The international day of a native language is celebrated on February, 21st at the initiative of UNESCO since 2000. Its purpose — to draw attention to support of a language and cultural variety of mankind. UNESCO treats concept «language» not only as means for dialogue, but also as a cultural heritage and expression of cultural identity.

As a whole in the world speak approximately on six thousand different languages, researchers of UNESCO confirm, but half of all languages is threatened with disappearance. The German committee of UNESCO in Bonn on the occasion of the International day of a native language has informed that each two weeks in the world one language disappears. Disappearance most of all threatens languages of the people of Northern and the South America, South East Asia, Ocenia and Africa.

According to UNESCO, there are15 languages in Ukraine which can disappear. Among them — Karaite, Crimean Tatar, Urum, Ruthenian.

Together with language disappearance cultural property is also lost, researchers notice : poetic products, legends, sayings and jokes are forgotten. Among the reasons of disappearance of languages experts of UNESCO name wars, deportations, migration, and also language mixing. Besides, modern technologies promote the strengthened domination of separate big languages, for example, English.

http://glavred.info