Today's Kindness #279: February 21, 2023
🌎Celebrate Language Diversity🌎
International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21. The first observance was organized by UNESCO as a celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity. Some languages are better documented and more spoken than others. Many ethnic languages, some of which are still spoken by small groups today, will most likely be extinct in a few decades. This is why International Mother Language Day is so important, as it is part of a larger initiative to revive many communities' linguistic heritage.
There are more than 7,000 languages in the world still in use today, with only around 4,000 having a written form.
How To Observe:
Take Part In Efforts
Several efforts will be organized to further enable the goals of International Mother Language Day, as one of the most widely celebrated international events. Volunteering with cultural centers can be a rewarding experience as well as a useful service.
Start Learning A Language
What better way to honor languages than by starting to learn one? This is not a simple task, but taking the first steps can serve as the foundation for a life-long and rewarding project.
Learn The History
The importance of languages in our cultures and civilizations cannot be overstated. As a result, learning the history of languages and how they evolved can be a good starting point for honoring them. Many events and discussions are planned during this international observance to shed light on these topics, with learning resources available.
"He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe