The mother of connection

Apparently it was 'International Mother Language Day’ last week. I became aware of it earlier when I saw this LinkedIn post.

The comms person in me had two instinctive reactions to this:

a) Why didn't they ask a native speaker to check the hashtag (mother language vs mother tongue) and

b) Are all these international days of xyz losing their power, esp. if each asset created as part of the larger campaign doesn't speak comprehensively for itself?

Meaning: this asset above leaves only fleeting impression of something and it misses the opportunity to tell me why this matters on a deeper level.

A bit of research revealed that International Mother Language Day is part of a 23 year old UNESCO-led celebration of "cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies". How awesome!

Of course language is such an important building block of identity and culture. As such, it becomes the thing that connects us while at the same time setting us apart. It can build strong bridges with little, but earnest, effort (ask for the menu in the local language and it opens a door to human connection) and can cut like a knife when used with bad intent.

Cultivating a shared appreciation of the commonality or differences that are fundamental to each of us - in this case language - has the potential to create a culture of "tolerance and respect for others". Applied to the asset, this sentiment might be encapsulated in 'we speak Swiss'. But without a nod to the broader context of why that matters, it's missed an opportunity to perpetuate a well-intentioned and important message around safeguarding linguistic equity and diversity.

It doesn't however answer why 'mother language' and 'mother tongue' seem to be used interchangeably (and to my ears wrongly). Though I think that's something I can become more tolerant of. And I'll mark my diary for Feb 21, 2024.