UNESCO Poster
February 21 is International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO in 1999 to celebrated linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. Events, workshops, and tweets on this date promote awareness.
Key Links
https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/motherlanguageday
UNESCO: “UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others. Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 percent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life. Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.”
Planeta.com has paid special attention to this celebration for years and challenge readers to translate ‘International Mother Language’ to other languages.
2019 Message
“Indigenous peoples have always expressed their desire for education in their own languages, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Since 2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the theme of this year’s International Mother Language Day will be Indigenous languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation. Indigenous peoples number some 370 million and their languages account for the majority of the approximately 7,000 living languages on Earth. Many Indigenous peoples continue to suffer from marginalization, discrimination and extreme poverty, and are the victims of human-rights violations (…). On this International Mother Language Day, I thus invite all UNESCO Member States, our partners and education stakeholders to recognize and enforce the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day
Translating: International Mother Language Day
Spanish: Dia Internacional de la Lengua Materna
Zapotec (San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya): Chii Xte Dich ni Gul Niu (Day of the Language you were born with)
Ayöök: (Santa María Ocotepec) Ja xëë jöma ja aa ayöök yak jaa’myets
Headlines
You are what you speak: How your mother tongue shapes you – New Scientist
Embedded Tweets
Kò yàn waj Awii Wwìj-i nayúun Gwi nej Snahánj gawin txrùn sìnìn néh gahmiin néh nình gàtxràh ruwáa xugwì-i. / El 21 de febrero se celebra el Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna. / International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21.#Triqui_trs #DILM2019 #IMLD2019 pic.twitter.com/lwvvLSs77Q
— Lengua y Cultura Triqui (@LyC_Triqui) February 21, 2019
“Hay que respetar, entender y escuchar las diferentes lenguas…”
Engracia nos comparte algunas palabras en Ayöök y español; ella forma parte de Kumoontun. pic.twitter.com/8hz94MGu6i
— Kumoontun (@kumoontun) February 19, 2019
Gal naza’k lo galdbtubi schi Febrer, chi ni na la rate Dich xte de Gëch!!
Feliz dia de lenguas maternas este semana 2/21!
Happy International Mother Languages Day this week 2/21!!
We are screening at 4 venues across US & Mexico in celebration! See the thread for more details!— Dizhsa Nabani (@dizhsanabani) February 20, 2019
¡Mensaje del Lila Downs!#NoHayLenguaSinPueblos#NiUnHablanteMenos#DILM2019 pic.twitter.com/Qj2Oap8fwm
— INALIMEXICO (@INALIMEXICO) February 19, 2019
There are around 7000 languages spoken on Earth, but 23 languages are spoken by around half of the world's population. Almost half of the world's languages are considered endangered. #MotherLanguageDay #IndigenousLanguages pic.twitter.com/7PPujHMJgI
— Survival International (@Survival) February 21, 2019
There are around 7000 languages spoken on Earth, but 23 languages are spoken by around half of the world's population. Almost half of the world's languages are considered endangered. #MotherLanguageDay #IndigenousLanguages pic.twitter.com/7PPujHMJgI
— Survival International (@Survival) February 21, 2019
Languages are who we are. Protecting this identity is a matter of human rights!
21 February is #MotherLanguageDay 👉 https://t.co/ki3DqPASk0 pic.twitter.com/cXUzvDqwi5
— UNESCO (@UNESCO) February 21, 2019
The #MotherTongue2019 Film Festival starts tomorrow! The opening reception at @SmithsonianNMAI begins at 6 pm, followed by free screenings of animated short “Boy in the Moon” and feature film “Edge of the Knife.” See you there! https://t.co/tZnYW755Vp pic.twitter.com/I2tAZQzg9U
— SmithsonianFolklife (@SmithsonianFolk) February 20, 2019
Planeta.com