English - it is the language that connects a large majority of people across the world together. The most spoken language worldwide, the language of English has a special place in all our lives. And the United Nations recognizes this contribution of English in uniting the world. This is the reason that the UN celebrates English Language Day on April 23 every year. one of the six official celebrations of Languages in the globe, English Language Day 2020 is bound to be celebrated in a unique and fun way. These days stand as a reminder of how important communication and languages are for the ease of understanding one another, and especially a day for the hard-working souls in the various departments of languages to give them a much-deserved pat in the back. English Language Day holds immense significance in the literary world and here is what u need to know about the History, Significance and Theme of this annual observance. UN Spanish Language Day 2020: Date, History And Significance Of The Day to Celebrate Multilingualism.

When is English Language Day celebrated

As mentioned before, English Language Day is celebrated on April 23 every year. This date is often observed as the birth and death anniversary of William Shakespeare and is, therefore, a beautiful day to celebrate this much-loved language. Shakespeare's contributions to the English language needs no introduction. Therefore, the date of the English Language Day celebration becomes especially important.

History of English Language Day celebration

The Global Department of communication of the UN has established language days for each of the organization's official six languages, namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Since English is the most widely spoken language in the world, it has become the lingua franca in international relations. The purpose of celebrating these days is to promote multilingualism and the cultural diversity which in turn will help in the equal usage of the six official languages. The 1st English Language day was celebrated on April 23 in 2010.

Significance of English Language Day

As mentioned above these days are for promoting and respecting the different cultures that come in with languages along with their achievements and heritage. The UN has been able to pull in more participation and involvement from the member nations which use these key languages. And the sheer fact that English is widely spoken in more than 100 countries across the world makes it a particularly important part of the pool.

The celebration of English Language Day is rather different in different parts of the world. While it is a global awareness program which includes organizing events or activities like book reading, poetry exchange etc, for some this day stands a reminder of the importance of their work in the literary world. Interestingly, this day also coincides with World Book and Copyright Day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2020 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).