International Mother Language Day

 

International Mother Language Day is February 21 and celebrates the importance of language in cultural identity. This year we asked SCU students, faculty, and staff what languages they speak via survey and provided buttons for respondents to wear to showcase linguistic diversity on campus. Our SCU community includes students, faculty, and staff who speak over forty-five languages ranging from Assyrian to Yoruba; from Haitian Creole to Lithuanian; from Bengali to Twi, and more. Look for people wearing those buttons around campus.

International Mother Language Day is designated by the United Nations and celebrates linguistic diversity and plurality. The day recognizes that multicultural societies thrive through the preservation of languages, which serve as conduits for traditional knowledge and cultural heritage. Linguistic diversity faces increasing threats as languages vanish. The United Nations reports that 40% of the global population lacks access to education in their native language, a figure that exceeds 90% in certain regions. Research into multilingual education demonstrates outcomes such as enhanced critical thinking skills and self-esteem from pedagogy that incorporates students’ native languages in education. International Mother Language Day underscores the important role of languages and a multilingual society in fostering inclusion.

Want to engage with languages at SCU? 

• Learn a new language or brush up on a language you have studied previously. Access Mango Languages for free through SCU’s library where you can engage in online self-paced language-learning in languages from Spanish to Igbo. Start learning a new language today!
• Learn about events such as film screenings and lunchtime language tables, or take a language class, through SCU’s Modern Languages and Literatures department
• Stay updated on events offered by the de Saisset Museum that include indigenous Ohlone history, including history of the Ohlone family of languages, Costanoan

 

Is there an international holiday you would like to see featured? Fill out our Google Form and let us know why it is important to you and how you celebrate it. We will consider including new international holiday suggestions in our plan for the next academic year.