Skopje, 21 February 2023 (MIA) – The Macedonian language is our identity, the foundation and the heart of our nation. We have a duty to nurture it, to protect it as our greatest spiritual and cultural heritage, said Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska at an event marking International Mother Language Day at the Krste Misirkov Institute for Macedonian Language on Tuesday.

She pointed out that the government and the Ministry of Culture are committed to this goal, and noted that the capital project for the digitization of the lexical material from the Institute’s files was recently completed, thereby permanently protecting original records written in the Macedonian language.

“This year we will also adopt a new law on the use of the Macedonian language with which we will strengthen the mechanisms of protecting, nurturing, spreading and affirming the standard Macedonian language,” said the Minister, adding that the members of the Council on the Macedonian Language worked studiously to draft a quality and modern legislation.

Following the public debate at which, she said, constructive remarks were made for the finalization of the draft-law, it will soon enter into government procedure, and then be submitted for adoption in Parliament.

The rector of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Nikola Jankulovski, said in his introductory address at the event that everyone should nurture and respect their mother language, adding that the mother language is a bridge which connects us to other languages and cultures.

“Everyone has a right to use their mother language, to preserve the memories, traditions and beliefs embedded within the language. Language is a cultural heritage which unites the spiritual and material culture of humanity. Mother languages, with their diversity, expand our worldview and are extremely important for the identity of every person,” said the rector.

Institute for Macedonian Language director Elena Jovanova-Grujovska said that at a time of intensive globalization, many “small” languages are threatened with extinction.

“Scientists recommend that endangered languages are archived and documented. We don’t consider the Macedonian language endangered, but we consider the files of our Institute to be invaluable. Which is why, with the financial support from the government and the Ministry of Culture, we have archived five million sheets of lexicological, onomastic, dialectological and Church Slavonic records for the current and future generations,” said Jovanova-Grujovska.

The observance of International Mother Language Day in 2023 coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Krste Misirkov Institute for Macedonian Language, the 100th birth anniversary of Aco Shopov and the 120th anniversary of the publication of Misirkov’s book “On Macedonian Matters”.

UNESCO declared International Mother Language Day at the 30th session of the General Conference in 1999, and on 21 February 2000 it was promoted as a day of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity stresses, among other things, the right of all persons to express themselves and to create in the language of their choice, and particularly in their mother tongue.

Half of around 6.000 languages spoken worldwide are threatened with extinction. The number of languages has been dramatically decreasing in the past three centuries. ad/ik/