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February 21 • Cultural Insight

International Mother Language Day

The soul's vocabulary. This is a debate on linguistic imperialism and the death of diversity. We explore why a language dies every two weeks and whether the dominance of English is a tool for unity or a weapon for erasure.

International Mother Language Day Lesson Visual

Speaking Discussion

  • Is your mother tongue the only language in which you can truly express your deepest emotions?
  • Should every country have only one official language to ensure unity, or is that a form of cultural violence?
  • Why is it that when a language dies, a whole way of seeing the world dies with it?
  • Does learning english make you lose a part of your original cultural identity?
  • If you could save one dying language from extinction, which one would it be and why?

Activity 1: The Language Guardian

The Task: Select one untranslatable word from your native language. Explain its feeling to an English speaker in 3 sentences. Why does English NOT have this word?

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Debate

Is global communication worth the loss of local culture?