"International Mother Language Day" class hour on the topic. International Mother Language Day: origins, celebration, prospects International Mother Language Day in brief
Each nation has its own unique and inimitable language, which corresponds to the purpose of man and carries with it a whole heritage. The inhabitants of a particular state have their own characteristic features, traditions, culture, and the language is a direct reflection of them. It conveys the entire identity of the people, so the native language is a source of real pride. And Mother Language Day is a very important and necessary holiday.
Background
Like any celebration, this one has its own historical background. Its celebration was made possible by the events that took place in 1952 in Pakistan. Those from Dhaka University took part in a demonstration against the Urdu language. The majority spoke the Bengali dialect, so it was this language that the protesters demanded to recognize as the state language. However, they not only did not listen to them, but also began to shoot. As a result, four student activists were killed. Following the deaths of these and other people in Pakistan, as well as a series of unrest and liberation movements, Bengali was declared the official language of the country. The struggle for the right to use the manner of communication familiar from childhood was crowned with success. Subsequently, through an initiative (recognized in 1971 by an independent state), the UNESCO organization proclaimed the date February 21 as International Mother Language Day, which has been celebrated annually throughout the world for 14 years.
How this day is celebrated in different countries
It is not for nothing that Mother Language Day is recognized internationally. It is celebrated in many countries. In some of them, people adhere to certain orders and traditions in celebration, in others - each time everything takes place according to a completely new plan. Let's take a look at a few of the countries that first come to mind.
Bangladesh
I really want to touch upon this particular country, since here Mother Language Day is considered a national holiday, since the anniversary of February 21 became a turning point in the fate of people and in the history of the entire country. As a rule, residents of Bengal on this day organize a festive procession, lay flowers in memory of the martyrs in Dhaka (at the Shaheed Minar monument), and sing patriotic songs. Cultural programs, festive dinners, and prizes are awarded at city venues. There is also a special ritual associated with this great day for Bengalis. They buy special glass bracelets for themselves and relatives, thereby emphasizing their attachment to their native language and paying tribute to the national traditions and history of their country.
International Mother Language Day is a special occasion in Bangladesh. Every year, any event for Mother Language Day is prepared with special scope and honor. The government and non-governmental organizations of the country encourage in every possible way the holding of various kinds of events, trying to support the love of fellow citizens for their native language, and also do this with the aim of preserving and further developing the indigenous speech.
Switzerland
Let's touch on Europe. For example, in Switzerland, on February 21, Mother Language Day is celebrated in an educational spirit. Promotions, practical classes, and numerous seminars are held. Particularly acute in this country is the issue of families in which children speak two languages and both are native to them. The authorities, teachers and parents are well aware that such children require a special approach, which is why the country is developing individual programs for training and educating the younger generation, which are being successfully implemented.
English-speaking countries
In many countries of Europe and not only (England, Ireland, Singapore, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, and even the whole continent, and therefore native English), it must be admitted that it is, in fact, included consisting of six therefore has the most direct relation to the holiday.In any negotiations, travel and simply in communication, it will be your main lifesaver.
Each language is beautiful and wonderful in its own way, so we must not forget it, love it, cherish it and be proud of it!
Mother Language Day in Russia
In our country, love for our native language can be compared to a feeling of true patriotism that permeates everything and each of us. Especially when we are talking about primordially Slavic values, to which we can confidently include the Russian language.
There are many different worthy statements about the Russian word, but no one has yet expressed themselves on this topic better than the classics. The most accurate sayings that clearly reflect our spirit of patriotism include the Russian writer I. S. Turgenev, who said: “... you alone are my support and support, oh great, mighty, truthful and free Russian language.” Or it is enough to recall the decisive statement of V. G. Belinsky, he argued that “the Russian language is one of the richest languages in the world, and there is no doubt about it.” It is perhaps difficult to disagree with these brilliant people, since thanks to our language we think, communicate, and create.
In our country, Mother Language Day, the script of which is carefully thought out and prepared in advance, is held in many schools, libraries, cultural centers, higher education institutions and other educational institutions. Students carefully select the key in which the topic will be covered, learn words, and rehearse. All designated events, as a rule, are of a solemn, patriotic and educational nature. They are held with the aim of instilling in children a sense of respect and love for their culture, history, traditions and, of course, their native Russian language.
Vanishing dialects
In statistical terms, today, out of six thousand languages existing in the world, more than two hundred are considered extinct; they do not have a single living speaker. There is also the unfortunate linguistic category of endangered and endangered types of speech (with almost no descendants speaking them). And unstable languages that are not successful because they do not have official status, and their distribution area is so small that the prospects for their continued existence leave much to be desired.
