21 February is International Mother Language Day! Nearly 200 countries of the world, various peoples speaking various languages and belonging to various national cultures will observe 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. Today our book editor Taposhi reviews three books for you that you should read on International Mother Language Day.
Bangla Bhashar Shatru-mitra by Humayun Azad ****
Bangla Bhashar Shatru-Mitra is written by Ekushey Padak-winning literature Humayun Azad. His bold literary expressions and uncompromising position on progressivism made him a household name. The book is about the Bangla language, who is the friend of this language, and about who is the enemy of it. He penned three books on linguistics, namely Bangla Bhashar Shatru-Mitra, Pro-nominalisation in Bengali, and Bakyatatwa. Besides, he edited books, namely Bangla Bhasha, Adhunik Bangla Kabita, Muhammad Abdul Hye Rachanabali, and Rabindranath Thakurer Prodhan Kabita.
Language Rights: From Free Speech to Linguistic Governance by Dr Vanessa Pupavac ****
Exploring language rights politics in the theoretical, historical, and international context, this book brings together debates from the law, sociolinguistics, international politics, and the history of ideas. The author argues that international language rights advocacy supports global governance of language and questions freedoms of speech and expression.
Language Rights and the Law in the United States and Its Territories by Eduardo Faingold ****
This book analyzes the language policies that result from the promulgation of linguistic rights in the constitutions and statutes of the United States and its territories. The United States is a nation in which speakers of minority languages were conquered or incorporated and the languages spoken by them were suppressed or neglected. Since the 1960’s, the United States and its territories have seen a resurgence of claims for language recognition by minority groups representing a considerable population. Besides that, the book studies recent developments regarding the status and use of English in the United States and some of its territories.
