February 21 is the day designated by UNESCO for an annual celebration of “International Mother Language Day.” Now, that might sound strange to you in English but in other languages it has a nice ring to it. Here it is in Portuguese: “Dia Internacional da Língua Materna.” In ciNyungwe it would be something like Cikondweso Ca Cisenzi Pa Dziko Lentse La Pantsi.”

I was sad to hear that the last living speaker of the Eyak language in Alaska died. Eddie Arthur quotes the Guardian as saying, “The loss of this language is worse than bombing the Louvre.” I wonder if most people really feel that way. Is every individual language spoken on this planet (Almost 7,000 at last count) more valuable than the Mona Lisa?

One of the reasons that I am proud to belong to Wycliffe Bible Translators is that as an organization they value every single language no matter how many speakers. It is not uncommon for linguists to spend their lives serving a language community of less than a thousand people. What a waste of a talented life! But what gain for that small group of people who will have their culture affirmed, their language preserved and the Good News presented in the language that is most like music to their ears.

Click here to read Eddie’s blurb.

How would you say International Mother Language Day in one of the languages that you know?