In Russia, about 140 languages are on the verge of falling into disuse, and twenty have already been recognized as lifeless.
Each native language has its own characteristics and culture. It distinguishes nations, makes people appreciate and respect their indigenous style of speech, and pass it on from generation to generation. Therefore, Mother Language Day should definitely be supported as an international holiday, encouraged and carried out at the proper level in all countries of the world.
TASS DOSSIER. February 21 is International Mother Language Day. It was established on November 17, 1999 at the 30th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the aim of preserving and promoting linguistic and cultural diversity and supporting multilingual education. The date, February 21, was chosen to commemorate the events in Dhaka (then the provincial capital of Pakistan, now the capital of Bangladesh) in 1952. Then, student demonstrators who demanded that the Bengali language be given state status (the language became official in 1956) were killed by police bullets. The day has been celebrated annually since 2000.
Topics of the Day
Every year the Day is dedicated to a specific topic. Over the years, they concerned the relationship between the native language and multilingualism, the Braille system (a special font for blind people) and sign language, the protection of the intangible heritage of humanity and the preservation of cultural diversity, and the publication of books for education in the native language. The theme for 2018 is: “Preserving linguistic diversity and promoting multilingualism in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Events
On this day, many countries hold events to protect the state language, organize lectures and conferences, exhibitions and presentations, and hold competitions among experts in their native language. Some countries adhere to certain traditions. Thus, residents of Bangladesh lay flowers at the Shaheed Minar monument in memory of the events in Dhaka. In the regions of Russia, “Mother Language Weeks”, round table meetings with the participation of native speakers, book exhibitions, festivals and competitions are dedicated to the International Mother Language Day.
Statistics
According to the international non-profit organization SIL International, there are currently over 7 thousand languages in the world. Of these, approximately 32% are in Asia, 30% in Africa, 19% in the Pacific region, 15% in the Americas and 4% in Europe. Of the total number of languages, only 560 are actively used in the public sphere and in the education system.
The 40 most common languages are spoken by approximately two-thirds of the world's population. The most commonly used ones are Chinese, English, Russian, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Arabic. According to various estimates, from 240 to 260 million people in the world speak Russian. 2007, declared the Year of the Russian Language in Russia, was celebrated in 76 countries.
Endangered languages
In 1996, UNESCO first published the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (reprinted in 2001 and 2010 with the support of the Norwegian government) in order to attract the attention of the public and governments of different countries to the problem of preserving linguistic diversity. The latest version of the atlas lists about 2,500 languages (in 2001, this figure was almost three times less - 900 languages), the viability of which is assessed from “vulnerable” to “extinct” (230 languages are listed that have disappeared since 1950).
The languages of small nations are primarily at risk of extinction. Thus, in the United States, out of several hundred Indian languages spoken by local residents before the arrival of Europeans, less than 150 have survived. In Central and South America, most Indian languages have disappeared, and the remaining ones are being replaced by Spanish and Portuguese. The preservation of rare languages is complicated if the authorities limit their use in schools, in the state administration, and in the media. UNESCO estimates that a language is endangered or seriously endangered if fewer than 70% of children learn it or if it is spoken by only a small number of older generations. It is believed that in order to preserve a language, it is necessary that at least 100 thousand people speak it.
According to the latest edition of the UNESCO atlas, 16 languages are recognized as extinct in Russia. Thus, in 2003, the last speaker of Babinsky Sami (Magadan region) died, Ubykh (Krasnodar Territory), South Mansi and West Mansi languages disappeared. 20 languages are recognized as vulnerable, including Adyghe (300 thousand native speakers), Tuvan (242 thousand), Buryat (125 thousand). Among the languages on the verge of extinction is Votic, which survives in only two villages in the Leningrad region on the border with Estonia. According to the 2010 Russian census, at that time 68 people owned it. In November 2015, employees of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted that no one speaks Votic in everyday life. In total, the atlas lists 136 endangered languages in Russia.
