International mother tongue day celebration

Anelisa Sibanda

Anelisag98@gmail.com

Twitter handle: @Anelisa_Sibanda

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International mother tongue day is celebrated annually on the 21^st of February. It is a day to celebrate linguistic diversity, the uniqueness of languages across the globe.

It is to make sure that other languages do not become extinct, to make sure that they are celebrated as well. It is basically a day where people get to learn other people’s languages, their culture and their way of doing things.

It was created by UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation) in order to promote the dissemination of mother tongues and a fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

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Lindile Ndlela (22), says that she does not believe in teaching a child English. “English was meant for us to understand each other but when we communicate with people who understand our language, let us use our mother tongue, promote it and make it to be known”.

Asande Munyai (19) whose language is Tshivenda says that, she does not wish mother languages to be extinct because it has history, “our languages have a meaning behind and the next generation should be taught where they come from”.

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English has taken over our home languages, people no longer know their languages, says Letlhogonolo Makwele (24). “Today, young children do not know how to speak their mother languages, now English has become means of communication”.

Kearabilwe Motshwaiwa(23), a second level in Education gives an insight of what this day means to him.
https://soundcloud.com/anelisag98/kearabilwe-motshwaiwa


A few people taught us greetings in thier languages,Bianca Moloi whose language is Xitsonga said that thier greetings are,"  Ni kona or ni pfukile(which means how are you?) and  would then followed by: Wena unjani or nwina mi njhani?(I am good and how are you?).