According to Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), there are 6912 known living languages in the world. At present, half of the world languages are in the process of extinct. In order to preserve those languages, UNESCO has declared this year 2008 as International year of languages.

Recently, February 21st, we have observed International Mother Language Day by UNESCO’s member nations to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. UNESCO has recognized that the languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our heritage. Promoting the mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multi lingual education, but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions, and thus to achieve understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

International Mother Language Day started in the year 2000 and has been celebrated each year with an annual theme.

Annual themes:

2000 – Inaugural celebration of International Mother Language Day.
2001 – To protect the heritage of humanity and to preserve cultural diversity.
2002 – To promote linguistic diversity and multi-lingual education. (Slogan: In the galaxy of languages, every word is a star).
2003 – To encourage all forms of promotion, development and teaching of the mother language.
2004 – Children’s learning and master the use of written literacy skills in the class room.
2005 – Braille and sign languages.
2006 – Languages in cyberspace.
2007 – Cultural and linguistic diversity in education.
2008 – International year of languages. United States Postal Service has released a stamp in recognition of this occasion.

Origin: This movement began in 1948 in South Asia, in a country called Bangladesh and continued till Feb 21, 1952. At a public meeting in 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinna, the Governor General of Pakistan declared that Urdu will be the only official language for both West and East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan (present Bangladesh), whose main language is Bengali, started to protest against this. A student body on the Dhaka university campus protested it. In the police attacks, lot of students got injured. Some students became martyrs of this language movement.

In recognition of the language movement in Bangladesh, UNESCO has declared Feb 21st as International Mother Language Day. What started as a small local language movement today has become a world language movement. So preserving the language is every one’s responsibility.

- Dr. Hepsi Sunkari