Happy English Language Day!

Graphic source:  English Language Day at the UN...

According to a calendar of UN observances, today is English Language Day. When I looked that day up on the Internet, I found that it is celebrated on April 23, "the date traditionally observed as the birthday of William Shakespeare" (English Language Day at the UN..., Language Days at the UN, ¶1, retrieved 2012.04.23). 

However, the William Shakespeare entry at the Britannica Online Encyclopedia, to which that UN page pointed, suggested that April 23, 1616, was actually the date of Shakespeare's death. Neither Britannica nor Wikipedia cited a date of birth, only a date of baptism, April 26. A parenthetical note in a sidebar at Wikipedia indicates that his "birthdate [is] unknown" (William Shakespeare, Born, retrieved 2012.04.23).

This calendar event caught my attention, primed as it was by noticing a Chinese language day on the calendar last Friday, April 20. It turns out that the UN observes six such language days:

Language Days at the UN aim to entertain as well as inform, with the goal of increasing awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of each of the six working languages among the UN community.

 (English Language Day at the UN..., Language Days at the UN, ¶4)

Do you know what the other four working languages of the UN are?

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