International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on 21 February. The aim of which is to spread awareness about its language and culture around the world.
When did it start –
UNESCO announced on 17 November 1999 to celebrate the international mother tongue. Since then, it is celebrated every year on 21 February.
Why is celebrated –
On 21 February 1952, students and social workers of Dhaka University protested to maintain the existence of their mother tongue, strongly opposing the linguistic policy of the then Pakistan government. The police of Pakistan started firing on the protesters but after continuous protests the government had to give official status to Bangla language.
UNESCO first announced to celebrate February 21 in 1999 as Mother Language Day in memory of the youth martyred in the linguistic movement.
International mother tongue day today-
There are 29 languages in India, the number of speakers is more than 1000000 (one million).
There are 7 languages spoken in India, the number of speakers is more than 1 lakh.
There are 122 languages in India whose number of speakers is more than 10,000 (ten thousand).
There is a danger of over four thousand languages being eliminated in the next 40 years in the world. India has been a country of diverse culture and language.
According to the 1961 census, 1652 languages are spoken in India. According to a report, there are currently 1365 mother tongues in India, with different regional bases. Hindi is popular as a second language even among other mother tongues.