Measures to preserve languages
Efforts are being made in many countries to preserve dying languages. Thus, with the assistance of UNESCO, the endangered Jeju language is supported in the Republic of Korea (in 2010, it was used by 5 to 10 thousand people, mostly elderly), an environmental encyclopedia in the local Marovo language is being developed in the Solomon Islands, and work is being done in Nicaragua to preserve the Mayangna language. In Great Britain, in recent years, residents of the Isle of Man (in the Irish Sea) have again begun to study the Manx language, the last speaker of which died in 1974, and in the county of Cornwall the Cornish language is being successfully revived (a movement for its restoration arose at the beginning of the 20th century). In the village of Yona on the Kola Peninsula they are trying to restore the Babin Sami language - a grammar has been published and there are audio recordings. There is evidence that in recent years interest in the Votic language among young people has increased. For example, ethnic holidays are organized during which songs are sung in this language.
The most famous example of a revived language is Hebrew (considered only a book language during the 18th centuries, in the 20th century it became the language of everyday communication and the official language of Israel).
Documentation
Several international instruments contain provisions related to language preservation issues. These include the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1992 and 2007), the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in field of education (1960), on the protection of intangible cultural heritage (2003), on the protection and promotion of cultural expressions (2005).
The year 2008 was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Languages. 2010 was declared the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.
International Mother Language Day, proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO on 17 November 1999, has been celebrated annually on 21 February since 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
1. The date for the Day was chosen to commemorate the events that occurred in Dhaka (now the capital of Bangladesh) on February 21, 1952, when students who demonstrated in defense of their native language Bengali, which they demanded to be recognized as one of the official languages of the country, were killed by police bullets. .
2.
In revolutionary Russia in 1917, there were 193 languages, but at the time the agreement on the collapse of the USSR was signed in December 1991, there were only 40. On average, two languages disappeared every year. Currently, 136 languages in Russia are in danger of extinction, and 20 have already been declared dead.
3.
Experts believe that for a language to survive, it needs to be spoken by at least 100 thousand people. At all times, languages arose, existed, then died out, sometimes without even leaving a trace. But never before have they disappeared as quickly as in the 20th century.
4.
According to UNESCO estimates, half of the world's 6 thousand languages are in danger of extinction.
5.
Today there are more than 6 thousand different languages in the world. Among them are the most complex, most common and other interesting facts about the languages of the world.
6.
One of the most difficult languages to learn is Basque, it is so complex that during World War II the language was used as a code.
7. Papua New Guinea has the most languages. More than seven hundred Papuan and Melanesian languages and dialects are spoken here. It is logical that it was difficult to agree on which of them would become the state one. Therefore, according to the country's constitution, there is no official language here, and documentation uses English and its local version - pidgin English (half of Papuan "Tok Pisin").
8. The most complete dictionary of the Chinese language contains more than 87,000 characters, each of which represents a different syllable. The most complex is the archaic hieroglyph se - “chatty”, consisting of 64 lines, and of those currently in use - the hieroglyph nan, which contains 36 lines and means “stuffy nose”.
9. The most common sound - no language can do without the vowel “a”.
10. The rarest sound is the Czech sound “RZD”. It is not easy for Czech children - they are the last to learn Russian Railways.
11. The oldest letter is "O". It first appeared in the Phoenician alphabet around 1300. BC and hasn't changed a bit since then. Today the letter “o” is included in 65 alphabets in the world.
12. Nowadays, the most people in the world speak Chinese (Mandarin) - 885 million people, Spanish is in second place and English is only third. Russian language is in 7th place in popularity, it is spoken by 170 million people around the world.
13 . 80% of all the world's information is stored in English. More than half of technical andscientific publications in the world are published on it.
14. The shortest alphabet in the world is that of the natives of the island of Bougainville - only 11 letters. In second place is the Hawaiian alphabet - there are 12 letters.
15. The longest alphabet in the world is Cambodian, with 74 letters.
16. It turns out that Finnish is considered the easiest language. On it, the sound of all letters is always the same - how it is heard is how it is written. Although its grammar is much more complex than English - there are 15 cases alone.
17 . There are now 46 languages in the world that are spoken by just one person.
18 . There are cases of saving languages. The most striking example of a rebirth is Hebrew, which was considered a “dead” language for almost 2000 years. Today, Hebrew is spoken by 8 million people, including 5 million who use it as their primary language.
19 . Today there are 6,809 “living” languages in the world. Most of them are in Asia and Africa.
20. According to various estimates, the literary Belarusian language has from 250 to 500 thousand words. The dialectal language of Belarus is much richer - it has 1.5-2 million words.
Happy Mother Language Day!
Speak it often so it doesn't disappear!
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in November 1999 and is celebrated annually on 21 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
This date was chosen to commemorate the events of February 21, 1952, when in Dhaka, the capital of present-day Bangladesh, students who participated in a demonstration in defense of their native language Bengali, which they demanded to be recognized as one of the official languages of the country, were killed by police bullets.
