English Language Day 2021 – History, Objective, Activities and Quiz

International days are marked to educate the public on issues of concern, to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. Each international day provides the community an opportunity to organize activities related to the theme and to create public awareness on the same. Organizations, governments, public and private sectors, schools, universities and citizens make international day a springboard for awareness raising actions. In this article let us check on the observation of English Language Day 2021. Article also includes  the  English language day 2021 – History, Objective, Activities and Quiz

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English Language Day 2021 – April 23 , Friday

In this article readers can get a glimpse on

• History of English language day
• Objective of English language day
• How To Contribute Towards The Observation Of English language day
• English Language Day Quiz

History and Objective of English Language Day 2021

English Language Day is celebrated by the United Nations on 23 April, the date is observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. The Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the Department of Global Communications, establishing language days for each of the Organization’s six official languages.

English is a West Germanic language that originated from Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain in the mid 5th to 7th centuries AD by Anglo-Saxon migrants from what is now northwest Germany, southern Denmark, and the Netherlands. The Anglo-Saxons settled in the British Isles from the mid-5th century and came to dominate the bulk of southern Great Britain.

In the 2010 initiative by the Department of Global Communications, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each dedicated to one of the Organization’s six official languages.

The days are as follows:

• Arabic – 18 December
• Chinese – 20 April
• English – 23 April
• French – 20 March
• Russian – 6 June
• Spanish – 23 April

The objective of the UN’s language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization. Multilingualism is an important factor in harmonious communication among each other. By promoting tolerance, multilingualism ensures effective and increased participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater effectiveness, better outcomes and more involvement. The balance among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the UN Secretary-General. Numerous activities have been undertaken, from 1946 to the present, to promote the use of the official languages.

English Language Day Activities 2021

The purpose of the UN’s language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. Following are some of the activities that can be conducted as part of observation of English Language Day.

1. Schools, colleges and educational institutions can conduct a variety of activities that can enhance the literature skills of students. Schools can conduct poetry competitions to enhance the creativity in students  from young age. It also helps to process experiences, visual descriptions, and emotions.
2.  Promote cultural diversity by conducting presentations that includes the cultural diversity across the world thus promoting tolerance in youth
3. Conduct stage plays and role-plays thus providing an opportunity for students to enhance their acting skills and promoting empathy and understanding of different perspectives.
4. Conduct essay writing competitions on various topics thus helping students develops the ability to read and write, think, organize ideas, and communicate in an efficient manner.
5. Promote multilingualism in schools thus helping children to  improve decision making skills and increases socializing and networking skills.
6. Conduct quiz to help children learn about the diverse world.
7. Encourage reading in students by creatively involving them in this process .
8. Conduct group discussion and debate at schools and institution thus helping them improve their public speaking skills and help them in building confidence . It also helps them to respect others perspective at the same time give them liberty to express their opinions n voice.
9. Language is definitely the key of communication. Communication is the base of cognitive development. Hence it is very important to try involving different languages in daily usage.

English Language Day Quiz 2021

1. On which date is English language Day celebrated?

a) 13 April

b) 20 April

c) 23 April

d) 29 April

Ans : C)

2. How many words do you think there are in the English language?

a) 70,000

b) 170,000

c) 500,000

d) 2 million+

Ans: d)

3. Roughly what proportion of the world’s population is fluent or competent in English?
a) one person in 1,000
b) one in a 100
c) one in 10
d) one in four

Ans: d)

According to David Crystal in “English as a Global Language” (2003), “About a quarter of the world’s population is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing—in the early 2000s that means around 1.5 billion people.”

4. Which country contains the largest English-speaking population in the world?
a) England
b) United States of America
c) China
d) India
e) Australia

Ans: b)

5. Which of the following is probably the most widely used English word throughout the world?
(a) dollar
(b) okay
(c) Internet
(d) sex
(e) movie

Ans: b)

6. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066 what language was spoken by the Royal Court and the ruling class?

b) German  

c)  English  

d) French  

e) Swedish 

Ans: d)

7. Which of the following is the longest word that appears in a play by William Shakespeare?
a) honorificabilitudinitatibus
b) sesquipedalian
c) antidisestablishmentarianism
d) disproportionableness

Ans: a)

Honorificabilitudinitatibus! The longest word used by Shakespeare in any of his plays, also the longest word in the English language. A medieval Latin word, which can be translated as “the state of being able to achieve honours”.

8. Which one of the following observations applies to the word typewriter?
a) It’s the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
b) It’s a palindrome.
c) It appeared in Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language—several decades before the invention of the first typing machine.
d) It’s the only word in English that doesn’t rhyme with any other word.
e) It can be typed using only the top row of keys on a standard keyboard.

Ans: e)

9. Which year was English language day celebrated for the first time?

a) 2010

b) 2012

c) 2001

d) 2011

Ans: a)

10. Who is called father of English poetry/Literature ?

Ans:  Geoffrey Chaucer

11. Who is called father of English prose?

Ans: William Tyndale

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