DUSHANBE, February 21 2011, Asia-Plus — UNESCO a number of countries across the world mark International Mother Language Day on February 21.
The Mother Language Day has been celebrated on February 21 every year since 2000, and aims to raise awareness of the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity and of multilingual education.
In a press release on the occasion, UNESCO points out that half of the world”s 6 000 languages are endangered. International Mother Language Day underlines the importance of preserving this cultural and linguistic wealth.
This year’s theme – information and communication technologies for the safeguarding and promotion of languages and linguistic diversity – highlights the new technologies” enormous potential for safeguarding, documenting and promoting the use of mother languages.
UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova, is cited saying that “each language is a unique source of meaning for understanding, writing and expressing reality” and the international day is “a moment to recognize their importance and to mobilize for multilingualism and linguistic diversity.”
“We must harness the power of progress to protect diverse visions of the world and to promote all sources of knowledge and forms of expression,” Bokova points out.
In the meantime, Professor Bahriddin Kamoliddinov says that Yaghnobi language is endangered in Tajikistan. According to various estimates, only between 5,000 and 15,000 people now speak this language, he said.
The Yaghnobi language is a living East Iranian language. Yaghnobi is spoken in the upper valley of the Yaghnob River in the Zarafshon area of Tajikistan by the Yaghnobi people. It is considered to be a direct descendant of Sogdian and has often been called Neo-Sogdian in academic literature.
The scientist also pointed to the necessity of development of the Pamir languages in Tajikistan. The Pamir languages are a subgroup of the Eastern Iranian languages, spoken by Pamiri people in the Pamir Mountains, primarily along the Panj River and its tributaries. This includes the Badakhshan Province of northeastern Afghanistan and the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan. Smaller communities can be found in the adjacent areas of Pakistan where many have settled in recent decades. Sarikoli, one of the languages of the Pamir group, is spoken beyond the Sarikoli ridge on the Afghanistan-China border, and thus qualifies as the eastern-most of the extant Iranian languages. Members of the Pamir language group include Shughni, Sarikoli, Yazgulyami, Munji, Sanglechi-Ishkashimi, Wakhi, and Yidha. These are Southeastern Iranian languages.
Kamoliddinov added that it would be good to organize teaching in these languages at least in primary schools in order to preserve these languages.
