21st February every year marks the celebration of Mother Language Day, a day that forms part of a broader initiative “to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world”.
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 and the UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.
Ghana, a multilingual country had its official Language, English, inherited from the colonial era. Sadly, a number of parents in Ghanaian homes today have sacrificed their native languages in favor of others in the upbringing of their children and the younger generation.
Dr. Sampson Korsah of the Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics, UCC speaking to ATL FM NEWS on the day said the phenomenon hinges on globalization, different parenting styles, and education.
“Language is the medium by which human beings think and the language into which you are born becomes the means through which you think…the way you explain things and understand things are achieved through these means,” he said.
Madam Ekua Mensah with the Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics – UCC also believes, learning to speak one’s mother tongue allows for a better understanding of their culture.
Multilingualism
The International Mother Language Day celebration recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion.
According to Madam Ekua Mensah, Multilingualism is power, and “If you are able to speak so many languages you become powerful because then you have so many opportunities at your disposal.”
Theme
This year’s celebration is themed “Using Technology for Multilingual learning: Challenges and Opportunities”.
Explaining the relevance of the theme, Madam Ekua Mensah said that the world has evolved especially with COVID-19 hence the incorporation of technology into the teaching of various languages in schools is crucial.
“Technology in education is a big thing because at the end of the day, the students will be able to match up with the international students.”
At the University of Cape Coast, the Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics will today hold a public lecture on integrating indigenous language proficiency into the training of health professionals; the UCC exemplar. The time is 1:00 pm at Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang auditorium at the Amissah Arthur language Centre.
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Source: Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi/ATLFMNEWS
