Language Loss and The Rising Generation
As children of God, we are imperfect people trying to learn a perfect language… No achievement in this life, important as it may be, will be relevant if we lose the language of the gospel in our families.1
Several years ago, I attempted to learn Spanish. This was not simply by choice, but more from need. At the time, I was working in a high school and was assigned to *Carlos, a down-syndrome student whose first language was Spanish. I was excited to learn a new language, and although I was not required to do so, I chose to extend my study of Spanish by purchasing a language program. I even did all the homework Carlos was assigned.
My excitement at times, turned to frustration as I found my progress slow. I had hoped Carlos would speak to me in Spanish, but he refused to speak to me in any other language than English. He wanted to speak English to be more like everyone else which I could understand. So, my meager, first attempt to immerse myself in Spanish failed, but my hope to truly learn it remained.
Well, that never happened and now I have forgotten most of what I memorized. Yet, I do believe immersion in a community gives the opportunity to truly learn a language. There is a catch to that statement; for I’ve witnessed people who have absorbed and integrated a language into their very soul by living in a community with native speakers. Then with time, detached from that culture and people, lost the ability to speak, read or write it.
I have also been associated with families whose native language is something other than English; where grandparents and parents have come from different lands. Then with each succeeding generation, the ability to speak their family’s native tongue diminishes or even disappears. The linguistic term for this is known as language loss.
Language Loss in Families
No achievement in this life, important as it may be, will be relevant if we lose the language of the gospel in our families.2
Language loss is something I believe, most of us have witnessed in life. I have seen it in my own family. My father’s parents both spoke Danish. They wanted their children to be “Americanized” which was common at this time; so they purposefully did not teach their children their native tongue. In fact, when my father responded in English to something they said to each other in Danish, they said with surprise, “Taler drengen Dansk?”, or in other words “Does the boy speak Danish?” After that incident they were careful to only speak English in front of him. Later in life they truly regretted not teaching their children their family’s original language.
When we opened my mother-in-law’s DNA results, it was no surprise that it showed her ancestry as 95% Northern Italy. Her father, whom I knew, was born in Italy and spoke Italian, while her mother, whose family was also from Italy, spoke no Italian even though she was the first generation born in the United States. Perhaps, they too, wanted their children to be “Americanized”.
I’m certain many reasons exist as why the native tongues of ancestors fade from succeeding generations. Whether it be from the parents not teaching the children or from the rising generation wanting to speak like their friends, we see it takes only one generation to experience language loss in a family. Yet, when parents actively teach and immerse their children in the language and culture of their homeland, success will follow.
Immersion of Language
As the covenant people of God, how can we instill within the hearts of our children a desire to make and keep covenants with Him?3
When I was in Kindergarten, I remember going to *Erika’s birthday party. As she led me into her house, Erika looked toward her father and said, “You have to speak German to him. He doesn’t understand English.” As I was trying to figure out what German was, her father greeted me in English, but I didn’t say a word to him!
As we grew up, Erika and I become close friends. I learned that her parents, who were both from Germany, always spoke German in their home and to each other. Of course, when I visited, they politely spoke English to me, but not necessarily to one another. Through the ensuing years after Erika left home, her German suffered some, yet, her parents continued to speak to her in German over the phone and when she visited. I also suspect they wrote to her in German. So, on the few occasions Erika traveled to Germany to visit family, it wouldn’t take long for her to speak perfect German as if she were a native.
This memory reminded me of an intriguing family from my old neighborhood. Even though all of them spoke English, the father who was born in Colombia and raised speaking Spanish, spoke impeccable English. His wife who was from France spoke English with a beautiful French accent. The surprise was their children, who were born and raised in the United States. All of them spoke English with a French accent like their mother! What gives? Their parents immersed the children in French culture. These children spoke French at home, went to a French school, and connected with friends who all spoke French. They were truly what most people would call a peculiar family.
Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.4
An Unexpected Revelation
Another twist in this unique family was an unexpected revelation. I just happened to be present when the father learned something significant about his heritage. His parents, who were both born in Bogota, Colombia, were devote Catholics. His maternal grandparents, whom he knew, were both born in Hungary.
Standing next to him at his grandfather’s life celebration, we were both looking at pictures of his grandfather taken many decades before, when he was a young man. We began to converse, and since I had been the person to display the photos and had done some genealogy for his grandfather, he began to ask me questions about the pictures.
Viewing pictures of his grandfather’s brothers, I explained these were the last known photos to be taken of them before they perished in the Holocaust. A curious expression crossed his brow, and in the form of a question stated, “They were Jewish?” Then followed up with, “How could that be? How could I have not known?”
I marveled that in just two generations, this family had not only lost the ability to speak Hungarian, but the rising generation no longer even knew their real heritage. This man, who was in his forties, had no idea he was half Jewish. The reality of this truth that overwhelmed him, showed me just how quickly important pieces of a family’s culture, religious beliefs, language, and heritage could be lost from generational memory.
To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep. . . We keep digging until we find Him. And we teach our children to bind themselves to Him through sacred ordinances and covenants so that when the oppositional storms and floods come, as they surely will, they will have little effect upon them ‘because of the rock upon which [they] are built.’
This kind of strength doesn‘t just happen. It is not passed on to the next generation like a spiritual inheritance. Each person must dig deep to find the rock.5
Conclusion
[H]ow can we instill within the hearts of our children a desire to make and keep covenants with Him?6
[T]he accumulation of small, simple efforts, repeated consistently over time, can be more powerful and strengthening than an occasional monumental moment or landmark lesson. … So don’t give up, and don’t worry about accomplishing something grand every time. Just be consistent in your efforts.7
All of these stories have led me to ponder penetrating questions. Have I learned the language of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Have I immersed myself in it or do I have a foot in each world? Have I really taught it to my children and helped to immerse them in this language? How can I tell if I have been successful in the least? Even though we teach our children the gospel, will they remember it?
My dear friends in Christ, you are doing much better than you think. Just keep working at it. . . Those moments when the Holy Ghost speaks to them will persist in their hearts and minds.8
My grandchildren speak English and Japanese. My son served in the Japan Kobe Mission, and their beautiful mother is Japanese. They have taught and continue to teach their children both English and Japanese. At 6 years old, Lily has embraced learning Japanese in all its forms, reading, writing, and speaking. Her younger brother Ryan, who will soon be three, understands both Japanese and English. He prefers speaking the latter. It will be interesting to see which language he chooses to more fully invest.
Whether Lily’s or Ryan’s ability to speak Japanese or English fades, I know his parents, grandparents, and many cousins will always encourage them to remember the languages of their heritage. More importantly, they will always encourage them to remember the language of God.
Let us accept the Savior’s invitation and bring our children to Him. As we do so, they will see Him. They will feel Him. They will know Him. He will teach them. He will bless them. And, oh, how He will love them. And, oh, how I love Him. In His holy name, Jesus Christ, amen.9
Notes:
*Name changed
- Valeri V. Cordón, The Language of the Gospel; Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 55.
- Valeri V. Cordón, The Language of the Gospel; Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 55.
- Newman, Jan E.; Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation; October 2023; General Conference Address.
- Russell Nelson, Hear Him, Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89.
- Newman, Jan E.; Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation; October 2023; General Conference Address.
- Newman, Jan E.; Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation; October 2023; General Conference Address.
- Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 31.
- Newman, Jan E.; Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation; October 2023; General Conference Address.
- Newman, Jan E.; Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation; October 2023; General Conference Address.
