European day of languages is upon us..

There are over 6000 languages spoken in the world. And behind each and every one of them lies a rich and diverse culture. European Day of Languages aims to celebrate each language and culture by showing people across Europe how important languages are, and what fun can be had learning them.

Set up by the Council of Europe, it was first celebrated in 2001 and will go off with a bang in 2009 on the 26 of Sept with over 45 countries involved.

The idea is to promote interest in languages and language learning for adults and children. So whatever your age and whatever your interest in language, there should be something for you among the 300+ events (over 50 in the UK and Ireland alone).

Activities range from the light-hearted to the serious – from games and quizzes to literary evenings and round-table discussions on language policy.

If you’re in central London on 25 September, drop in on the language stand at Victoria station and enter a competition to win an Italian course. Or find out more about language courses for adults at events dotted around the UK.

In Brussels and Luxembourg – the EU commission’s main sites – events will include a conference and press event on early language learning with multilingualism commissioner Leonard Orban.

According to European Union's survey "Europeans and their Languages", 56% of EU citizens (25 member states) speak a language other than their mother tongue, but 44% admit to not knowing any other languages than their native language. However, 28% master two foreign languages. 38% of the EU citizens indicate that they know English, followed by 14% mastering French or German.