【推荐1】Every language has a certain rhythm (节奏) and a certain way of approaching things or thinking about them. Learning or forgetting a language is thus not only about having or losing a means of communication. It is about seeing an entire culture either appear or fade away.

From the very first day of school, many schoolchildren have the experience of discovering one language — and the world of ideas which comes with it —and forgetting another one: the language they have known since infancy(婴儿期). Worldwide, four out of ten students do not have access to education in the language they speak or understand best; as a result, the foundation for their learning is fragile.

This distancing from the mother tongue affects us all, for the diversity of language is the common good. And the protection of it is a duty.

Technology can provide new tools for protecting the diversity of language. Such tools, for example, encouraging their spread and analysis, allow us to record and preserve languages which sometimes exist only in oral (口头的) form. Put simply, they make local languages a shared heritage.

However, because the Internet poses a risk of uniformization (一致化), we must also be aware that technological progress will serve plurilingualism(多语主义) only when we make the effort to ensure that it does. The designing of digital tools in several languages, the supporting of media development, and the supporting of access to connectivity all need to be done so that people can discover different languages without giving up their mother tongues.

The International Decade of Indigenous Languages, which began this year, should, by directing the efforts of researchers, broadcasters and speakers, push ahead with the protection of these invaluable sources of know-how and worldviews. As the lead agency for Decade-related work, UNESCO is fully committed to this cause.

On this International Mother Language Day, I thus call on everyone able to do so to defend the diversity of language and culture, which makes up the common grammar of our shared humanity.

【推荐3】The idiom “a big fish in a small pond” describes a person who is very well known or important in a small group but is not known or important outside that small group.For example,a high-performing high school student in a small town could be a big fish in a small pond.     1     And he may simply not know how small his “pond” is-until he moves on to a big university. He must compete with hundreds of students who were also the best at their high schools.     2    

Here is another example. A young singer was famous in his small town. He wanted to move to a big city to grow his singing career.     3     “Here in our small town,”they said, “you are a big fish in a small pond. Once you move to New York City, that is going to change. Best be ready!”For some people, this can be a painful realization-sometimes called a wake-up call.

    4     They never grow their circle of friends or work environment.Sometimes they do not take opportunities that increase their environment, or pond. By staying in a small pond,it is safer.There are fewer dangers and also fewer competitors.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary explains another way to use the idiom. It can also describe a situation where one person has more power, influence, knowledge,or experience than others within a small group. So sometimes we use this expression to describe people who want to stay in a small pond just to feel more important.     5