HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

​On 21st of February countries around the world celebrate the mother language or the mother tongue. Here at Familia we celebrate it with mix of mother tongues. This multilingual staff working under one roof have brought to our beloved organisation even a greater value.

​For years I was confused how to define mother tongue. I spoke only Finnish until I was 6 years old, after that I moved away from Finland and spoke Arabic and English until I was 22 years old, when I moved back to Finland. I was asked to put down on an official paper my mother tongue, I had by then 3.

​True that Finnish was my early childhood language, but due to moving away from Finland I lost some of it, so it couldn't be my mother tongue. One language was removed so I had to choose between the two other languages which were as equally strong. I was shocked that Finland only accepted 1 mother tongue. But I have 2! To describe that feeling I was put in, I felt I was asked to choose which was more important, my left leg or right leg? But I want them both! They are as equally important to me!

​After joining Familia I met a lovely lady here who has lived all her life in Finland and still had 2 as equally strong mother tongues. I realised just then that I was not the only one who felt bad choosing between 2 languages that meant and felt the same in our hearts.

 People of minority languages in Finland also suffer, they don't find enough support for their mother tongues. Having another language beside the Finnish language will not make the person any less knowledgeable in Finnish. My 6-year-old son lives in a multilingual surrounding, I speak to him in Arabic, his father speaks to him in Persian, his sister speaks to him in English and his grandmother, aunt and other family members speak to him in Finnish. Also he has been in a Finnish day-care since the age of 3. So this made him English/Finnish speaker. I find those two languages are totally equal in strength in his mind. I came to apply for his first year at school to find out that after over 20 years Finnish authorities still don't allow more than one mother tongue. When will this change?

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For years I tried to think how to choose between my two languages. When I heard Nasima Razmyar speak in one event, it suddenly made total sense to me. She was asked why did she choose to speak Finnish to her first born. She explained the multi-mother tongue with few words perfectly. "I had a difficult choice in front of me. I discussed it with my parents and husband. My mother said she will speak Dari and my husband said he will speak Swedish. I was placed in a confusing situation where I had to dig deep to find what is my own mother tongue. I then realised I had two! I feel in Finnish and Dari, I speak and write them fluently as equal, and so I chose one of my mother tongues that is Finnish."

So in what language do you feel? Can you dig inside and find out? I personally feel in both Arabic and English and so my mother tongues are English and Arabic! And I should have the right to be registered as bilingual mother tongue!