top of page

Mother Tongue, Other Tongue


Mother Tongue Other Tongue is an annual languages competition run by Manchester Metropolitan University. It is designed for students who speak a language other than English at home (Mother Tongue), or who are learning another language at school (Other Tongue).

Sacred Heart MFL department are inviting young writers to send in their poetry and verse for this multi-lingual poetry competition. There are two categories:

  • Mother Tongue – pupils whose first language is not English are encouraged to submit a poem or song in their first language. It can be an original piece, or a ‘remembered’ piece. It can be written in any language. The entry will be judged on a short paragraph (written in English) that explains the piece and its significance to the pupil. It should be no longer than one page of A4.

  • Other Tongue – pupils learning another language are encouraged to get creative with this language and submit an original poem for the competition. The piece you contribute must also include a short explanation of the inspiration behind the piece, what it is about, where it comes from, or why it is important to you (no more than half a page).

What do I need to do?


You can type or hand-write your entry (it must be legible!) and include a picture on the same piece of paper if you wish.


Email your entry to Mrs Russell or Miss Wood, or pop the entries into the box outside of the MFL office by Friday 3rd March (the week after half-term).


We will select up to 5 poems per category to submit to the main competition at the North-East Festival of Languages which closes at the end of March.


Please see Mrs Russell or Miss Wood for further details!

39 views
bottom of page