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How a child’s first language includes more than words

Source : The Conversation, 2 March 2020 - photo Tibetan students study in their mother language. (Shannon Ward)

This International Mother Language Day (Feb. 21), Canadians celebrated their multilingual heritage by recognizing flexible uses of languages. According to UNESCO, “Mother tongue or mother language refers to a child’s first language, the language learned in the home from older family members.” As a linguistic anthropologist who studies language use in diverse communities, I know that multilingualism is part of our general human capacity for language. Read more...>>>>