International Mother Language Day Was February 21st

Last Monday was International Mother Language Day. Here are some articles that remind us all of the importance of our first language, the difficulty many minority languages have to survive, and what’s being done in support of mother languages:

United Nations webpage http://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday

UNESCO highlights IT's role in protecting mother languages http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/18/c_13737257.htm

Forty one ethnic group languages under threat in China http://www.phbeta.com/world/forty-one-ethnic-group-languages-under-threat-in-china

Saskatchewan linguist honored for his work with Cree http://www.edmontonsun.com/comment/columnists/mindelle_jacobs/2011/02/25/17406736.html

Half of living languages face extinction http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/feb/21/endangered-languages-research-project

Who wants to lose their mother tongue? http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/who-wants-lose-their-mother-tongue-0

UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap.html

Linguistic Expert in Africa: Non documented languages will soon fade out http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201102/61603.asp

Linguistic students learn to preserve languages through revitalization courses http://www.theshorthorn.com/index.php/news/university/921-linguistic-students-learn-to-preserve-languages-through-revitalization-courses

National chief in Canada calls for language revitalization http://www.wawataynews.ca/archive/all/2011/2/23/national-chief-calls-language-revitalization_21118

Linguist breathes life into Wampanoag http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/features/x1694031603/Linguist-breathes-life-into-ancestral-language#ixzz1EuzNQFS0 and a film about Wampanoag http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2011/02/24/news/northwest_corner_journal/doc4d66781ebbb71041167906.txt

Linguist urges preservation of Taiwan’s Austronesian languages http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=153923&CtNode=430

The loss of Setswana mother tongue in Africa http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=1268&dir=2011/February/Friday25

APTN series teaches Cree language http://www.nsnews.com/life/tradition/4345931/story.html#ixzz1EzuVU4d8