The Association for Bangladeshi Students and Scholars on WSU’s Pullman campus is raising awareness about endangered languages and safeguarding native dialects by inviting participants to celebrate International Mother Language Day and preserve their mother tongue.
ABSS is a campus club that strengthens ties within the Bangladeshi community at WSU and the Palouse while supporting international students.
Feb. 21 is International Mother Language Day, and WSU’s Bangladeshi association will host events that weekend to observe the occasion. The day promotes cultural diversity and multilingualism and was first initiated by Bangladesh in 1952, when Bengalis fought for the recognition of the Bangla language. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization approved the observance as an international holiday in 1999.
The ABSS aims to honor those who gave their lives for the Bangla language and raise awareness about other endangered languages. This year’s program theme is, “Preserve the language, practice the language and preserve the culture of that language.”
The association’s events will bring people together to celebrate global languages.
“The goal of being all together is to celebrate multiculturalism, celebrate languages and cultures, raise concern about endangered languages and also pay tribute to martyrs of the language movement,” said Tazin Rahman, ABSS vice president.
The celebration will showcase diverse cultures and provide an opportunity for participants to share their identity and language. Attendees can perform ancestral songs, poems and other pieces, with translations available, said ABSS President Mohammad Mezbah Ul Hoque, a doctoral biosystems major.
Many languages are dying, Hoque said. He feels personally affected by the loss of his mother tongue.
“I do not have any alphabet from my mother tongue,” Hoque said.
The celebration will include speeches in native languages and discussions about endangered dialects.
Language diversity is threatened as languages disappear, according to UNESCO.
“Advocating multilingualism in schools also means preserving and promoting linguistic plurality, especially with regard to languages which have only a few remaining speakers,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
The ABSS is collaborating with registered student organizations, cultural organizations and the International Students’ Council to prepare for the event.
Last year’s celebration featured nine languages and ABSS plans to expand that number in 2025. A linguistic scholar spoke at the 2024 event and this year the organization hopes to secure additional speakers from WSU’s linguistics department. The School of Music has also been invited to participate, Hoque said he commends its interest in learning diverse cultures and musical traditions.
Hoque said ABSS has grown since the pandemic, with the current leadership team—Hoque, Rahman and treasurer Nishad Muhammed—bringing new opportunities for members, such as resume-building workshops and seminars on credit scores, taxes and adapting to cultural norms in the U.S.
The organization is funded by alumni contributions and fundraisers, Muhammed said, who is a doctoral physics student. ABSS also partners with groups such as the Associated Students of Washington State University, Residence Hall Association, Graduate and Professional Student Association and International Students’ Council.
The ABSS, founded in 2013, distinguishes itself by connecting scholars, students, alumni and the community, Hoque said.
Hoque, Rahman and Muhammed earned their undergraduate degrees in Bangladesh and understand the challenges of moving to Pullman. They hope events like International Mother Language Day will foster cultural diversity and awareness at WSU and in the broader Pullman community.
