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Language is more than just a means of communication; it is a vessel of culture, identity, and history. Yet, across the world, linguistic diversity is under threat. Dr Salman Al-Azami, Senior Lecturer in Language, Media and Communication shares his thoughts and experiences as we acknowledge International Mother Language Day.
Many of us may not be aware of the significance of today, the 21st of February. Since 2000, UNESCO has been celebrating this day as ‘the International Mother Language Day’, and this year marks its Silver Jubilee. Using the slogan ‘Language matters’, this year’s focus is on the importance of linguistic diversity amidst UN General Assembly’s declaration of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages between 2022 and 2032.
According to UNESCO, there are 8,324 languages in the world as of now including sign languages and 7,000 of them are still used actively. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a sharp fall in linguistic diversity in the world - much faster than biodiversity. More than half of these languages are under threat and may perish by the turn of this century. Language death has a profound impact on human history. When an unrecorded language dies, we lose it completely as we will never know the culture and heritage of that linguistic community. It is as if the language never existed. With the death of its last surviving speaker, a living culture dies and deprives the world of an important part of human civilisation.
It is praiseworthy that in 1999 UNESCO declared a day to celebrate linguistic diversity in the world emphasising the need to preserve as many languages as possible. One may ask why 21st February was chosen; this day was not a random choice but to acknowledge a significant day in history. On 21st February 1952, people in Bangladesh (known then as East Pakistan) laid down their lives amidst a language movement to establish the right of recognition of their mother tongue Bangla. I have a deep personal connection with this movement, not only as a British Bangladeshi but also as a son of someone who read the first memorandum in front of the then Pakistan Prime Minister demanding the recognition of Bangla. He was jailed three times for his active role in the movement and even lost his job as a university college lecturer. Following is a brief account of what happened between 1948 and 1952 in the then Pakistan leading up to this day 73 years ago.
When the British left India in 1947, two new nations were formed—India and Pakistan. Following the Two-nations Theory through which Muslim-majority areas became part of Pakistan, while Hindu-majority areas remained in India. The region now known as Bangladesh, despite its distinct geography, language, and culture, chose to join Pakistan due to its Muslim identity and became East Pakistan. However, tensions arose when the Pakistani government, dominated by leaders from West Pakistan, declared Urdu as the only official language. This was widely opposed in East Pakistan, where over 90% of the 75 million people spoke Bangla, while Urdu was the mother tongue of less than 8% of Pakistan's population. The decision sparked a four-year struggle, culminating in a tragic event on 21st February 1952, when police opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing several people. Eventually, on 16th February 1956, the Pakistan National Assembly recognized both Urdu and Bangla as official languages, marking a victory for the movement. However, the scars of this conflict, along with subsequent political tensions, ultimately led to the War of Independence in 1971. After a bloody struggle, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation on 16th December 1971.
The ability to speak and be educated in one’s mother tongue is a fundamental human right. Despite efforts from linguists for many years, we are yet to have a Universal Declaration of Linguistic Right. Multilingualism is an asset for any society and research overwhelmingly shows the cognitive advantages of multilingualism apart from its ethnic, cultural and emotional value. It is incumbent on a government to ensure this basic human right to its citizens rather than focusing only on the language of the majority population. In Anglophone countries, eg, the UK, there is little opportunity, recognition or encouragement for ethnic minority children to practice their heritage language while foreign language teaching in the education system is woefully inadequate for someone to learn another language. Only in Wales, thanks to the devolution and the Welsh Language Act, mother tongue education is available in schools. However, other indigenous languages, like Gaelic, Irish, Cornish, Manx etc. are struggling to succeed along with hundreds of other indigenous and heritage languages due to the lack of support from the government. The other alarming fact is the rapid closures of language courses across UK universities and an alarming decrease of GCSE language take-ups in schools. What the policy makers are failing to understand is that this will make the monolingual English speakers in this country miss out on many career opportunities and life experiences.
According to UNESCO, having the opportunity to learn in one’s mother tongue enhances children’s ability to engage widely in society and develop critical thinking. While declaring the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the International Mother Language Day, UNESCO’s website says, “Multilingual education addresses these gaps, boosting participation, retention, and socio-emotional development, while also supporting global goals like gender equality, climate action, and sustainable communities”.
On this occasion, I wish the Liverpool Hope community a very Happy International Mother Language Day. I hope our university, particularly the Faculty of Education, will take some initiatives to foster multilingual competence in our education system.