Relationship Gaps: Effects on Parents and Children due to the Ignorance of Mother Tongue

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Language serves not merely as a tool for utilitarian communication but as a primary vehicle for cultural continuity, socio-emotional bonding, and identity formulation. In rapidly urbanizing and multicultural environments, the shift toward global lingua francas- predominantly English- has precipitated a systemic attrition of native languages across generations. This empirical study investigates the psychological, emotional, and social consequences of mother tongue attrition within urban parent-child dyads. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 91 parent-child dyads (N = 182 total respondent perspectives across paired sections) residing in diverse urban settings in India. The findings indicate that while 85.7% (n = 78) of parent participants report speaking their mother tongue at home, structural shifts toward English-medium schooling and multicultural urbanization have initiated noticeable intergenerational gaps. A significant majority of parents (83.5%, n = 76) assert that heritage language retention is crucial or important for a child's personality development. Furthermore, institutional language policies in academic settings- where 14.3% (n = 13) of children report punitive measures for native language use-accelerate language attrition. This paper delineates the dynamics of intergenerational linguistic displacement, evaluating its impact on familial intimacy, intergenerational knowledge transfer with grandparents, and socio-cultural identity preservation. Recommendations for family language policy, educational reforms, and community initiatives are provided.