Speaking calendar/International Mother Language Day
February 21st · 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.

SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities
01 / LET’S TALK

Speaking Discussion

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

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?