The Myth of the Mother Tongue: Evidence from Maryvale College, Johannesburg

Abstract

In this article questions regarding the usefulness of the concept mother tongue are raised. A small-scale research project conducted at Maryvale College reveals that the majority of students at the school grow up in multilingual homes without a language that could clearly be identified as mother tongue. The implications of this in terms of English Second Language, Limited English Proficiency and academic performance are discussed. It is argued that it may be necessary to think about the cognitive skills of students rather than their language proficiency in order to isolate and understand the factors which hinder their academic performance.