At the initiative of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September. It is the day we celebrate the many languages found in Europe – the EU’s 24 official languages, the 60 or so regional/minority languages, and the languages spoken by people who have come to Europe from other parts of the world. The Day draws attention to this rich linguistic heritage and diversity. Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans represented in the Council of Europe’s 47 member states are encouraged to learn more languages, at any age, in and out of school. Being convinced that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent, the Council of Europe promotes plurilingualism in the whole of Europe.
Figures and facts about languages
• There are between 6000 and 7000 languages in the world - spoken by 7 billion people divided into 189 independent states.
• There are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe - roughly 3% of the world’s total.
• Most of the world’s languages are spoken in Asia and Africa.
• At least half of the world’s population are bilingual or plurilingual, i.e. they speak two or more languages.
• In their daily lives Europeans increasingly come across foreign languages. There is a need to generate a greater interest in languages among European citizens.
• Many languages have 50,000 words or more, but individual speakers normally know and use only a fraction of the total vocabulary: in everyday conversation people use the same few hundred words.
• Languages are constantly in contact with each other and affect each other in many ways: English borrowed words and expressions from many other languages in the past, European languages are now borrowing many words from English.
How language is learnt
In its first year a baby utters a wide range of vocal sounds; at around one year the first understandable words are uttered; at around three years complex sentences are formed; at five years a child possesses several thousand words. The mother tongue is usually the language one knows best and uses most. But there can be “perfect bilinguals” who speak two languages equally well. Normally, however, bilinguals display no perfect balance between their two languages. Bilingualism brings with it many benefits: it makes the learning of additional languages easier, enhances the thinking process and fosters contacts with other people and their cultures. Bilingualism and plurilingualism entail economic advantages, too: jobs are more easily available to those who speak several languages, and multilingual companies have a better competitive edge than monolingual ones.
Languages are related to each other like the members of a family. Most European languages belong to the large Indo-European family and specifically to three broad groups: Germanic, Romance and Slavic.
• The Germanic family of languages includes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, English and Yiddish, among others.
• The Romance languages include Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian, among others.
• The Slavic languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian and others.
Most European languages use the Latin alphabet. Some Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. Greek, Armenian, Georgian and Yiddish have their own alphabet.
Most countries in Europe have a number of regional or minority languages – some of these have obtained official status. The non-European languages most widely used on European territory are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi, each with its own writing system. Russia (148 million inhabitants) has by far the highest number of languages spoken on its territory: from 130 to 200 depending on the criteria.
Due to the influx of migrants and refugees, Europe has become largely multilingual. In London alone some 300 languages are spoken (Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Berber, Hindi, Punjabi, etc.).
European Day of Languages in EU. Every year throughout Europe, events are organised to celebrate languages: shows, kids’ activities, music games, language courses, radio and TV programmes, conferences etc. The Day has become so popular among language teachers and learners that it is celebrated not only in Europe but also in far away countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Japan.
European Day of Languages in Greece
Hundreds of events were organised across the country to celebrate the European Day of Languages. State primary and secondary schools as well as Foreign Language Schools took part in projects, produced videos, created quizzes, designed and distributed material promoting multilingualism and multiculturalism etc. Assimenia Featham’s FLS in Rethymno held a week-long celebration in which children took part in various activities which promoted language learning.
European Day of Languages in Athens
Athens celebrated the European Day of Languages at Klathmonos Square on Saturday 21 September 2013. Thirteen EUNIC (European Union National Institutes of Culture) institutes in collaboration with the City of Athens presented a multilingual festival of song, dance, storytelling and interactive games for all the family, as well as a treasure hunt with a prize draw every hour. The Day featured culture events from Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic, Britain, Poland, France, Hungary, Austria, Spain, Sweden and Italy. Hundreds of people visited EUNIC’s stands, received brochures, leaflets and other materials, took part in activities and enjoyed this multilingual and multicultural festival.
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About EUNIC Greece
The primary aim of EUNIC Greece is to encourage existing European cultural institutes in Greece to work on joint programmes and projects with each other and with Greek partners – public and private. The EUNIC Athens cluster was established on 10 June 2008. Fourteen European cultural institutes based in Athens have signed an unofficial Memorandum of Understanding. The EUNIC Thessaloniki cluster was established on 5 July 2012 with the participation of five cultural institutes based in Thessaloniki. The main purpose of the association is to create effective partnerships and networks between the participating organisations, to improve and promote cultural diversity and understanding between European societies, and to strengthen international dialogue and co-operation within and outside Europe.
EUNIC Athens Greece current members
• British Council Greece
• Danish Institute in Athens
• Embassy of Austria in Athens
• Embassy of the Czech Republic in Athens
• Embassy of the Netherlands in Athens
• Embassy of Poland in Athens
• Goethe-Institut Athen
• Hellenic Foundation for Culture
• House of Cyprus
• Institut Français d'Athènes
• Instituto Cervantes de Atenas
• Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Atene
• Swedish Institute of Athens
• Associate Member: Embassy of Norway in Athens
The current Chair of EUNIC Greece is Tony Buckby, Director British Council.
EUNIC Thessaloniki Greece current members
• British Council in Thessaloniki
• Institut Français de Thessalonique
• Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki
• Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Salonicco
• Associate Member: Centro Cultural Hispano-Hellenico de Salonica Federico Garcia Lorca
The current Chair of EUNIC Thessaloniki is Peter Panes, Director Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki.
