Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the 30th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 1999. The date of celebration was chosen on 21 February in honor of the events of 1952 in Dhaka (now the capital of Bangladesh), where several students were killed by police during a demonstration for the recognition of Bengali as an official language. Since then, this day symbolizes the struggle for the right to speak one's mother tongue and emphasizes the importance of linguistic diversity.
In Ukraine, Mother Tongue Day has acquired special significance, as the Ukrainian language has been oppressed and banned for centuries. From 1622 until the collapse of the USSR, 58 cases of bans on the use of the Ukrainian language were recorded.
Particularly devastating was the Valuev Circular of 1863, which stated: “There was no Ukrainian language, there is no Ukrainian language, and there cannot be one.” Despite these obstacles, Ukrainians preserved their language, which is the basis of national identity and culture.
Mastering the native language is the main criterion of social identity and self-sufficiency of a person and a nation. The word is the basic principle of the consciousness of a nation, it is in the language that all the diversity of the national vision of the world is embedded. The native language forms a worldview, transmits traditions and unites generations. The preservation and development of the native language contributes to the cultural wealth and diversity of the world.
International Mother Language Day is a reminder of the value of every language and the need to preserve it. Celebrating this day, we honor our cultural heritage and contribute to its transmission to future generations. Let February 21 become a day of pride in our native language and an incentive to study, use and popularize it. Speaking Ukrainian is supporting a nation of the courageous and indomitable.
Nightingale, periwinkle,
the colossus – for ages –
Ukrainian native language
My parents gave it to me as a gift.
Take care of her, cherish her
I will be everywhere and always,
because she is the only one, just like her mother,
Each of us has a language!
Oksana Zabuzhko
A book exhibition "Language. Culture. Identity" has been prepared in the reading room of the library and information center. We invite you to view it.
Svitlana ANDRIYCHUK,
Lead Librarian of the BIC
