Learning English does not mean forgetting Bengali: Dr. Yunus
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photo: Collected
The chief adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has said that there is no basis for the idea that learning a new language will weaken the old one. In many countries of the world, it is assumed that the same citizen will speak several languages fluently. They get used to different languages from childhood. Every student is made compulsory to learn at least one different language while studying in school. Students also do it with joy. It does not occur to any of them to think that learning English will mean forgetting Bengali.
He said that we had to sacrifice a lot to get Bengali recognized as the state language. Such an incident of giving life for the mother tongue is unprecedented in the history of the world. The foundation stone of the International Mother Language Institute was laid in Dhaka on March 15, 2001 with the motivation to protect the spirit and dignity of the mother tongue among all ethnic groups, regardless of race and religion, and with this spirit and institutionalization. The International Mother Language Institute started its journey with the aim of preserving, developing and researching the history of all mother languages of the world.
He said these things at the inauguration of a four-day program on the occasion of the Great Martyr's Day and International Mother Language Day at the International Mother Language Institute on Friday (February 21) afternoon. Emeritus Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury presided over the program.
He said, I congratulate those who received medals today. I also congratulate those who received awards in the Olympiad to inspire others. The importance of the language movement in the history of the nation's liberation struggle is immense. Through this movement, the foundation was laid for the formation of a non-communal, democratic, language-based nation and state system.
Dr. Yunus said, although the 'Rashtrabhasha Bangla' movement was launched to protect the dignity of Bengalis' mother language, Bengali, its main spirit was to establish independence. It was a movement for the political, economic and cultural liberation of Bengal, so for Bengalis, Ekushey means a firm determination not to bow down. Ekushey February 21, 1952, is not just a day of shedding tears remembering the painful past, but also an indestructible inspiration, a seed mantra to stand against all kinds of injustice, injustice and conspiracies.
‘Mother language is the carrier of the history, economy and culture of any ethnic group. The soul of all people is related to the mother language. No matter how many languages a person acquires after the mother language, no matter how much proficiency they acquire in those new languages, they cannot remove the mother language from the depths of their hearts.’
The Chief Adviser said that in almost all countries of the world, some people of different languages or a handful of countries accept citizenship and live for several generations. The language of the new country becomes a 24-hour language in their daily lives, but that language does not become the mother language. As soon as they unite among themselves, they enthusiastically return to their original language, creating a cultural environment of their original language without even realizing it.
Dr. Yunus said that in cities where the number of their native speakers is large, the mayors of the cities are easily elected by the majority in the city council. They establish their native language in their cities without hesitation. They conduct daily government work in their native language, and the police who speak their language maintain law and order in the city. However, as soon as they leave the city limits, they return to their new language fluently. There is no resentment in the minds of the old citizens towards the new citizens of the city.
‘We are creating a new world at a rapid pace. New technologies are mainly responsible for this. With the dominance of technology comes the dominance of language. The language of the country whose technology continues to gain dominance in the world will continue to gain dominance along with the language of the country that provides the technology. The whole world will rush to learn this language.’
Dr. Yunus said, when Sputnik flew into space, the whole world jumped to learn Russian. Schools and universities where Russian is not taught lost the enthusiasm of students and parents. As soon as China came forward in technology, there was a boom in learning Chinese. The country that leads the world will gravitate towards the language of that country – this is the rule. The world will not be interested in the language of a country that has nothing to offer, or if it does, it will be at a low level. If a nation can lead in any aspect apart from technology, people's interest in that country's language will increase – no matter how complex that language is. As a nation progresses, the language progresses. Respect for the language increases. Despite being dedicated activists of its own language, if the nation does not have anything to offer to the world's treasury, it will not be possible to create interest in the language. ‘Literature, technology, science – are directly related to creating interest in language. When we speak in our mother tongue, let us remember that the mother tongue is the primary language of the people. No matter how harsh that language may seem at first hearing, it can one day transcend its primary stage and become a highly respected language of many people in many countries. If that language can occupy a strategic or tactical role in the progress of the world.’ He said, Today, on Mother Language Day, we have pledged to preserve all mother languages. There are emotional reasons, there are also reasons of great interest. Now we do not know which unknown nameless mother language will completely change the world. If we ignore any possibility, we will make a big mistake. Today, on World Mother Language Day, I wish the International Mother Language Institute all the success.
