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Mark your calendars for February 21, which is Language Day! This day celebrates the amazing diversity of languages in our world and encourages us to appreciate the beauty of different cultures. Language Day has been celebrated since the early 2000s and is an important reminder that language unites us all – no matter where we come from or what language we speak. So this year, why not use Language Day as a chance to learn something new about another culture or even just practice speaking a foreign language?
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1952</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Bangla Language Movement</div><div class='timeline-text'>The Bangla Language Movement took place in Bangladesh to recognize Bangla as an official language after the country was demanded to use Urdu.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1999</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>UNESCO Proposal</div><div class='timeline-text'>UNESCO proposed to celebrate International Mother Language Day annually on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2000</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>First Language Day</div><div class='timeline-text'>The first International Mother Language Day was observed around the world to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and diversity.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2002</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>UN Resolution Passed</div><div class='timeline-text'>The United Nations General Assembly welcomed the decision by the UNESCO to proclaim February 21 as International Mother Language Day.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2010</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Year of Languages</div><div class='timeline-text'>UNESCO declared 2010 as the International Year of Languages to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism.</div></div></div>
<div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Read a book in a foreign language</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Challenge yourself to read a book in a language you don't know, or one that you are learning. This is a great way to practice and learn a new language.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Attend a language festival</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Many cities and towns host language festivals, where people come together to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken in their community. Attend one of these events and attempt to converse in different languages, or just enjoy the performances and activities.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Play a language game</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>There are many different language games available online and on mobile devices. These games can help you learn new vocabulary and test your knowledge of grammar and syntax.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Watch a foreign film</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Watching a foreign film is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the culture and language of a country. You can watch with subtitles in your native language or attempt to understand without them.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Learn a new language</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Learning a new language is one of the best ways to celebrate Language Day. There are many online courses, apps, and books available to help you get started.</p></div></div>
<div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>A</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Language unites us</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Language is a powerful tool for connecting people from different backgrounds and fostering understanding. Without language, it would be impossible to communicate our thoughts, feelings, and needs with one another. By learning new languages, we are able to access cultures that previously seemed out of reach and create a more open world.</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>B</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Language reveals our history</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Every language is unique – each one carries with it its own cultural heritage and history. By studying the evolution of language, we can learn about how different societies interacted in times past as well as uncover insights about why certain words or phrases have come to mean what they do today.</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>C</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>Language encourages creativity</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>Language can help us express ideas that would otherwise remain untouched by the written word. It has the power to motivate us and inspire new ways of thinking, helping us to break away from the mundane and focus on finding solutions that were formerly invisible to us.</p></div></div>
<div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>There are over 7,000 living languages</h3><p class='facts-text'>According to Ethnologue, a comprehensive reference work cataloguing all of the world's known living languages, there are over 7,000 living languages in the world today.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Papua New Guinea has the most linguistic diversity</h3><p class='facts-text'>Papua New Guinea has over 800 local languages, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>A language dies every 14 days</h3><p class='facts-text'>On average, a language dies out every 14 days. As languages die, we lose insight into unique cultures and ways of looking at the world.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>English has more words than most comparable world languages</h3><p class='facts-text'>Numerous estimates suggest English has 170,000 to 250,000 words - not including technical, scientific or slang terms!</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>The world's most widely spoken languages by number of native speakers are Mandarin, Spanish and English</h3><p class='facts-text'>Mandarin has over a billion speakers, followed by Spanish and English, each having over 300 million native speakers worldwide.</p></div></div>
Language Day is celebrated on February 21 every year. In 2024, Language Day will occur on a Wednesday.
2023
Feb 21
Tuesday
2024
Feb 21
Wednesday
2025
Feb 21
Friday
2026
Feb 21
Saturday
2027
Feb 21
Sunday
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