Purpose: The English Language Day at the UN is celebrated on April 23rd, the date traditionally 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 Languages days for each of the Organization's six Official languages. The early modern English language was less than 100 years old in 1590 when Shakespeare was writing. No dictionaries had yet been written and most documents were still written in Latin. He contributed 1,700 words to the English language because he was the first author to write them down. As well as inventing completely new words, he used existing words in inventive ways, for example he was the first person to use 'friend' as a verb, as well as 'unfriended’ (Twelfth Night) and from 'gloom' he invented the word 'gloomy' (Titus Andronicus).

FORUM: “Promote the use of English.” English language Day 2024; William Shakespeare played a major role in the transformation of the English language. Many words and phrases were first written down in his plays. 'Elbow room' (King John), 'heart of gold' (Henry V), 'tower of strength' (Richard III) and 'Wild-goose chase' (Romeo and Juliet) - just a handful of the many well-known English phrases that we've learnt from Shakespeare and use in our day to day lives more than 400 years later. Follow the conversation with the hashtags, #EnglishLanguageDay; #23April; #WilliamShakespeare.

 EVENTS: At UNHQ in New York, Celebration of the 406th Anniversary of William Shakespearse. Because the United Nations has only six official languages, many delegates must speak in a language other than their main language, and this poses a special challenge. The history of the UN’s official languages, presented by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, gives the history of when each of the six official languages of the United Nations became official, beginning in 1946. On tuesday April 23rd; The English language Day 2024 event will be co-hosted by the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, The Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Canada to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of United States to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Australia to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the U.N.;The Permanent Mission of Ghana to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Liberia to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of South Africa to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Angola to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Malawi to the U.N., The Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the U.N; The Department of Public Information, the United Nations Department of General Assembly Conferences and Meetings (UNDGACM); The United Nations Interpreters, the United Nations Multimedia, the United Nations Radio wIth the participation of the Member states, Specialized agencies, translators and academics. 

At UNESCO HQ, The UK Délégation will organize a Meeting with Member States and Institutions for the Celebration of the English Language Day 2024. 

On saturday April 20th, The Shakespeare Birthday Luncheon will be held. Pragnell is delighted to announce that the Shakespeare Birthday Lunch and presentation of the Pragnell Shakespeare Birthday Award will take place on Saturday 20 April 2024 as part of the annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. Hosted by actor and presenter Alexander Armstrong, attendees will enjoy a three-course lunch with wine pairing and the event will feature performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Pragnell Shakespeare Birthday Award, which will be given at the lunch, celebrates individuals who have significantly furthered society’s understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the Bard’s work. The illustrious roster of winners includes Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh. Pragnell is pleased to reveal that this year’s winner of the Pragnell Shakespeare Birthday Award is globally renowned actor Dame Vanessa Redgrave DBE. Book ticket!

CONCERT: The United Nations Singers are a recreational choir formed in 1947 under the UN Staff Recreation Council to spread the message of harmony and understanding through music. As a microcosm of the world, the group is composed largely of present and former staff of the UN and its agencies and permanent missions.

PODCASTS: At meetings and conferences of Charter or mandated bodies, participants may speak in any of the six official languages. Their words are simultaneously rendered into the other five languages by conference interpreters, who interpret into their main language, with the exception of Arabic and Chinese interpreters, who work both from and into their language. Listen to the audio-podcasts!

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: With the development of global economy, the demand for communication between China and the world has increased. As a common language of the world and basic tool of communication, English plays an important role in exchange between China and other countries. Thus, effective improvement of English language teaching has a positive influence on economic development. This work will analyze the current situation of English language teaching, with suggestions for reference. Promoting the use of English language. Get the campaign materials!