Language is the most powerful tool for preserving and developing cultural heritage in its tangible and intangible forms. Any activity to promote the mother tongue promotes not only linguistic diversity and multilingualism, but also a fuller understanding of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world, as well as solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. By introducing Mother Language Day into the international calendar, UNESCO called on countries to develop, support and intensify activities aimed at respecting and protecting all languages, especially those in danger of extinction.
International Mother Language Day 2018 will be celebrated under the theme “Preserving Linguistic Diversity and Promoting Multilingualism to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”
To ensure sustainable development, students must have access to education in their mother tongue and other languages. Basic skills in reading, spelling and arithmetic are acquired through learning the native language. Local languages, especially minority and indigenous languages, serve as vehicles of cultural, moral and traditional values, thus playing an important role in achieving a sustainable future.
The number of languages existing today is estimated at six to eight thousand, half of them are spoken by less than 10 thousand people, and a quarter of the languages have less than a thousand speakers. 96% of all languages are spoken by only 3% of the world's population, which is an average of 30 thousand people per language (if you exclude the 4% of the most common languages). According to experts, currently 40% of languages are on the verge of extinction. According to UNESCO, among the countries with the largest number of endangered languages, India (197 languages) and the United States (191) rank first, followed by Brazil (190), China (144), Indonesia (143), and Mexico (143).
The disappearance of languages occurs at different rates, which will only accelerate in the coming decades on all continents. Australia, which until the 1970s banned Aboriginal people from using their native languages, holds the record for the number of languages that have died or become endangered: of the 400 languages that existed there at the beginning of the 20th century, only 25 are now spoken. Of the 1,400 African languages, at least 250 are threatened and 500-600 are in decline, particularly in Nigeria and East Africa. In the United States, children are taught only five of the 175 surviving Native American languages. Overall, nine out of every ten languages in the world may disappear during this century.
The Red Book of Languages of the Peoples of Russia currently includes more than 60 languages.
One of the Finno-Ugric languages, the Votic language, is recognized first on the list of extinction in Russia. This language is remembered by several representatives of the oldest generation living in two villages in the north-west of the Leningrad region. Experts note that if previously a language disappeared as a result of the physical death of a people due to epidemics, wars or a decline in the birth rate, today speakers one way or another voluntarily switch to another, dominant language. In some cases, political authorities pressure citizens to speak an official language (multiple languages are often perceived as a threat to national unity). In addition, speakers may abandon their native language in favor of the dominant one if they feel that this can contribute to the integration of themselves and their children into society. Expanding trade links, the attractiveness of consumer goods, urbanization and increasing economic restrictions all push speakers to switch to an official language. Television and radio also contribute by strengthening the position of the dominant language.
The disappearance of any language means the loss of a piece of universal human heritage. The native language is an expression of self-awareness and the connection between generations, which is necessary for the development of every person. It is closely connected with the history of the ethnic group, ensures its unity and becomes the key to its originality: it forms an inextricable connection between its bearers and serves as the basis for the people. Languages contain a body of acquired knowledge. Thus, some of them uniquely describe a certain environment, for example, the Amazonian jungle, note the properties of medicinal herbs, or contain information on astronomy.
According to UNESCO, among the measures necessary to prevent the disappearance of a language are the creation of favorable conditions for its speakers to speak it and teach this language to their children; creation of educational systems that promote learning in the native language, development of a writing system. Since a major factor is the attitude of community members towards their own language, it is also necessary to create a social and political environment that promotes multilingualism and respect for minor languages so that the use of these languages becomes an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The spiritual treasure of any nation is language. The most important language for any person is the language in which he first learns to speak and learn about the world around him. This is the language of childhood, the language spoken in the family, the language of first relationships in society. From birth, it is necessary to instill this heritage - the native language - into the child’s soul. It’s not for nothing that people say that you can live without science, but you can’t live without your native language. And that's exactly how it is. Language is the foundation of the maturation of any personality and is the greatest tool for protecting spiritual wealth. All steps aimed at its support and dissemination are designed to preserve the diversity of languages on this planet and protect the traditions of different peoples. Language strengthens solidarity, which is based on patience, mutual understanding and dialogue. A civilized society is trying to declare the principles of humanity and justice. Recognition by the international community of the urgent need to protect the diversity of cultures on the planet, the most important component of which is language, is one of the main steps in this direction.
