LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY
Nelson Mandela said- If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his mother language that goes to his heart.
The language we use forms an important part of our sense of who we are – of our identity. Our language is our identity. There is no doubt that language plays a very important role in human identity. Language means the expression that people use for communication. However, language is associated with the identity of the people. People are different from each other. They may use language to portray their differences and similarities. Therefore, language asserts the identity of a people. Language may also help in uniting the people who belong to a certain group. We can say that there is a close relationship between language and identity.
Language is not merely a collection of words, but the essence is that it connects a person to his / her family, personality, culture, music, religion, and wisdom. It is a carrier of history, traditions, and folklore from one generation to the next. No language, no culture by themselves. Our language is our personality. Language plays a very important role in the shaping of a person’s personality but also their psychological development, thoughts, and emotions. Childhood is the most important stage in our lives, and for the children to learn the concepts and skills that they have learned in their native language.
Language is a powerful and necessary tool to communicate and share ideas. Different cultures have different and unique languages or different dialects at the very least. Language is a core factor that shapes our identity. We use language all the time and it is different depending on the circumstance and place we are in. Thinking in different languages changes the way we think, and consequently, it changes our identity.
There is a close relationship between language and gender identity. Gender differences in speech are common in many societies. In today’s world, women and men often communicate differently through different forms of language. Differences in the social status of men and women are the main factors that make the difference in speech. Social issues of power and subordination between men and women usually lead to the difference in speech between the two genders. Therefore, one may also use language to determine the social freedom of a society.
The history of individuals determines their language. People who have a similar racial background may use similar language for communicating with people from their race. It is easy to detect the social status of people from their speech.
Language has two main functions. It helps in communication and gives a group of people a sense of identity and pride. There is also a wide variety of connections between language and identity. Language defines us, the ethnic group to which we belong, our status in the social stratification, and the power that we have in our society. Our social identity is created, in our language, and our ability in the future to be determined by in the language. Other factors in mind, language plays an important role in determining who we are and what our options now and in the future.
Therefore, Language is the unifying factor that helps in determining the identity of a certain group of people.
Aishwarya Says:
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.
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