A Bengaluru resident’s comment on social media has reignited a broader conversation about the fading presence of native languages in urban Indian households. The post, which mentioned how a neighbour’s child speaks only English — not Kannada or even Tamil, his mother tongue — “because status it seems,” struck a chord with many users on X (formerly Twitter).
The observation sparked a cascade of responses, particularly from concerned parents and language enthusiasts, highlighting how English is increasingly prioritized over regional tongues at home. While some users criticized this trend, others shared personal experiences of deliberately encouraging their children to speak their native language, even while living abroad.
One user from Melbourne noted that Kannada-speaking families in Australia actively preserve the language, even enrolling their children in government-supported Kannada schools — a contrast to the apathy seen in many Indian metros.
A particularly insightful response broke down three major reasons for the linguistic shift in Karnataka:
- School policies that discourage speaking Kannada, weakening its use among students.
- The historical dubbing ban on Kannada content, which led children to consume cartoons in Hindi or English, reducing early exposure to the native language.
- A societal inferiority complex, where parents associate English fluency with upward mobility and prestige, consciously or unconsciously distancing their children from regional languages.
What began as a casual post has snowballed into a significant discussion around cultural identity, education policies, and the role of language in shaping both personal and social identity.
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