The origins of International Mother Language Day
From October 26 to November 17, 1999, the thirtieth session of the UNESCO General Conference was held in Paris, where a day to support linguistic diversity - International Mother Language Day - was officially approved. The holiday has been included in calendars around the world since 2000. February 21 has been declared International Mother Language Day. This number was not chosen by chance, but in connection with the tragedy that occurred in 1952. Five student demonstrators who came out to fight for recognition of the Bengali language as the state language were killed.
Threat of extinction of various languages
At the moment, there are about 6 thousand languages in the world. Scientists warn that almost 40% of them could disappear completely in the coming decades. And this is a huge loss for all humanity, because each language is a unique vision of the world. David Crystal, one of the famous experts in language issues, author of the popular book “Language Death,” believes that linguistic diversity is an original thing and the loss of any language makes our world poorer. Every time a language is lost, a unique vision of the world is lost along with it. The UNESCO organization is the body that has undertaken to support different languages as a definition of a person’s cultural identity. In addition, according to this organization, learning several foreign languages is the key to understanding between people and mutual respect. Each language is the spiritual heritage of the nation, which must be protected.
According to UNESCO Director General Koihiro Matsuura: “The mother tongue is invaluable for each of us. In our native language we speak our first phrases and express our thoughts most clearly. This is the foundation on which all people build their personality from the moment they take their first breath, and it is what guides us throughout our lives. It is a way to teach respect for yourself, your history, your culture, and most importantly, other people with all their characteristics.”
In order for a language not to disappear, at least 100,000 people must speak it. It has always been like this, languages arose, existed and died, sometimes without a trace. But never before have they disappeared so quickly. With the development of scientific and technological progress, it has become more difficult for national minorities to achieve recognition of their languages. A language that does not exist on the Internet no longer exists as such for the modern world. 81% of pages on the World Wide Web are published in English.
In Europe, almost fifty languages may disappear in the near future. In some regions of Asia, the influence of the Chinese language is felt. In New Caledonia, the pressure of the French language has led to the fact that out of 60 thousand indigenous inhabitants of the island, 40 thousand have forgotten their native language. In South America, due to colonization in the 17th-20th centuries. 1,400 languages disappeared; in North America, “civilization processes” turned into destruction in the 18th century. 170 languages, in Australia - in the XIX-XX centuries. 375 languages have disappeared.
There are known cases in the history of mankind when language becomes a hostage or even a victim of the political interests of states and confrontations between nations. Language is used as a tool of influence on the people and is an element of the struggle for spheres of influence and territory.
A language dies when the next generation loses understanding of the meaning of words (V. Goloborodko). If people only speak one language, parts of their brain develop less and their creativity is limited. Measures to preserve linguistic diversity.
To preserve the diversity of languages, UNESCO carries out a whole range of activities. For example, a project on linguistic diversity on the Internet was launched and funded, which provides for the introduction of a large amount of content in rare languages. And also, the introduction of a special automatic translation system from them. At the initiative of UNESCO, a portal was created that provides access to knowledge to those segments of the population that are in disadvantaged conditions. UNESCO meets halfway states that protect their spiritual uniqueness and identity, providing high-quality study of foreign languages. The MOST program works on activities designed to promote equality among different ethnic groups. Its goal is to resolve and prevent conflicts on ethnic grounds. However, as UNESCO points out, now such powerful modern languages as Russian, English, Chinese, French and Spanish are increasingly displacing other languages from the sphere of communication every day.
In different countries, public organizations are being created whose main tasks are to identify different peoples and protect the rights and freedoms of minority languages. Such organizations bring together people of different professions who are not indifferent to the fate of their language. Understanding the world through the national word is like genes. Language is passed on from generation to generation and this heredity is not only within the family, but within the entire nation. The native language must be protected as one’s future, remembering the original meaning of words. The ancient sages said: “Speak and I will see you.” It is absolutely obvious that it is the native speaker who can preserve their native language.
Celebrating February 21st around the world.
Among the events dedicated to the celebration of February 21 in the world, training seminars, exhibitions of audiovisual materials on teaching various languages, poetry evenings in the native language, literary festivals, round tables, and honoring of poets who fought for the native language are held. Competitions are also held to identify the best teacher of the native language and determine the best performance in language learning among schoolchildren or students. On the occasion of this year's holiday in Russia, an open day was held at the State Institute of Russian Language named after. A. S. Pushkin. Each language is unique; it reflects the mentality and traditions of the people. The most important thing is that young people are interested in the culture of different peoples. This develops not only intellectually, but also spiritually. The positive thing is that such a celebration of respect for the native language is accepted at the international level.