当地语言促进世界公民意识

李奕群

For 14 years now， UNESCO and itspartners have celebrated InternationalMother Language Day. They have organizedactivities， conferences and concerts aroundthe world to highlight the importance of lan?guage diversity.

The protection and promotion ofmother languages are keys to global citizen?ship and understanding. Understanding and speaking more than one language leads to agreater understanding of the wealth of cultural interactions in our world. Recognizing locallanguages enables more people to make their voices heard and take an active part in theircollective fate. That is why UNESCO makes every effort to promote the harmoniouscoexistence of the 7，000 languages spoken by humans.

This year， special emphasis is placed on“ Local languages for global citizenship：Spotlight （聚光燈） on science”，showing how languages ensure our access to knowledge.Contrary to popular wisdom， local languages are perfectly capable of spreading themost modern scientific knowledge in mathematics， physics， technology and so on. Recogni?zing these languages also means opening the door to a great deal of traditional scientificknowledge to enrich our overall knowledge base.

And yet， the“ global village” makes working towards intercultural understanding anddialogue ever more vital. In todays world， we usually use at least three languages，including one local language， one language of wider communication and one internationallanguage. This language and cultural diversity may be our best chance for the future： forcreativity， innovation and inclusion.

International Mother Language Day has contributed for more than a decade tohighlighting the many roles played by languages in shaping minds and building a globalcitizenship where we all have the means of contributing to the lives and challenges ofsocieties. I call upon all the Member States of UNESCO， the International Organization ofLa Francophonie， those who are active in civil society， educators， cultural associations andthe media to make the most of this promise of language diversity for peace and sustainabledevelopment.

ReadingCheck

1. What is the purpose of International Mother Language Day？

A. To remove the cultural discrimination.

B. To call on the loyalty to our own country.

C. To promote the equality of every language.

D. To stress the significance of language diversity.

2. How do local languages ensure our access to knowledge？

A. They enable us to have a desire to learn from others.

B. They enable us to understand traditional scientific knowledge.

C. They enable us to enhance our understanding of some customs.

D. They enable us to focus on modern scientific knowledge.

3. What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about？

A. The authors appeal to the Member States.

B. The application of local languages.

C. The authors expectations of the language studies.

D. The development of International Mother Language Day.

语篇解码

本文是一篇演讲稿，为国际母语日致辞。当时，联合国教科文组织及其合作伙伴庆祝国际母语日已有14年时间，保护和使用当地语言对培养世界公民意识有着深远的影响，作者呼吁利用语言多样性促进和平与可持续发展。

语言学习

Ⅰ. 语料荟萃

Ⅱ. 语句分析

1. That is why UNESCO makes every effort to promote the harmonious coexistence ofthe 7，000 languages spoken by humans.这是联合国教科文组织尽一切努力促进人类使用的7，000种语言和谐共存的原因。

【点石成金】该句中的引导词why在系动词is后面，引导的是一个表语从句。spo?ken by humans是动词的过去分词作后置定语，修饰前面的名词the 7，000 languages。

2. This year， special emphasis is placed on“ Local languages for global citizenship：Spotlight on science”， showing how languages ensure our access to knowledge.今年，“全球公民的地方語言：聚焦科学”被着重强调，展示语言是如何确保我们获得知识的。

【点石成金】该句有两个动词，第一个是动词短语place emphasis on，在句中作谓语，第二个是动词showing，在句中是动词的现在分词作状语。

语言运用

Ⅰ. 例句仿写

1. 问题是谁为发生的事情负责。

The question is is responsible for what has happened.

2. 这条狗跟着主人进了屋。

The dog entered the room，

Ⅱ. 写作实践

为庆祝4月20日的汉语语言日，你校举办了“汉语语言日”主题活动。请你为校英文报写一篇报道，内容包括：

1. 活动内容；

2. 活动反响。

注意：

1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Chinese Language Day celebrations on campus