All of us speak at least one mother tongue — a language spoken since early childhood while growing up. The mother language of a child is part of that child’s personal, social and cultural identity.
In 1948, Pakistan declared Urdu as its sole national language, despite Bengali being spoken by the majority. This sparked protests in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), where Bengali was the mother tongue. The government banned public gatherings, but Dhaka University students organized rallies. On Feb 21, 1952, police fired on protesters, killing Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar, and Shaifur Rahman, with many others injured. Their sacrifice for Bangla, their mother language, remains a powerful historical moment. We salute these martyrs on Feb 21, 1952.
The UN General Assembly embraced the declaration of International Mother Language Day in its 2002 resolution. This day acknowledges the pivotal role of languages and multilingualism in promoting inclusion, aligning with the focus of the Sustainable Development Goals on ensuring that no one is left behind.
Languages carry profound significance for identity, communication, social cohesion, education, and progress, making them strategically vital for both individuals and the planet. However, globalization poses a growing threat to languages, leading to their endangerment or extinction. As languages vanish, they take with them a mosaic of cultural diversity that enriches our world. Alongside this loss, opportunities, traditions, collective memory, distinctive ways of thinking, and forms of expression — all essential for shaping a brighter tomorrow — also disappear.
Every fortnight, a language vanishes, carrying with it a complete cultural and intellectual legacy. Alarmingly, around 43 per cent of the approximately 6000 languages spoken globally are endangered. Merely a handful of languages have been integrated into educational frameworks and public discourse, with fewer than a hundred being utilized in digital contexts.
The disappearance of languages underscores the urgent need for a global, collective effort to ensure their survival. Languages fade away when their speakers vanish. This can occur due to internal factors, such as a community’s negative perception of its own language leading to neglect or lack of protection, or external factors, like governmental promotion of a single ‘lingua franca’ through policy.
Numerous factors, including migration, urbanization, globalization, and the widespread adoption of new technologies, can impact language diversity, often jeopardizing traditional ways of life. However, these same factors can also play a role in safeguarding, disseminating, and preserving languages.
The passing of Boa and Boro in November 2009 and January 2010, marking the loss of the last speakers of the Great Andamanese languages Khora and Bo, has led to the extinction of their distinct tribes on the islands. Dr. Anvita Abbi, a linguistics professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, has compiled a ‘Dictionary of Great Andamanese Language’ following five years of research in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. This lexicon documents the current state of the language, drawing from four Andamanese languages, two of which—Khora and Bo—have recently become extinct. In her endeavour to preserve the language, Abbi has reconstructed the entire grammar and produced a pictorial version aimed at children.
While outsiders may have played a role in the decline of the Great Andamanese, they are also contributing to the preservation of their legacy. Dr. Abbi’s dictionary project goes beyond written documentation by including an audio CD. “If you click on a word or phrase, you can hear Boa’s voice saying it… You can hear her songs,” she explains, ensuring that the voices of the Great Andamanese are not lost to history.
Multilingual and multicultural societies thrive through the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge and cultures via their languages. Let’s rejoice in the rich tapestry of languages that shape our uniqueness, heritage, and histories.
We honour the courageous Mother Language Martyrs, whose steadfast commitment to linguistic freedoms and cultural dignity illuminates the path for generations to come worldwide. Let’s honour their legacy by advocating for diversity, inclusiveness, and the preservation of every language. Today, let’s celebrate the beauty and diversity of our mother tongues, fostering unity and solidarity across all divides.
Indrosphere 
Nice post, Indrajit. The story of Dr Abbi is new to me. She has really done a great job. I wish many such efforts to save diverse tribal languages in India and elsewhere.
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Thanks, Nilanjana. I ditto your voice for preserving the near-extinct tribal languages.
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Nice post. Unfortunately, Bangla is getting modified in West Bengal, partly due to the negative attitude of Bengalis of West Bengal towards their own language and as the government in the Center pursuing a policy for Hindi as a ‘lingua franca’.
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Thanks, Sanchita. You’re right. Our language is becoming more of Benglish.
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খুব ভাল লিখেছিস ভাই। আজকের দিনে পালি ভাষা শেষ। একটু যা বেঁচে আছে সেটা মুষ্টিমেয় কয়েকজনের কাছে বুদ্ধিস্ট স্ক্রিপ্ট বোঝার জন্য।
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ধন্যবাদ! ভালোই আইডিয়া দিলি। রিটায়ারমেন্টের পরে পালী ভাষা আর ব্রাহ্মী লিপি নিয়ে পড়াশোনা করা যেতে পারে। 😜😆
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আগে দেশে ফিরে আয়ে তারপর রিটায়ারমেন্ট আর তারও পরে ওই পড়াশুনা।
BTW, তোর লেখা থেকে প্রতিবারই নতুন কিছু জানতে পারি। চালিয়ে যা…
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😆😆😆 তখন তো আর কিছু কাজ থাকবেনা। .. যদি করতে পারি তবে দারুন মজা হবে
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Pali is an oral form language, no written form or no any written system called Pali. In ancient India, the written system mainly Brahmi which were used to write Sanskrit and Prakrit too.
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If it is an oral form of language, then how come so many religious literature in pali existed (mainly Buddhist)? You mean all were written in Brahmi or Prakrit (Maghadi), the primary languages of that time? As I understand from Wikipedia, the language was used in Burma, Thailand and Srilanka too (maybe due to Buddhist influence). I have seen Satkori Meshomoshai translating pali scripts in English. It means the written form of pali was Prakrit or Brahmi that went as far as all places in South East Asia? Was it never a matribhasa?
It is true all Indian languages were derived from Brahmi, including Sanskrit. Devnagari, Dravidian sobkichuri janak Brahmi.
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The script must be Brahmi. In ancient north-west India, the stress was on oral tradition. Scripts came in much later. There were some scripts in IVC, which is yet to be deciphered. I am not sure what is the stage? Or anybody seriously pursuing now. Brahmi script was probably used in Eastern and Southern India. The Prakrit language is derived from Magadhi, which is known as Mulbhasha. To maintain the originality in the absence of a script, the stress was on the rhythm, rhyme, and pronunciation. You can see it from Vedic shlokas. The tradition of Vedic chanting is a UNESCO cultural heritage. (https://indroyc.com/2014/11/08/the-tradition-of-vedic-chanting/)
There was one script in Gandhar called somewhat like Khurosti (If I am recollecting it correctly) The Ashoka edicts found in Afghanistan was in that script. It’s the Aramean script… believed to be influenced by the Phoenician scripts. However, Brahmi evolved independently and more matured than Phoenicians.
When Sanskrit started written it was initially in Brahmi and Devnagri started much later. It is a fact now getting more and more established that there was a civilization in the eastern and southern India during IVC. Also, according to some scholars, Sumerians were from South India,
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Yes, I also do believe after our conversetion that the script must have been Brahmi.
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Your post is both insightful and fascinating, and I had no idea that languages were disappearing so fast from our society. That is sad. Here I am in the UK, and I am a typical person who watches the mainstream TV and reads the newspapers. Not one of them mentiones the International Mother Language Day. I never saw it publicised on Twitter or any other social media. For 2022, we must find a way to get everyone’s attention to this, and social media seems to be the way forward I would suggest.
Our natural language Gaelic Scots is being taught again in some schools, as it is in danger of dying out. Perhaps schools should be the target of future awareness?
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Thank you! Yes, we need to find a way to get it across and social media is surely the way forward. This is great to know that your mother language is getting some support.
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Happy Mother’s Day 🙂
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