Yesterday was the 10th International Mother Language Day, which also marked the close of the International Year of Languages 2008.
From Wikipedia:
The Year is intended to address issues of linguistic diversity (in the context of cultural diversity), respect for all languages, and multilingualism. The resolution also discussed language issues in the United Nations itself.
The list of projects undertaken for the year is impressive, and of note is an informal page listing activities supporting IYL 2008. UNESCO has also updated their Atlas of World’s Languages in Danger, which is well worth a look.
March 2008 seems a long time ago! Stephanie Booth and I hosted a round table discussion (or a “Core Conversation”) called “Opening the Web to Linguistic Realities” at SXSW Interactive, on the topic of multilingualism and the Web. Joi sketched out a list of things we discussed on the day, for which I’m grateful, because it was rather impossible to take note of what was being discussed while facilitating the conversation. I got sidetracked by books since then, so never followed up with notes; it remains to be seen if the ad-hoc recording we made on the day turn out well.