The importance and significance of int’l mother language day

Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed

Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed

Language is the prime carrier of a culture. It is also the most powerful instrument of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. During the course of world history, many cultures and civilizations have been shattered, devastated and crushed because of the demolition of their languages. Nations in the past have not only lost their freedom to the powerful, influential and predominant ones, their languages and identity has withered and been lost as well. It is estimated that around 6000 to 7000 languages are spoken in the world today. This initiative of celebrating a day specifically as Language Day will enable development of a fuller awareness of such linguistic and cultural traditions and will inspire solidarity based on understandings, tolerance and dialogue. The day reaffirms the commitment of UNESCO towards preserving language diversity and reflects the importance of increasing efforts to conserve languages as a shared heritage of humanity.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the Nation told ‘Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty is the far-reaching result of the language movement.’ He devoted himself to establishing the status of Bengali language. The historic role he played in his speech in Bengali at the United Nations on September 25, 1974 will be written in as a red letter day in the history of the world. This was the first successful initiative to establish the status of Bengali language in the world assembly. In the constitution of 1972, he adopted Bengali as the state language.

This was the first Bengali language constitution in the history of the world. From birth he has worked for the development and growth of Bengali language. He has spoken about the demands of Bengali language and Bengalees. It is the sacred duty of all Bangladeshi citizens to maintain the dignity of this language. We all pledge to develop the country through modernization and successful implementation of this language.

Language is the basic tool of communication. We can express our feelings through it. It is the base of socialization.

Language is also the medium of learning; Education can’t be possible without Language. Language is the most distinctive feature of humans. God has given special ability to human-being only. It’s a duty and responsibility to preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation. Every language spoken in the world represents a special color, melody and culture. The mother language is certainly one of the most precious treasures in our lives. In present area the increasing movement of people from one country to another for different purposes, such as education, the need for employment, desire for a better life, or natural disasters. It is called globalization. Because of this kind of reasons students have to learn other language. Students should be bilingual. They have to learn their first or mother language and second or other language. The researchers suggest that bilingual children may also develop more flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing information through two different languages. The other research also suggests that a student who accepts other language as medium of instruction suffers from anxiety, stress and depression.

Language shows a vital part in the life of a human being. The language facilitates comprehension of surroundings, learning of concepts and achieving several skills. A child who ably learns their lives, amass extensive language skills that help them to express themselves and develop their thinking capacity. Additionally, this language cultivates confidence and a sense of self-worth in a child in learning other things. “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his head –Nelson Mandela Mother tongue is the first language one learns as a baby, the language one grows up knowing, which is also known as the native language. A child first comprehends what is around them through the language they hear their mother communicating in from before they are born and thought their lives. Mother tongue is appreciated due to numerous reasons. The Mother's tongue is central in framing the thinking and emotions of individuals. Learning in school highlights the use of the mother tongue. The mother tongue is an influential tool in advancing learning in people. The importance of mother tongue is studied because when children develop their mother tongue, they are simultaneously fostering a whole host of other essential skills, such as critical thinking and literacy skills.

Many children from corner to corner of the developing world are learning very little in school, a truth that can be connected to teaching that is in a linguistic they do not completely understand. It is a practice that leads to inadequate or non-existent learning and acquisition of knowledge and skills, alienating experiences, and high dropout and repetition rates. To develop the quality of education, language policies need to take account of mother-tongue learning. Models of education that ignore the mother tongue in the early years can be unproductive, ineffective and have a negative effect on children’s learning. Mothertongue teaching at least in the early years can enable teachers to teach, and learners to learn further effectively. For too long, mother-tongue education has been mostly unnoticed by policymakers. While there are encouraging signs that the policy pendulum is beginning to swing towards a greater understanding of the importance of mother-tongue learning, there is still a long way to go. 

More governments are developing policies and programmes that take account of mother tongue in the  early stages of learning, but there is still a need to express better policies, make sure better preparation for the introduction of second languages and ensure adequate resources are set aside. The Global Campaign for Education believes that evidence proposes that there is assured areas that should be prioritized in policy development, to confirm more responsive and well-nuanced policy development in the field of mother tongue learning.

Language is not only the principal representative of a culture of one nation but it also creates sense of patriotism and nationalism in people’s mind. Bengali and Bangla language is an appropriate example of that. Bengali people created one of the greatest political and cultural histories in the 20th century. The events of 21 February 1952 proved that a nation which is strong and powerful politically cannot destroy a spirited civilized nation if they have a unifying language like Bangla. The language movement was a student movement. The students protested, the students marched and the students went to jail. In their immediate response in 1947 and the beginning of the movement in 1952, they realized that their mother tongue Bengali was facing cultural aggression. Our expectation to the new generation is that the students who led the language movement in Bangladesh will be conscious of establishing the truth and will strive to establish the glorious history for getting the status as an official language of the United Nations.

Finally, we can say that Mothe languages need to be well reflected and highly focused in all day to day  activities of nation. Again the the importance and significance of international mother language is enormous. It is true that mother language plays a vital role for a knowledge based society. The question arises is our mother language flourishing or prosperous. It is obvious that correct application and introduction of mother language can protect nation from misleading to culture and socialism.

(Former Deputy Director General, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, the Writer is columnist and researcher)