Losing your mother tongue ⏲️ 6 Minute English

What does it mean for a child refugee to lose their first language? Sam and Rob hear the story of a woman who replaced her native Czech for English when her family had to leave their home country, and they teach you new vocabulary along the way.

❓❓❓ This week's question:
According to the United Nations, how many people around the world are currently living as displaced refugees?
a) 3 million
b) 53 million
c) 103 million
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary:
✔️ mother tongue - native language; the first language you learn from your parents as a child
✔️ (someone is) dunked into - suddenly placed into a new, unfamiliar situation for a short time before being removed again
✔️ have faith - have confidence or trust in something or someone
✔️ sort itself out - (phrasal verb) stop being a problem, without anyone having to do anything
✔️ full-fledged - complete; fully developed
✔️ either-or - situation where only a choice between two options, with no third alternative, is possible

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[trangdieu.c]

📍VOCABULARY IN THIS VIDEO “Losing your mother tongue” 📍
1. Refugeel: someone who has been forced to leave their country, especially during a war, or for political or religious reasons
2. Persecution: cruel or unfair treatment of someone over a period of time, especially because of their religious or political beliefs
3. Interpreted: to translate spoken words from one language into another
=> Interpret something as something
4. Traumatic: a traumatic experience is so shocking and upsetting that it affects you for a long time
5. Grieving: to feel extremely sad, especially because someone you love has died
=> Grieve over/for
6. Passed away: To die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’
7. Ancestry: the members of your family who lived a long time ago
=> Of ... Ancestry
=> Her mother is of German ancestry
8. Blended: to combine different things in a way that produces an effective or pleasant result, or to become combined in this way
=> Blend with/together
=> Blend is usually passive in this meaning.
9. Contradiction: a difference between two statements, beliefs, or ideas about something that means they cannot both be true
=> Contradiction between
=> In (direct) contradiction to something
10. Immigrant: someone who enters another country to live there permanently → emigrant
11. Mother tongue: native language; the first language you learn from your parents as a child
12. (someone is) dunked into: suddenly placed into a new, unfamiliar situation for a short time before being removed again
13. Have faith: have confidence or trust in something or someone
14. Sort itself out: (phrasal verb) stop being a problem without anyone having to do anything
15. Full-fledged: complete; fully developed
16. Either-or: situation where only a choice between two options, with no third alternative, is possible
17. A sense of tolerance

03/03/2023.
🌱Waoo, this is a special day!🌱 ALL THE BEST FOR YOU ^^

[znsvell]

In fact it happens all over the world. My friend had an experience like that. She was born in one country and then moved to another with her family. Unfortunately she forgot her native language to speak. Her parents can but others can't speak their native language. I can call it like a problem. That's my point. Every nation and every country have their traditions. In my opinion what we call as a tradition have their language too, which it makes them like it. Such a good video. Thanks BBC for your work!

[englishspeakingtime]

Thank you so much. As usual, it is an episode rich with new vocabulary.

[MrQiao]

Hi from Moscow, as a Chinese living in Russia but try to speak English, I've been facing many problems in my life but I'm glad that I've got this chance to speak three languages at the same time, btw, i love your program and hope you the best

[tahsinnoorshahbazkhan]

I also share similar experiences of losing in touch with my mother tongue. Thanks bbc for uploading such a worthwhile video

[roan]

Finally a video talking about this usual "problem" when you're learning a new language... Interesting story. 👍👍

[irenefang]

My summary while listening

The today’s topic is about the issue related to young refugees who are slowly forgetting their mother tongues as a result of living in foreign countries from the young age. Now, they have settled in Canada, speaking a new language which is different from her first language. Therefore, she can only practice Czech language at home with her family members.



According to Judy Sedivy, her family was forced to leave her homeland which is Czech Republic during the Cold War.

During her childhood, she was dunked into many circumstances where she had to learn various languages. However, it was not really traumatic for her as she believed everything would sort itself out.

Also, she claimed that we could keep alive our beliefs by speaking multiple languages including our mother tongues which eventually identify who we are.

[yeroy]

I would like to watch many videos from your programme. It helps me a lot to make my accent like British.

[VanAnhPham-ywst]

I love this video for both the new words I learn and the interesting content. Many thanks from Vietnam.

[thalia]

Hi from Indonesia 🇮🇩 and thanks for the lesson 😃

[Katrin_Joy]

I am Ukrainian, but we live in Georgia, so I try to teach my son my mother tongue 🤗 I hope everything will sort itself out)

[Yuiko-zzrm]

If I watch your videos, I know my vocabularies will be full-fledged.

[ShahrezadNorMohammadiy]

"Seven things that will destroy mankind:

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Religion without sacrifice
5. Politics without principles
6. Science without humanity
7. A job without morals."—
Mahatma Gandhi 🇮🇳

[EWAMILENAP]

It's an interesting topic that is rarely spoken of.

[alextsitovich]

5:43 There were police ads in British transport: "See it. Say it. Sorted."

[wedding_video]

Hi from Ukraine and thank you for the lesson ❤️🇺🇦

[ShahrezadNorMohammadiy]

“I learned Spanish as a young adult and everyone would always tell me that I spoke it wrong. The problem was that I was told I spoke English wrong too."—

Elisabet Velasquez🌺 😊

[zbdhser]

That was the best explanations, as usually)

[nawafmtr]

Thank you for this great channel, I just want to know my level.
I can understand all your videos but I don't understand everything that the people you meet when they talk??
What's my level and how do you understand them(the people you meet not you)

[prima.soofff]

Thank you so much! Finally someone dicsussed my problem....