetting or ‘refusing’ to speak their mother tongue with their children and before long, they have children who shake their heads when spoken to in their mother tongue by an outsider. Just this Saturday, a shop assistant heard me speaking Ga to my daughter and remarked about how she thought I only spoke English to her. I replied in the negative. She then went on to share how a hairdresser in the Labadi township, speaks only English to her children. “Blame the increased use of screen time as well, as today’s child picks up either British or American accents from YouTube Kids. Ghanaian children who have never travelled outside Ghana are speaking in western accents.
For Ghanaian parents navigating the delicate balance of preserving their mother tongue while embracing the broader cultural landscape, imparting the gift of language to their children becomes a cherished responsibility. Most often it’s the mothers’ who have the responsibility of passing down her mother language to her children during nurturing and upbringing. But I highly encourage the fathers to also be present in this crucial process of language development.
These are intentional actions I take everyday to help my child in developing her language skills in Ga. It takes a lot of patience and understanding during this process, so don’t be surprised when you start feeling a bit frustrated. Rome wasn’t built in a day 😁.
Identifying Everyday Objects.
Everyday objects like clothing, furniture and even body parts are things around us which a child easily identifies and recognizes. As I helped her in her cognitive development I would ensure that I included both the English and Ga versions in my language. For example, when I tell her “ Sit in the chair and eat” I would translate that into Ga as well. And often I would break down each action into bits like “Ta shi”followed by sit down. Even if she couldn’t repeat the exact pronunciation she heard it which also leads to language recognition. I would point to the door, table and other objects in our house and i would say it in both languages. You can do same even if it’s three languages. What I have learnt about children is how easily they soak up everything we say and it’s much easier for them to be multi-lingual at an early age than adults.
2. Gamifying / Singalong songs
Just as cocomelon has singalong songs, so can you create imaginary singalong songs for your mother language. Create songs or sing actual local language songs like lullabies such as ‘Baby kaafo’ during play time. Soon you’ll hear your child singing the same song whilst role playing with her dolls.
3. Play dates with the ‘area’ children.
Thank goodness there are still children who play ‘gutter to gutter’ on these Osu streets after school is over for the day. Most of the children in our area have Ga as their first speaking language and learn English at school. So by creating play dates, my daughter got to learn Ga whilst also ‘teaching’ them the correct English pronunciations during their play activities. In such an environment, she feels more inspired to learn the Ga for easier communication. One time as i was busy about in the kitchen, I heard her raise her voice to one of the kids, “ Kpa nakai!” And “Ta shi!” You should have seen me grinning broadly to myself!
4. Read and watch local content.
I am proud of the fact that I can read, write and speak Ga thanks to my Tsɔɔlɔ back in Ridge Church School Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor. I am profoundly thankful also to my late Grandma who read the Ga Bible and sang Ga hymns to me. Quite a number of bookshops in Accra stock Ga storybooks and textbooks, get them! For storybooks, I recommend checking out the books section at Kingdom Books & Stationary. The visual depiction and translation of animal names in another language apart from English is an eye opening experience for children. Make it fun and interactive during reading as children simply love the art form of storytelling. There are fewer and fewer Ga language related content on our televisions of late. Obonu TV is a channel that is keeping and preserving Ga through the broadcasting of Ga drama , news and other lifestyle. Recently, an exciting Ga movie trailer was released by Akwaaba Magic about the ancient feminist Ga Queen Dode Akaabi. The quality of the production and acting was praised online and honestly it’s not to be missed! Get your children together to reconnect with their history!
These strategies have greatly helped to pass down Ga to my daughter and I hope it helps you as well! It’s not too late for your child to start learning their mother tongue if you haven’t begun that journey yet. Be consistent and intentional and you’ll notice how quickly they pick it up.
Preserving our mother tongue lies heavily on parents and the school system in Ghana. The building foundation starts at home where parents are intentional about communicating with their children in their mother language. I see quite a number of parents speaking English with their children as though they are embarrassed to be caught speaking their own mother tongue! It’s not a flex to be seen speaking only English with your kids. Let’s be proud of our identity as Ghanaians and Africans! Let the world come to us to learn our language with the same enthusiasm we use to watch Korean drama.
