Here is everything you need to know about English Language day, along with the ways to celebrate the Day in a unique way. Take a look!!
English is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. The language started on a small cluster of islands off the coast of Western Europe as a quiet language; it slowly started developing and spreading. It went through a few different permutations until, one Day, in a burst of colonialism, it suddenly spread across the globe like wildfire.
Once considered the language of the world's most powerful nation has now become a widely used language globally. English is commonly known as the language of commerce in countries all over the world. English Language Day honors the English language, along with its history!
The United Nations celebrates English Language Day on April 23rd, which is also William Shakespeare's birthday and death date. The Day is the result of a 2010 Department of Global Communications initiative to establish language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. Through language days, the UN intends to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity alongside promoting equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization.
UN duty stations globally celebrate six separate days; each Day is dedicated to one of the Organization's six official languages. These days are as follows:
- Arabic (December 18th)
- Chinese (April 20th)
- English (April 23rd)
- French (March 20th)
- Russian (June 6th)
- Spanish (April 23rd)
English is one of the six languages celebrated by the UN. UN Language Days are celebrated to entertain as well as inform, with the goal of raising awareness and respect among the UN community for the history, culture, and achievements of each of the six working languages.
English Language Day History
The English language derives its name from the Angles and has its origins in medieval England. The Angles were a West Germanic tribe who came to England and took their name from the Anglia peninsula, which juts out into the Baltic Sea. It has adopted grammar, tones, and words from every language with which it has come into contact since its inception. Some argue that English is no longer a distinct language but rather a mash-up of every language with which it has come into contact.
English has become so powerful that it is now the Lingua Franca of the entire world, bringing everyone together for trade and communication. The language now acts as a second language in almost every nation. Nearly 60 countries worldwide use English as their official language, and it appears to be gaining ground with each passing year.
It is, however, one of the most difficult languages to learn as a second language alongside other languages used across the world. English Language Day celebrates the history, future, and strangeness of the English language.
How to celebrate English Language Day
There are myriads of ways you can celebrate English Language day. You can learn about the rich history of the language along with the words that are no longer in use. And discover where it is spoken and how it is used, or you can help someone learn English to get a little better at it. Apart from this, you can also learn about the various variations of the English language.
American English, UK English, Canadian English, and Scots English, all of these, have their own little colloquialisms and slang that are vastly different from one another! English Language Day is a great opportunity to know more about the different variations of the language.
