Parental Attitude to Home Language: A Study on the Students of English Medium School of Bangladesh

Abstract

Distortion of and negligence towards Bangla language and culture is a very common phenomena among the English medium students. Their use of English both as a academic and home language limits their exposure towards their own language and culture. As it is very natural and proved in different studies that parents’ attitude and perspective influences the children to a great extent, this study aimed at investigating the parents’ attitude to English, Bangla and local languages as home languages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents to find out in depth data about their specific attitudes towards these languages and the factors which are responsible for their attitudes. Besides, a questionnaire survey, based on both open-ended and close-ended questions, was administered to 35 English medium students who read in standard V to gather information about their parents’ likings and disliking, suggestion and reactions towards their home language as well as their own. The data from both the interview and questionnaire survey reflects that most of the parents possess adverse attitude towards their children’s use of Bangla and local tongues as home language. Because of the institutional pressures and linguistic imperialism that prevails in our society, the parents believe that English is the only key to success in academia and career; they purposely limit their children’s use of mother tongues. By raising adequate awareness among parents, teachers and policy makers about the importance of mother tongue which represents one’s one culture and identity can change parents’ negative attitude towards these languages which will be consequently projected on the students themselves. Suggestions for further research in wider timeframe along with more respondents are also suggested to know in detail about the issue.