Three thousand languages could die out by end of the century –DG UNESCO

She made this statement in her speech to mark the International Mother Language Day during the week. “Linguistic diversity is our common heritage, and it is fragile. Nearly half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world could die out by the end of the century,” Ms Bokova said. She urged people to […]

She made this statement in her speech to mark the International Mother Language Day during the week.

“Linguistic diversity is our common heritage, and it is fragile. Nearly half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world could die out by the end of the century,” Ms Bokova said.

She urged people to prevent this catastrophe by speaking their mother tongues saying, “The vitality of languages depends on all those who speak them and rally round to protect them. UNESCO pays tribute to them and works to ensure that their voices are heard when education, development and social cohesion policies are being formulated. Multilingualism is a living resource — let us use it for the benefit of all.”

She also emphasised the role of the mother tongue in education, making a strong call for the use of mother tongue in teaching. “Use of the mother tongue at school is a powerful remedy against illiteracy. The challenge remains, however, to ensure this truth is actually acted on in the classroom,” she said.