Journal of Discourse Review
Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
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Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
Time to first decision
Volume: 1 Issue: 1
1, 2 & 3 Department of Linguistics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3674-5871
Year: 2025, Page: 109-119,
Received: Feb. 25, 2025 Accepted: March 19, 2025 Published: April 22, 2025
Language is a vital component of cultural identity, shaping and conveying a community’s customs, values, and social structures. The mother tongue serves as a primary medium for expressing emotions, thoughts, and cultural nuances, while fostering individual identity and a sense of belonging. Far beyond a communication tool, language is central to cultural heritage, social cohesion, and collective memory. However, globalisation and linguistic homogenisation increasingly threaten this diversity, eroding not only cultural identity but also unique knowledge systems and indigenous worldviews embedded in regional languages. This paper argues that preserving and promoting mother tongues is essential not only for sustaining cultural and individual identities but also for safeguarding epistemological diversity in the face of global cultural flattening. The findings emphasise that preserving one's mother tongue is essential and imperative for maintaining cultural diversity and supporting individual identities. By taking concrete steps such as including regional languages in education, increasing resources, conducting awareness campaigns, and collaborating with the private sector, we can promote regional languages, arts, and culture while preserving and promoting India's rich cultural heritage
Keywords: Mother tongue, culture, identity, heritage, language preservation.
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Vishnu, P., Afroj, S., & Ahmad, M. (2025). Mother Tongue as a Cultural Anchor: Identity, Heritage and Language Preservation. Journal of Discourse Review, 1(1), 109-119.