Today, February 21, the world celebrates . This is an important UNESCO initiative for promoting linguistic diversity and plurilingualism鈥攖he ability to use multiple languages. Canada plays an important role by recognizing this day with the聽, an act that supports an inclusive and multilingual society.
International Mother Language Day traces back to the language movement of 1952 in Dhaka, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), which advocated for Bengali to be recognized as an official language. It's thanks to the people who fought in this movement that we now have the fundamental right to linguistic diversity and identity.
Promoting plurilingualism while maintaining the mother tongue has several benefits: it enhances cognition, strengthens identity and cultural heritage, and creates a strong sense of belonging. At the same time, plurilingualism allows individuals to use different languages flexibly across various contexts, fostering cultural understanding, peaceful interactions, and social inclusion. Learning new languages should enhance, not replace, one鈥檚 native language.
To champion linguistic diversity, educators can:
- Implement plurilingual pedagogies that celebrate and integrate students' diverse linguistic and cultural identities.
- Design inclusive curricula and materials that authentically reflect the rich tapestry of languages and cultures in the classroom.
- Promote intergenerational language learning to enhance heritage languages and strengthen cultural connections.
- Recognize learners as multilingual and multicultural individuals, valuing their full linguistic repertoire rather than seeing them as acquiring just one new language.
On this International Mother Language Day, let鈥檚 reaffirm our commitment to a world where every language is valued. Educators play a vital role in ensuring that plurilingualism and mother tongue preservation go hand in hand.
