Speak local language to your children - parents urged

Speak local languages to your children - parents urged

Children taught and socialized in their mother tongue develop the necessary skill that effectively guide their literacy skills in other languages.

This requires building a strong foundation for the first language at the early stages of the child’s development, which is crucial in conceptualizing the language acquisition process.

Once this is done, the basic structures and communication patterns of the native language are imprinted into the child, who then uses that knowledge to acquire additional languages and also aids them in building a sense of cultural and social identity.

This was according to Deputy Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Dr. Richardson Commey Fio, Ghanaian children can become linguistically competent if their parents begin to appreciate the pivotal role local languages play in improving the academic and intellectual performance of their children.

The unfortunate thing we have in Ghana is that people are speaking English to their children instead of the local language. 

Dr. Commey Fio who was speaking on the sidelines of E&E FOUNDATION launched community Twin-care awareness project to assist twin parents held at Winneba believes that a large portion of the work in preserving the linguistic heritage of the country falls on parents who have sadly been swayed by contemporary languages to the detriment of the indigenous ones.

He also advises parents to take of care if their children, especially the children who are in physical challenge. He emphasized that the disability is not inability.

According to the NCC deputy director, parents should also know that children have different talents but often lack encouragement because most of the children are the ones who will help us in the future.

Source:Bibianinews. com/Bernard Dadzi