If Only Python Were My Mother Tongue 

Publication date: February 21, 2023

As we celebrate International Mother Tongue Day, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the unique linguistic world of coding languages. Many people learn coding in another language, often through online tutorials in English. The growth of coding is truly international, and coding is becoming a common global language. 

As the world has become increasingly digitised, programming has emerged as a skill that is both highly in demand and highly accessible. Today, people all over the world are learning coding languages like Python, JavaScript, and C++. These languages represent a new kind of lingua franca, one that crosses borders and cultures and has the potential to connect people in unprecedented ways. 

Logical learning 

The rise of coding languages is also fascinating when compared to the difficulty of learning a spoken language. While learning a new language can be a frustrating and time-consuming process, coding languages offer a unique set of advantages. For one thing, coding languages are highly structured and logical, making them more straightforward to learn than many spoken languages. Coding languages also tend to be more consistent and predictable than spoken languages, making them easier to master in some ways. 

Of course, learning to code is not always easy and frustration-free. However, the growth of interactive, plugged, and unplugged activities has made it easier than ever to get started with coding. These activities, which range from simple games and puzzles to more complex challenges and projects, offer a way to learn to code that is both fun and engaging. 

This is the ethos at the heart of EU Code Week, with its core aim of bringing coding and digital literacy to everybody in a fun and engaging way. So, on International Mother Tongue Day, why not join the EU Code Week community and explore new ideas to inspire the development of coding and computational thinking.  

A truly global language 

Perhaps the most interesting thing about coding languages is that they are truly global. While many spoken languages are confined to specific regions and cultures, coding languages are used and understood by people all over the world. This means that learning to code is not just a way to gain a new skill, it’s also a way to connect with people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. 

So, as we celebrate International Mother Tongue Day, let’s take a moment to appreciate the fascinating world of coding languages. While it may not be quite the same as speaking a new language, learning to code offers its own set of challenges and rewards.  

And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll all be speaking the language of Python.