The UN designates years as “International Year of…” to mobilize the global population on issues that are significant to all of humanity.

Can you guess what was chosen for 2008?

On May 16, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2008 to be the International Year of Languages.

To celebrate this special year, UNESCO invites governments, United Nations organizations, civil society organizations, educational institutions, professional associations and all other stakeholders to organize activities to promote and protect all languages, particularly endangered languages.

There are nearly 6,000 languages worldwide; more than half of these languages are endangered. In Language Vitality and Endangerment, the UN estimates that 97% of the global population speaks 4% of the world’s languages, or inversely, that 96% of the world’s languages are spoken by a mere 3% of the global population. United Nations explains that a language is endangered when its speakers no longer use it, when its speakers use it only on certain occasions that become increasingly rare, and when its speakers no longer pass it on to the next generations.

Linguistic diversity is an integral part of our human heritage. Every language in the world has its own history, culture, and way of depicting reality. The disappearance of a language is a loss for everyone.

Canada’s population is one of the world’s most diversified. Nearly 200,000 immigrants from all corners of the world arrive in Canada every year.

In 2008, Canada’s linguistic diversity presents considerable challenges and opportunities to learn. We must follow the UN’s counsel to promote and protect linguistic and cultural diversity so that we may all partake of this global treasure. Let’s make the International Year of Languages an opportunity to be open to other cultures. What would you say to learning a second language? A third? A fourth? All you have to do is choose from the treasure chest!