Every year on February 21, the world celebrates International Mother Language Day. This day is observed in an effort to preserve the language. The United Nations (UN) reports that a language disappears every two weeks. At least 43% of the world’s estimated 6,000 languages are on the verge of extinction.
Less than 100 languages are spoken in the digital world, and only a few hundred have a significant presence in educational systems and the general public. International Mother Language Day, often known as International Mother Language Day, has a dark history.
The history of International Mother Language Day begins with the international observance of Bangladesh’s Language Movement Day. In order to prevent the loss of the world’s languages, Rafiqul Islam, a Bangladeshi residing in Vancouver, Canada, wrote to Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, requesting that he establish an International Mother Language Day.
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Finally, on November 17, 1999, at the UNESCO General Conference, International Mother Language Day was established, which fell on February 21. This exact day was selected because, in 1952, a killing occurred during a battle for the Bengali language in Dhaka, Bangladesh. International Mother Language Day is now observed annually throughout the world.
The theme of International Mother Language Day 2023 is multilingual education and the need for educational transformation. Every year, International Mother Language Day is celebrated to encourage multilingualism and the diversity of languages and cultures.
