Islam and learning foreign Languages

12/02/24

For the majority of us, language is a tool for exchanging ideas and thoughts. For daily needs, interpersonal interactions, and other endeavours, we rely on our linguistic abilities. Language may have a much greater impact on our lives than we can realise.

Impact of learning new language on intellectual abilities

Has it ever occurred to us that language might have an impact on our cognitive capacities? Multiple language proficiency has been shown to improve mental acuity in studies. According to research, those who are bilinguals—having learned both their home tongue and another foreign language—have higher prospects for success than those who are monolingual. They are less likely to become sidetracked and are less susceptible to senile dementia issues. "The person who knows only one language does not truly know that language," as German philosopher Goethe once said. Put another way, speaking more than one language facilitates the development of linguistic proficiency and mental flexibility. Bilingual children have been shown to pick things up quickly and do better academically. For practicing your native language and learning a second language, you can get help from online tutors. For example, livexp.com gives access to online learning of many languages with highly qualified tutors.

Impact of bilingualism on Cultural and family closeness

Being bilingual has many advantages for education, but it has also been shown that bilingual kids are closer to their families and cultural norms than monolingual kids. According to this perspective, language serves as a medium for the transfer of cultures. Children who are not familiar with or have not had as much exposure to their mother tongue, on the other hand, frequently experience feelings of uncertainty and frustration as well as a loss of identity. They also have a propensity to turn away from their cultural and familial realities. As an illustration, consider the situation where a large number of Muslim children who are immigrants in their second or third generation are unable to engage and converse with their grandparents and so are unable to benefit from this wonderful relationship.

Many of us Muslim immigrants are from regions of the world where people speak and utilise languages other than English. Nonetheless, we observe a growing trend among our people to give up their tongue and attempt to rely solely on English. Our goal is to "unlearn" our native speech and use just English as our primary language, whether we are at home, in the mosque, or somewhere else.

Youngsters raised in this manner naturally lose the link to their mother tongue. The argument that the native tongue may act as a barrier to early English language acquisition is frequently offered in this regard. However, well-known linguists assert that youngsters possess highly developed language acquisition skills and may easily and swiftly pick up numerous languages if given the right instruction. Thus, it is untrue to say that bilingualism hinders children's linguistic development.

We can look at this matter from an Islamic angle as well. Naturally, there are no laws or regulations in Islam dictating which languages we are required to speak or not. But as anyone who has visited Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani in Najaf in recent years will attest, the one piece of advise that this great master has repeatedly given believers in the West is to make sure that your children are taught in their mother tongue.

Islamic thought encourages us to learn as many languages as we can, particularly those that would aid in our comprehension of the faith. Some Islamic terms are just impossible to translate adequately into English or other languages. As an illustration, the word Najasah has a deeper meaning than what is typically associated with "uncleanliness." When translated into English or another language, the substance of the phrase is lost.

It also takes time for languages to become Islamic. Certain languages have earned the moniker "Islamic languages" due to their lengthy ties to Islamic culture. Consequently, compared to those in English, the Islamic resources available today in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu are far more sophisticated and complex. One can better access learning more about Islam by picking up at least one of these three languages—Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu.

Parents must ensure their children learn to speak their native tongues with fluency. Additionally, it is essential that communities set up classrooms and educational institutions where kids can learn these languages to read and write. Since the majority of us are fortunate enough to speak at least one of these languages fluently, we really shouldn't give them up—both for our benefit and the benefit of our future generations!