Language Martyrs’ Day

Language Martyrs’ Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Tuesday, February 21st. There are until the next observance.

On February 21, we commemorate the Language Martyrs. It is a day set aside to remember the sacrifices made by people who battled for their language. In Bangladesh, the day is a national holiday. Language Movement Day is also known as State Language Day. The festival honors the Bengali language movement and its martyrs. The day is celebrated across the world to honor linguistic and cultural variety. The people of West Bengal, an Indian state bordering Bangladesh, also observe the day. Shahid Dibash, or Bhasha Dibas, as it is called in West Bengal, is held in the same regard and devotion.

📆 When is Language Martyrs’ Day?

This year, Language Martyrs’ Day is on February 21st. It is the 3rd Tuesday in February; in 2024, it is on Wednesday.

→ Did you know: There are about 2,700 languages spoken across the world, with over 7,000 dialects.

You can also see all interesting things you didn’t know about and facts about February 21, 2023.

📜 History of Language Martyrs’ Day

The earliest written languages emerged approximately 3000 B.C. Sumerian is often regarded as the world’s earliest written language. Other ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Hebrew, saw the rise of written languages. As human politics extended over the Asian and European continents, these languages evolved into new regional dialects. Bengali was formed from Magadhi Prakrit, a spoken language around 1000 A.D.

Bengali is one of the world’s most spoken languages, with over 300 million native speakers. The British were obliged to depart the Indian subcontinent once the colonial era ended. India was divided into three dominions by Britain: India, East Pakistan, and West Pakistan. East and West Pakistan were originally one country, with political authority centered in the latter. They had minimal links to the Bengali language, despite the fact that it was the primary language of East Pakistan. Tensions occurred between the two groups on the issue of the official language. The Bengali Language Movement began to oppose the concept of Urdu being the exclusive national language. Following riots and clashes, police killed student demonstrators. The movements were successful, and they sparked a sense of patriotism that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

☑️ Language Martyrs’ Day facts

✅ Least spoken language
Busuu is the least spoken language, with only a few individuals remaining who speak it.

✅ Bilingual population
Approximately half of the world’s population is bilingual.

✅ Country with the most number of languages
Papua New Guinea has around 840 languages, making it the country with the most languages in the world.

✨ Things to do on Language Martyrs’ Day

⚡ List all the languages
There are hundreds of languages and dialects on the globe. Make a comprehensive list of all the languages, their locations, and birth years.

⚡ Share about language discrimination
Discrimination based on language is still prevalent in many regions of the world. However, the news is not receiving the attention it deserves. Spread the word about this and help raise awareness about linguistic prejudice.

⚡ Try to learn another language
We are all fluent in at least one language. Learning another language may be difficult. Use it today to begin learning a new language.

📅 Language Martyrs’ Day Observances

Learn all February holidays, including Federal and other Cultural holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and interesting facts about Language Martyrs’ Day. So be sure to check back soon.