International Mother Language Day
Today is International Mother Language Day, and to celebrate the many languages spoken by students, faculty, and staff in our SCU community, we invite you to share the languages you speak in our quick poll and watch in real time as the results come in.
Mother Language Day is designated by the United Nations and recognized annually on February 21. Mother Language Day celebrates linguistic diversity and plurality, recognizing 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 more languages vanish. The United Nations reports that, currently, 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. Mother Language Day underscores the important role of languages and a multilingual society in fostering inclusion.
Want to 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!
Want to engage with languages at SCU? Learn about events such as film screenings and lunchtime tabling, or take a language class, through SCU’s Modern Languages and Literatures department.
