Embracing Your Culture and Connect with Others through International Mother Language Day

Have you ever traveled somewhere and thought, what an interesting and cool language they’re speaking! Connecting with other people through learning new languages is a great move in ensuring your growth, however, it is more than just benefiting yourself. Come with us and discover more about languages through International Mother Language Day.

What is it about?

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With more than 6,000 languages existing around the world, International Mother Language Day is an annual celebration in order to promote awareness regarding linguistics, education, cultural diversity, and multilingualism. Created on November 1999 by UNESCO, the celebration is also a part of the United Nation’s initiative in protecting and preserving languages with Sustainable Development Goals in mind. The day emphasizes and refers to first languages and endangered languages, that have been created and used by people around the world.

Identity and Culture of a Language

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A language does not only act as a media of communication, but it is an identity where it holds cultural importance, extensive history, and intellectual heritage. With languages playing an important factor in the creation of a society, affording more languages to fade into obscurity is not a choice.

The importance of preserving these languages became as important as it gets, especially due to the ongoing globalization process. As globalization and its influence strengthen, some languages are due to fade in terms of use or even disappear altogether as it would be overtaken by the more commonly used languages. This results in people forgetting their native or mother language by not using them. 

Losing a language or two are therefore not only meant as eliminating a form of communication, but also losing the traditions, history, culture, and even opportunities that are valuable for the past, present, and future.

Taking Part in Language Preservation

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Celebrating the day without real actions would not create the change needed, and therefore, there are some things that you can take part in the effort of language preservation.

1. As most people learned their mother tongue as their first language, achieving advanced mastery of the language would be easier. Starting through simple steps such as reading books or other forms and kinds of literature could boost your knowledge faster than you could ever imagine. 
2. Diving deep into how the language itself forms such as the history and culture behind it. Not a lot of people are keen on discovering them, but if you choose to do so, it is always an added knowledge and value that you can re-share with other people!
3. The celebration also aims on normalizing multilingualism, and conversing with others over a cup of tea also promotes better language mastery in both your first language and the one you are currently learning. You can introduce them to your first language, while you continue to learn someone else's language. It’s basically an endless knowledge exchange between you and your practice partner. Currently abroad? Now is the perfect time to throw away the feeling of shyness and strike up a conversation with locals.
4. While globalization and digitalization were never all rainbows, but choosing how you can utilize them could bring more positivity that’ll help in preserving these languages. Digitalizing efforts on these languages, finding partners to practice, or even finding learning media is an easy process with technological advancement. 
5. Institutions that support these efforts are also easy to find! Whether you wanted to learn from them or help their efforts, their doors are always open to welcome you. 

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Here are the things that we can do to celebrate and embody the spirit of International Mother Language Day! Don’t forget to download the HalalTrip Mobile App to find all the mosques and halal restaurants nearby and have a better travel experience as a Muslim.