I have noticed that many of the first-generation Hispanics here speak Spanish as their primary language and enough English to communicate with others. The second generation, who were either born in the United States or came at an early age and attend school here, speak very good English and perhaps some broken Spanish. And often by the third generation, Spanish, the native language of their ancestors, is lost.
In linguistic terms, this is simply called “language loss.” Language loss may happen when families move to a foreign land where their native language is not predominant. It happens not only among Hispanics but also among populations throughout the world where a native language is replaced in favor of a new one. Even Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, was concerned about losing the native language of his fathers when he was preparing to move to the promised land. Nephi writes, “Behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers.”
But Nephi was also concerned about losing another kind of language. In the next verse, he continues, “And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.”
I noticed a similarity between preserving a mother tongue and preserving the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
This is a good analogy, and language is a good metaphor for gospel culture.
I will discuss three ways that this language can be preserved.
- Being More Diligent and Concerned at Home
- Strong Modeling in the Home
- Traditions
One factor that influences language loss is when parents don’t spend time teaching their children the native language. It is not enough to merely speak the language in the home. If parents desire to preserve their language, it must be taught. Research has found that parents who make a conscious effort to preserve their native language tend to succeed in doing so. So what would be a conscious effort to preserve the language of the gospel?
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles cautioned that “weak gospel teaching and modeling in the home” is a powerful cause that may break the cycle of multigenerational families in the Church.
One linguistics expert wrote that to preserve a native language, “you need to bring the language alive for your children.” We “bring language alive” when our teaching and modeling work together.
His father taught him each time he earned money to pay turning and save for his mission but the lesson was solidified when he watched his father choose to pay tithing rather than but good and then saw the blessings come.
Another way language can be altered or lost is when other languages and traditions are mixed with a mother tongue.
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As families, we need to avoid any tradition that will prevent us from keeping the Sabbath day holy or having daily scripture study and prayer at home. We need to close the digital doors of our home to pornography and all other evil influences. To combat the worldly traditions of our day, we need to use the scriptures and the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life, and the divine mission of Jesus Christ.
Individual events and activities are much less powerful than his and patterns that take us from worship traditions but we must pay attention to what events are becoming patterns for our families.
As children of God, we are imperfect people trying to learn a perfect language. Just as a mother is compassionate with her little children, our Heavenly Father is patient with our imperfections and mistakes. He treasures and understands our feeblest utterances, mumbled in sincerity, as if they were fine poetry. He rejoices at the sound of our first gospel words. He teaches us with perfect love.
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