INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

[Harold F. Schiffman]

UN Press release:

21/02/2003 Press Release GA/SM/307 OBV/324

`MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY' SHOULD INSPIRE RESPECT, TOLERANCE FOR RICH
CULTURAL TRADITIONS, SAYS GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT IN OBSERVANCE
MESSAGE


Following is the message of Jan Kavan (Czech Republic), President of
the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, on International
Mother Language Day, observed 21 February:


In order to preserve the cultural heritage of humanity, in November 1999,
the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed the 21st day of February of
every year as International Mother Language Day.  In a world of
globalization, where a few languages take priority, the United Nations and
UNESCO sought to protect and promote linguistic diversity and multilingual
education.

In recognition of the tremendous creativity involved in formulating a
language, given that there are some 6,700 languages spoken amongst our
planet's population, mother language was acknowledged as an important and
precious element of the cultural heritage and identity of a community.
The date 21 February was chosen in homage to three "language martyrs" from
Bangladesh who were shot on 21/22 February 1952, during public
demonstrations to promote their mother language, Bangla, as a national
language along with Urdu, in the then newly created Pakistan.  The origin
of this Day is attributed to an organization known as "Mother Language
Lovers of the World" in Canada, who proposed this idea to the United
Nations and UNESCO and were told by UNESCO that this request should be
presented through a Member State.  The Government of Bangladesh obliged.

On this day, it would also be appropriate to pay homage to the memory of
Professor Stephen Wurm, an Australian of Hungarian origin, who spoke some
50 languages himself, and who compiled the "Atlas of the World's Languages
in Danger of Disappearing".  In this work, he has described the 3,000
mother languages that are endangered and the processes leading to their
gradual extinction.  Examples of successful initiatives to save some of
them are also provided in this atlas.  One such example is the mother
language Cornish in England that is said to have become extinct in 1777.
Recent efforts to revive it have been successful and now over 1,000
persons speak the language.

As a tool of communication, the mother language has a powerful role in the
formation of the individual, and is " the most powerful instrument of
preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage".  In
recognition of this phenomenon, in November 2001, UNESCO followed up the
proclamation of the

International Mother Language Day, by promulgating the Universal
Declaration on Cultural Diversity.  Protection of traditional knowledge of
indigenous peoples and combating illicit traffic in cultural goods and
services are some of the several aims of this Declaration.  Member States
are encouraged to foster multilingual education.  Switzerland, Norway,
Netherlands and India are some examples of countries where the populations
are encouraged to be multilingual.

The Internet is a powerful tool to facilitate universal access to cultural
information, currently only available in libraries and museums, to enhance
knowledge and respect for cultures other than one's own.  Similarly,
Member States may adopt policies in support of translation tools and
multilingual electronic resources as positive initiatives in defence of
cultural diversity.

I hope that the International Mother Language Day will inspire peoples of
the world towards mutual respectful tolerance of our rich cultural
traditions, of which mother language is one of the most precious.