Protect the richest heritage of any community: Never let fade the pride of mother language

NewsBharati    21-Feb-2018
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Gargi Sarkar

Mumbai, February 21: We always talk about sexist, racist, communal issues which discriminate people. But what’s the worst discrimination you know? The one based on language. Mother language or native language never should be taken away from someone. Unfortunately, in an age of globalization the countries with a colonial hangover are more and more succumbing to foreign languages. On this international mother language day, let’s pledge one thing, to protect our mother language till our last breath.  
                               Language, the essential part of any community:

Wherever, British ruled they did not only infiltrate into the economy but also in cultural, social domains. To their own good, they taught English to local natives for administrative works. Hence learning English under British was both beneficiary and prestigious. The ridiculous relation of knowing English and being educated was deeply planted back then, in several countries. India is definitely not an exception. Still, those countries are in good condition. The worldwide political turmoil causing mass migration, ethnic cleansings are literally bringing an assault on various languages.

In any community, mother language is an essential part of the culture which carries the value, knowledge of that particular community. Even for a child’s development in early stages, native language benefits the kid in various ways. As it is a vehicle of cognitive development, taking away them from own vernacular medium to English medium puts extra pressure on them as well as restrains the natural flow of learning, development. Even who has a better sense of mother language can learn other languages easily.

There is no difference in value between languages and dialects. Not a single language is superior to any other, in grammar, vocabulary or expression. Any language with a written script can be used for education, even if it has not traditionally been used in this way. Languages can be developed to meet educational needs if the will (and the funding) is available. For administrative works too, a language with written scripture can easily be used in a region with proper infrastructure. The difficulties dealing with other languages can delay the easy flow of work.

International Mother Language Day has been observed annually since 2000[4] to promote peace and multilingualism around the world and to protect all mother languages. It is observed on February 21 to recognize the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh.

History of the day:

International Mother Language Day has been observed annually since 2000 to promote peace and multilingualism around the world and to protect all mother languages. It is observed on February 21 to recognize the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh.The day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 . In its resolution the United Nations General Assembly called on its member states "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people of the world" on 16 May 2009. In the resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages to promote unity in diversity and international understanding through multilingualism and multiculturalism. The resolution was suggested by Rafiqul Islam, a Bengali living in Vancouver, Canada. He wrote a letter to Kofi Annan on 9 January 1998 asking him to take a step to saving the world's languages from extinction by declaring an International Mother Language Day. Rafiq proposed the date as 21 February to commemorate the 1952 killings in Dhaka during the Language Movement.