ACQ Vol 11 no 2 2009

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ACQ Volume 11, Number 2 2009 109
Asia – Pacific
Keywords
Asia
Bangladesh
development
language
speech
declared the date of the 21 February as “International Mother
Language Day”, promoting cultural and linguistic diversity and
multilingualism at a time when many languages are under threat
from the effects of globalisation (UNESCO, n.d.). In addition
to the state language of Bangla, there are numerous dialects
of Bangla spoken, as well as a number of tribal languages in
some parts of the country. English is used widely in business
and education. In terms of religion, the majority of the population
are followers of Islam, with smaller numbers following
Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and other religions.
A high proportion of Bangladesh’s population live
rurally in villages and towns, with the majority employed in
agriculture. An increasing number of people, however, are
moving to cities and finding work in the garment industry –
manufacturing clothing for export to Europe, North America
and even Australia. Almost half of the population live below
the national poverty line, that is, below the level deemed
necessary for an adequate standard of living (UNDP, 2007).
Located at the foot of the Himalayas, Bangladesh is
the most densely populated country on earth with a
population of 153 million people (UNDP, 2007) within
an area roughly the size of the Australian state of Victoria.
Bangladesh is an incredibly lush, green and fertile country
with several large rivers running through it. This means the
country often suffers flooding, one of the features of
Bangladesh most well known to the rest of the world. Part of
India, until its independence from Britain in 1947, Bangladesh
was then made part of Pakistan (known as East Pakistan)
until gaining independence in 1971. This independence was
hard-won through a long-term struggle to maintain a strong
cultural identity and the Bangla language.
On 21 February 1952 a number of university students lost
their lives campaigning to keep Bangla as their official language
under pressure for Urdu to be the state language. The campaign
was successful and this date continues to be celebrated in
Bangladesh and, increasingly, internationally. In 1999 UNESCO
Speech and language
therapy in Bangladesh
Jannatul Ferdous and Cristy Gaskill
Bangladeshi speech and language therapy students on placement