UN English Language Day 2024: All you need to know about the date, history, and significance

English Language Day, observed annually on April 23, is a significant United Nations (UN) celebration that individuals worldwide commemorate. Here's all you need to know.

Here's all you need to know about the UN English Language Day 2024! (Credit Istock)

World English Day, also known as United Nations (UN) English Language Day, is celebrated annually on April 23rd. The day aims to recognise and celebrate the impact of the English language globally as a tool for communication, diplomacy, and cultural exchange.

As a globally recognized language for effective communication, English is now widely accepted and fundamental for use in various fields, including business, academia, and diplomacy across different ethnicities. This has made it possible for people from different linguistic backgrounds to connect and collaborate on a global level.

The day is observed to honour the birth and death anniversary of the legendary playwright William Shakespeare, who had a profound impact on the English language. His contributions to making modern English what it is today are highly acknowledged.

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UN English Language Day 2024: Date, Origin, and Significance

English Language Day was established by the UN Department of Global Communications in 2010 to celebrate the diversity of languages and promote the use of all official languages equally within the UN. April 23 was chosen as UN English Language Day because it is associated with the life of Shakespeare and represents the ongoing impact of his contributions to the language.

Every year, World English Language Day has a different theme that highlights a different aspect of the language’s significance. The UN has previously declared the themes for this day, highlighting the language’s impact on international culture, education, and communication, respectively. However, the official announcement for this year’s theme has not yet been made.

The main purpose of the UN’s language days is to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity, raise awareness and respect for the history, culture, and achievements of English, as well as other working languages, encourage people to celebrate linguistic diversity and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among individuals from different cultures and backgrounds.

UN English Language Day 2024: Know about William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

William Shakespeare was a playwright, poet, and actor from England, popularly known as the ‘Bard of Avon.’ Widely regarded as the greatest dramatist and English-language author, his legacy to the world includes 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three lengthy narrative poems, and a few other verses. Most of his work was based on tragedy, and experts believe that most of it was based on instances of his unfortunate life.

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He began his prosperous career in London between 1585 and 1592 as an actor, playwright, and co-owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford at the age of 49 (around 1613) and passed away three years later

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