13:03 International Mother Language Day celebrated today
Today is the International Mother Language Day proclaimed by UNESCO General Conference in November 1999. The day was proclaimed to preserve languages of small nations and disappearing nationalities.
Belarus is a multiethnic state where representatives of more than 100 nationalities live: Belarusians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, and also Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Letts, Jews, Tatars, Azerbaijanians, Armenians, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Moldavians, Gypsies and others.
According to the last census of enumeration (February 2000), more than 74% of our citizens say Belarusian is their native language; 24% say it is Russian. The language people speak in everyday life is Belarusian for 37% and Russian for 63% of citizens, informs BelTA.
