International Mother Language Day 2023: History, theme, factoids

International Mother Language Day 2023: At least 43 per cent of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.

February 21 is observed every year as International Mother Language Day to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. The day has been observed across the globe since 2000. It is because of the initiative of Bangladesh that February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day to recognise the first language.

History of International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day came to being as a tribute to the Bangladeshi language movement. On on February 21, 1952, language activists Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar and Shafiur Rahman were killed in police action and hundreds were injured during a protest demanding recognition of Bengali as a state language along with Urdu in the then East Pakistan.

In recognition of their sacrifices for recognition of their mother tongue, this day is observed each year as International Mother Language Day.

Theme of International Mother Language Day 2023

This year’s theme for the day is “multilingual education - a necessity to transform education”.

“Multilingual education based on mother-tongue facilitates access to and inclusion in learning for population groups that speak non-dominant languages, languages of minority groups and indigenous languages,” the UNESCO said.

The UN body has organised an event to explore and debate on the potential of multilingualism to transform education.

Factoids

• 40 per cent of the world’s population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand, according to the UNESCO.
• 7,000 different languages are spoken around the world today, the UNESCO said.
• Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage, according to the United Nations.
• At least 43 per cent of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.
• Less than a hundred languages are used in the digital world.