Cultural Advice
Aboriginal Peoples are advised the Library Collection contains images, voices and names of deceased people in physical and online resources.
The Library recognises the significance of the traditional cultural knowledges contained within its Collection. The Library acknowledge some materials contain language that may not reflect current attitudes, was published without consent or recognition, or, is offensive. These materials reflect the views of the authors and/or the period in which they were produced and do not represent the views of the Library.
International Mother Language Day
Feb 21 2025
Did you know over 110 different languages are spoken by UniSA students, including languages considered ‘endangered’ by UNESCO such as Hakka and Teochew?
International Mother Language Day is observed each year on February 21, with the aim of promoting awareness of linguistic diversity and celebrating the richness of first languages, or ‘mother tongues’, as well as raising awareness of the need to safeguard the languages of indigenous communities around the world.
Languages are fundamental to cultural identity, education and transfer of knowledge, but many of the world’s minority languages are at risk of dying out due to globalisation and societal change. In recognition of their importance, International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 and adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2002.
In 2024, almost 10,000 UniSA students listed a language other than English as their first language. Chinese Mandarin was the most spoken language other than English at UniSA, followed by Vietnamese and Hindi. Other first languages at UniSA include Mandika, from West Africa, from the island of Kirabati, Auslan and Aboriginal languages.
You can celebrate International Mother Language Day in the UniSA Library – look out for the fun mindful activities at the colouring in stations in each campus Library. The City West Library has a display of Aboriginal language items from the Special Collections and you can also discover more items in language from our Aboriginal language webpage. The Magill and Mawson Lakes Libraries have a display of non-English books from their Pedagogies in Practice (education) collection.
Do you speak a language other than English?
Poster from https://www.un.org/en/observances/mother-language-day
