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Feb 20, 2020

International Mother Language Day [Blogpost 111]



In recognition of the 1952 Bengali Language Movement, UNESCO declared (in 1999) February 21 as International Mother Language Day. As a Bengali speaker, I have long been aware of the Bengali Language Movement in East Pakistan and how it is seen to be pivotal in the quest leading ultimately to independence and the creation of Bangladesh. I am also aware that details of this movement may not be common knowledge and information thereof may be found in the article, The Bengali Story Behind International Mother Language Day.



The purpose of International Mother Language Day is to promote “The awareness of language and cultural diversity all across the world” (International Mother Language Day) and tallies with the  communicator attribute of the IB Learner Profile, “We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.“



Mindful of International Mother Language Day and Fellini’s quote, A different language is a different vision of life, the following articles may be of interest:


~ In Code-Switching: The Weird And Wonderful Side Of Bilingual Communication  Asklov states - in a section entitled, Your Heart Speaks Your Mother Tongue - that “Often, our first language represents certain values, like safety, childhood and even our more “primitive” feelings. So when we live in a society that speaks a different language, we rely on our first language to help us express certain feelings like being shocked, angry or scared.” A gentle reminder of not just the benefits of having additional languages, but the emotional attachment to one’s mother tongue.


~ Guy Deutscher’s 2010 New York Times article, Does Your Language Shape How You Think?   highlights differences in languages and how this may impact one’s perceptions and how one expresses oneself be it conceptually, at the word level and more.


~ The Guardian’s London's Second Languages Mapped By Tube Stop  is a fascinating overview of language profiles (not nationalities/ethnicities) in different parts of London. (Over the next few years it will be interesting to see the impact of Brexit on linguistic diversity in London).


~ In The Confusing Way Mexicans Tell Time Rigg shares her observations regarding the intersection between language and concepts, which is succinctly summed up in the phrase, “Difficulty interpreting what I have come to call ‘Ahorita Time’ is a reflection of different cultural understandings of time.”


~ In Unknown Unknowns: The Problem of Hypocognition, Wu and Dunning  share the following “Hypocognition is about the absence of things. It is hard to recognize precisely because it is invisible. To recognize hypocognition requires a departure from the reassuring familiarity of our own culture to gain a grasp of the unknown and the missing. After all, it is difficult to see the culture we inhabit from only within.” and share words which can not be translated by a simple word or two, but must be rendered by a phrase as the concept does not exist (as a word or two) in English. Examples cited include mamihlapinatapei (Chilean Yagán language), gigil (Tagalog), and amae (Japanese) and reminds me of words such as saudade (Portuguese) and l'esprit de l'escalier or l'esprit d'escalier (French)/Treppenwitz (German).


Does the notion that A different language is a different vision of life resonate with you?



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