February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day since it was proclaimed by U.N. in 1999. It was aimed to promote cultural and linguistic diversity and multilingualism all around the world.We interviewed 3 UMB students with different mother languages, asking them separately about their relationship with their mother tongue abroad, their attempts to learn other languages, the influence of English language both on their mother language and on their relations with others, and maybe most importantly, what we would miss if we do not learn their language. Miria Cavalcanti – English Major I am from Brazil and my mother tongue is Portuguese. Back in Brazil, I can mention a diversity of dialects in the Portuguese language. It is hard for people of the north and south to communicate with each other. Also, there are parts in the country that the borders between Portuguese and Spanish are so much blurred in dialects. Again in MA, I live in a neighborhood known as “Little Brazil”. That is a place where you can survive with only speaking Portuguese. However, everything is different outside that world. I also have to admit that I feel easier speaking English than my mother tongue, Portuguese. And they say that I have little accent in Portuguese. Daniel Armstrong – MBA Major I have never heard of such a mother tongue day before. My mother tongue is English. English is a worldwide spoken language. However, everyone is not on the same level. For this reason, even for native English speakers, things become interesting. You have to figure out ways of communication with people who are speaking English as a second language. Such as how I feel urged to speak more formally or without using slang with them. It sounds sometimes unnatural to me. The fact that other people can understand me whereas I cannot, does not bother me at all. What can I do anyway? Because I tried to learn other languages before. I took up Spanish, German and Chinese. Each time, I was facing the same question: Is it really worth spending my time on it? I am studying accounting. In this world, it is more valuable to learn accounting than some language I barely use. Meng Si – English Major If you come from China like me, you are used to being surrounded with tens of different dialects and languages. China is a country where people have to speak a common language, which is Mandarin, to be able to communicate. The difference also depends on where people are coming from: The people in the north are more used to speaking Mandarin and its dialects. However, the people in the south or in places like Tibet, Hong Kong speak different dialects and more Cantonese. In China, English is now the second language of instruction after Mandarin at schools. And it is also a second language for me: Here in Boston, I still find it more comfortable to speak Chinese. It is an incredibly rich language. It is full of wisdom and myths from thousands of years. And educated people are able to read all of this. Isn’t that incredible?