Re: How important is your mother tongue for you & future generations?
I sigh, wipe my tears off; all while trying not to stare. Later I might think to myself, “Man she’s pretty.” A few more minutes pass, “Wait, are those her kids?”
It really depends on where I’m at, what language I was talking/reading in a while ago. If I’m writing a comment here, I’m definitely going to think it over in English. However if I’ve been having an Urdu conversation or reading it, then it’s going to be Urdu. Or it could be both. Like just right now I thought to myself, “Meri marzi mein jis mein bhi sochon.” All while this comment is coming out in English.
A truly bilingual person should be ( almost ) equally proficient in both his languages. There are trade offs of course, like my English isn’t as good as a native English speaker ( one who went to a decent college ). Nor is my Urdu like someone who studied just Urdu. I don’t think I’ll ever resent knowing both these languages. Heck I wanna learn another one. Gotta get me a Spanish for Dummies.
Both languages have their place. I wouldn’t be able to write on here, communicate with such awesome people if it weren’t for English. Urdu is for my peeps in Pakistan.
I love being able to control my voice when talking in Urdu. With English proper enunciation is a chore, one that can make my jaw hurt at times. Enough reason for me to prefer Urdu when talking.
Depends on who I’m around, or what language I’m using at the moment.