What’s in a language?
Unlike Shakespeare perhaps you may ask, What’s in a language? Perhaps similar to Shakespeare you might say, that which we call a [language] by any other name would [still sound] as sweet.
On International Mother Language Day, we honor mother tongues around the world. When interacting with children and adults in our surroundings language becomes a quick and easy signal that alerts us to similarities, differences, and even perplexity. Celebrating the mother tongue provides an opportunity to be inquisitive about the world around us and commemorate the diversity of the native languages we speak within the construct of culture and tradition.
“Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.” -from the United Nations International Mother Language Day
Language is a vehicle that provides a means to celebrate our differences while paradoxically engaging in unity. This year’s theme revolves around the necessity for an inclusive education system and instruction in the mother tongue. It seems rather apt to have this theme as the Millennium Development Goals deadline approaches in 2015. Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG2) focuses on achieving universal primary education and the current data on the progress towards meeting this goal indicates that inequalities in accessing education still persist throughout the world. Language is an incredible leverage in education, it is a basis for identity on one hand but it can also transform and empower individuals within their society.
In general, reflecting on International Mother Language Day highlights the important role languages play in advancing an organization’s mission. For example, a significant component of reducing child mortality for The Children’s Prize focuses on education – Why is it that so many children still die of diarrhea? What are the benefits of breastfeeding a baby? How does malnourishment impact child development? What is the difference between undernourishment and malnourishment? Why do so many babies die in the first 28 days of life? Language is the foundation upon which education flourishes; it allows children to reach their full potential and enables regions to develop with a greater awareness of today’s most challenging issues.