Mother tongue...

or my parents' language? This article on Mauritian Creole sums up some of the questions that arise about the use of a dialect of a national language at school, or as more than just a spoken medium. In Mauritius, the only official language is English, the most universal dialect is Creole, the most spoken language is French, and we each know a little or more of our ancestral language. On one hand is the need to recognise the dialect spoken by most children at home by making it a medium of learning in primary school. On the other is the question of whether training children in a language that only Mauritians will ever understand does not cut them off from the world. Defend the cultural heritage or open oneself to the world?

We're not the only ones asking ourselves this. Haïti made their creole into a language, then made it their national written and spoken language. They also learn French in parallel. As mentioned in that article, no studies have been made about the linguistic reality in Mauritian schools and the implications of having basic education in Creole. I feel no need to transform Creole from a flexible dialect into a more structured language; nor do I agree with teaching in Creole in primary school. I do feel that if we're talking about giving value to Creole which is considered as the only national link, then introducing it as a subject in class might help. But the debate about the use of the mother-dialect as a teaching medium is still open for me.

Your feedback is most welcome on this one.