2019 1,00 Int'l Mother Language Day

Get the 2019 UN International Language Day Mini Sheet Issued by the Geneva Office

The 2019 World Languages stamps issued by the United Nations' Geneva office feature greetings in Burmese, French, Russian, Polish, Hebrew, Hindi, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Romanian, Indonesian, Hausa, Amharic, Danish/Swedish, and Japanese.

In Switzerland, the four national languages are German, French, Italian, and a little-known language called Romansh.  This is a native language spoken mainly by clusters of communities in Graubunden, Surselva, the Sursés/Oberhalbstein, lower Engadin, and the Val Mustair.  Since Romansh is recognized as a national language, this means speakers can communicate with the federal government in their native tongue.  The goal of the UN's 2019 Year of Indigenous Languages is to promote the preservation of native languages, and Switzerland is doing just that.