A mother language is the first language that someone speaks. A person’s mother language helps to define a person’s identity. Some think of their mother language as a thing of great beauty. This is especially true if they live in an area where their mother language is not spoken. For them, their mother language is a way to stay connected to their homeland and their culture. Unfortunately, a mother language disappears every two weeks. When this happens, an entire cultural heritage disappears along with it.
Out of the 6,000 languages in the world, 43 percent of them are endangered. These endangered languages will become extinct in the future. Languages become endangered for several reasons. Some languages simply get replaced by ones more widely spoken. Other languages aren’t being learned by new generations of children. There are dozens of languages today that have only one native speaker still living. When that person dies, their language will also die.
In November of 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh inspired the day. February 21st, 1952 marks the date when the Bangalis fought for their language to become recognized. On February 29th, 1952, Bengali became the second official language of Pakistan.
The 2021 webinar will address two themes:
- Rethinking inclusive policy and practice in teaching and learning in multilingual contexts
- Enhancing inclusion through multilingualism, including sign language, in early childhood education and care (ECCE), the foundation for learning.
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