In the celebration of the International Mother Language Day this Thursday, the UN draws attention to the alarming rate at which languages are disappearing and calls for more action to counteract this trend.
According to UN data, at least 43 per cent of the six thousand languages spoken in the world are endangered and only a few hundred occupy space in education systems and the public domain.
Meanwhile, less than a hundred are used in the digital world.
Every two weeks, a language disappears carrying with it a complete cultural and intellectual heritage, noted the UN on the website commemorating the date.
Linguistic diversity is increasingly under threat as more languages disappear: globally, 40 percent of the population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand, it adds.
International Mother Language Day began in February 2000 to encourage linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than half of the world’s languages could become extinct by the year 2100 and indigenous languages are particularly threatened.
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