write an essay on 'language, an important part of one's identity,with special reference to "the last lesson". 15 mark
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This then gives us two basic aspect of a person’s identity: their name that single them out from others and the inner, intangible that constitute who one really is. Language plays an important role in defining or describing the identity of a person. Listening to a dialogue by different individuals, our interpretation of their identities will most probably be influenced by their voices, accents and other features of how they speak. For example in Amy’s essay, we could tell their identities (Amy and the mother) through the use of language. Their language tells that they were immigrant. This does not mean that language solely determines our interpretation of a person but plays a fundamental role. For example Amy had two form of English language, i.e. the one she spoke with the mother and the other form that addressed other personalities like the stockbroker (Amy 2).
Identity as a Linguistic Phenomenon
One may want to know what this phenomenon of identity is. Identity is realizing who we are at personal level and also at community level. To make such identification, language has been a salient feature of making group membership and social identity. From such group identification, one again is able to know their identity as individual. Through language for example, you are able to know which ethnic group you belong to and from that ethnic group who really are you. A good example is of people who migrate to other social setting. These people find it difficult to fit to such setting due to language differences. For such people to identify with people within that social setting, then learning their language becomes vital. After learning their language such individual are able to fit and identify with the rest. Amy had a problem with her mother’s ‘improper’ English which many of the time made her (mother) not to be attended to by department store workers, in bank, and even in hospital. People pretended not to understand her and others even to assume they did not hear her. This necessitated Amy to intervene and in some cases she had to act as if she was the mother and address other on behave of the mother (Amy 2). Amy was able to communicate to these people though the knowledge of English she had learnt. If no effort had been put to know the English that was being spoken in the region then it would have been difficult for this family to interact freely in the society. Bearing in mind that Amy could speak the same English as the mother, failing to learn the ‘proper English’ as she defined her mother’s English as ‘improper’ would have jeopardized their interaction in the social systems. Amy English helped her mother to receive equal treatment as others would have received (Amy 2). As Baldwin sees it, language is a tool to reveal private identity and to connect or disconnect an individual from the communal identity. (Baldwin)
With regard to social identification, it focuses on how people understand their interaction to the world, how Language behavior expresses complex social meaning. Language defines the different social groups within which we are identified and the role we embrace in the society. Language as research has shown is a symbol of different social identities and it is used to construct a particular identity (Baldwin).
In our contemporary society language has undergone major subdivisions and these subdivisions have led to labeling of languages as a dialect or standard language Britt 15). These subdivisions have been necessitated by a need in the society for closer identification of a smaller group from a larger group. For example, a group wanting to be classified as high social class group would want to distinguish themselves from the rest by adopting a certain dialect or accent in their language and label that as a standard language (Britt 11). As is evidenced in Baldwin’s essay, the blacks out of brutal necessity came up with a language that could convey a message to their fellow blacks without the white understanding what was being conveyed. those relationships are constructed across time and space, and how people understand their possibilities for the future. Social identity is seen as individual’s identity made from the language he/she uses within a social group setting (Amy 3). Language is a creator of social identity and a medium to gain self-esteem and power in the society. Communication works as a medium for renegotiating individual position in society and provides an access to power.
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