International Mother Language Day
Proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 to protect linguistic diversity worldwide, honoring students killed in 1952 while defending their mother tongue in Bangladesh.
Date21 February
TopicCulture & Heritage
Established1999
Ways to observe this day
- Tell your children stories or proverbs in your local dialect
- Learn about an endangered language or dialect from your region
- Encourage kids to read in their mother tongue alongside other languages
- Join a cultural event celebrating linguistic diversity in your city
In November 1999, UNESCO proclaimed February 21 as International Mother Language Day, first observed in 2000, before the UN General Assembly formally endorsed it in 2002. The date commemorates students killed in Dhaka, now the capital of Bangladesh, on February 21, 1952, during protests defending their right to use Bengali as an official language.
The day promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and protects endangered languages — estimated in the thousands worldwide, particularly those of indigenous peoples and small communities. UNESCO stresses that mother-tongue-based education in early schooling improves learning outcomes and preserves cultural identity, while the decline of local languages threatens the loss of vast cultural and traditional knowledge carried by their speakers.
The day is marked with educational and cultural events celebrating local and regional languages, literary competitions and poetry readings in multiple languages, and campaigns to document endangered languages before they vanish along with their last remaining speakers.
