Washington hosts “Mother Tongue and Multicultural Environment” event

An event titled “Mother Tongue and Multicultural Environment” was held in Washington, organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the United States and the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Washington. The presentation was delivered by Dr. Zulfiya Musavi, PhD in Philology and senior researcher at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).

Natig Bakhishov, Executive Director of the United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC), delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the importance of preserving the mother tongue in environments where multiple cultures coexist.

Erkin Heydarli, Counselor at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the U.S., noted that Azerbaijan has endured a challenging historical path, yet has always safeguarded its language. He stated that the Azerbaijani language acts as a unifying umbrella and stressed the importance of preserving the language, especially among Azerbaijanis living abroad.

Linguist Zulfiya Musavi then spoke, sharing that she has worked in the field of psycholinguistics for 25 years and has studied human behavior through every stage of life. According to her, language is not only a tool of communication but also a means of preserving national consciousness and culture. In multicultural environments, alongside the mother tongue, the language of the social setting is also spoken - thus, continuing to speak one's mother tongue is essential for maintaining cultural traditions.

Dr. Musavi also highlighted the role of toponyms in preserving language. The event concluded with an interactive discussion on topics such as language and place names, bilingualism and multilingualism, and their effects on child development.