Language and Social Identities Essay

The connection between language and identity are our expressions, how we are able to show our ideas and feeling which parts of our ethnicity are. For example, in the reading “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood,” the language was an important resource for the kids to communicate with their Spanish culture, show affects to their parents and have communication with their families. Nevertheless,

The article ‘My Two Lives’ which that highlights the concept of ‘Language and Society’ published by the Newsweek, inspires this task. Language is both a system of communication between individuals and a social phenomenon. The area of language and society, sociolinguistics, is intended to show how such factors as class, gender, race, and more govern our use of language. In short, language constitutes humans and their identities. All people either utilize varieties of a language or use two or more languages to respond to a whole range of affective and interpersonal demands; language by depiction must be defined as multilingualism.

Many popular theories of second language acquisition have been analyzed throughout history. The socialization of L2 learners, their present emotional state that is present at time of acquisition, as well as the comprehensible input and output with the use of scaffolding play a major role in second language acquisition. Let us also not forget the importance of written expression as well as reading comprehension with these L2 learners. Each play a role in language development. However, I believe that in acquiring a language, one must use a variety of techniques that work together to create a balance within the learning environment. Furthermore, all L2 learners learn differently and so a variety of resources will need to be used based on the ability of each student. There are many theories that have been developed by highly qualified experts in the field on linguistics. However, I will address those areas that I agree with as I present my personal theories on second language acquisition.

The Role of Language in Creating and Reinforcing Social Distinctions Such as Class, Ethnicity, and Gender

Language has been an integral part of human existence since the dawn of time. Our innate ability to communicate has guided the progress of civilization since its modest beginnings and facilitates our understanding of what it means to be human. The only practical way to thoroughly express one’s identity is through language, whether it be verbal speech or written text. It is only through this medium that we are able to fulfill our roles as a social people, who use discourse to cultivate relationships both on a personal and communal level. Language defines the human notion of self by revealing culture and beliefs, making individuality context-specific, and providing identity markers.

Acquisition of an L2 (second language), has always been an important issue in the field of linguistics, and its relationship with an L1 (First language) is what concerns Vivian Cook in the chapter called “The relationship between first and second language learning revisited”.

As defined by Gass and Selinker, Second Language Acquisition “refers to the learning of nonnative language after learning of the native language” (2008: 7). Two main problems are often discussed when defining SLA: the distinction between second and third, fourth, etc. language acquisition, and second versus foreign language acquisition. According to Ellis, in many communities it is quite common to speak more than one language, therefore some learners acquire “more than one ‘second’ language” (Ellis 2015: 6). For this reason, the term Second Language Acquisition is used as an all-inclusive term “for learning any language after the first” (Ellis 2015: 6). Kees de Bot, Lowie and Verspoor note that in some definitions it is indicated that second language acquisition “typically takes place in a setting in which the language to be learned is the language spoken in the local community” and usually in a natural, non-instructed environment. As a contrast, foreign language acquisition occurs when the learner is not a part of the local community of the target language and the setting is controlled (de Bot et al. 2005: 7). However, in the paper I will not be making a distinction between second and foreign language acquisition as the difference has not been indicated in any of the theories chosen for

I have chosen the video on food, Would You Eat It? 10 Weird Foods We Dare You To Try, to make connections between cultural norms, language, and personal identity. There are many cultural norms and values presented in the video, and it is interesting to be able to compare them to my cultural norms and values. Culture is what makes everyone different. Through enculturation we learn our norms and values through this process at a very young age. With culture, we have comfort and meaning for life. There are many cultures around the world have very different norms and values, as seen within this YouTube video. When the video first started I was caught off guard when I heard “10 most disgusting delicacies in the world” (TheRichest, 2015). It was shocking to hear the word disgusting, because everyone in the world has different taste buds and enjoys different things that others do not. Something disgusting may be delicious to another culture. Since we are grown up eating certain foods, we are accustomed to that taste and style, so cultures are use to their traditions and style of eating. Through out the video we hear ten disgusting foods that are from all over the world. There are so many cultures across the world and it was interesting to see so many and their norms and values they grew up with. The delicacies seen in the video are sometimes beliefs and symbols for cultures. They are norms, which are normal for them, and may come across strange to other cultures, but are meaningful

A superficial examination of Roget's Thesaurus of the English Language reveals the following facts; the word WHITENESS has 134 synonyms; 44 of which are favorable and pleasing to contemplate, i.e. purity, cleanness, immaculateness, bright, shining, ivory, fair, blonde, stainless, clean, clear, chaste, unblemished, unsullied, innocent, honorable, upright, just, straight-forward, fair, genuine, trustworthy, (a white man-colloquialism). Only ten synonyms for WHITENESS appear to me have negative implications—and these only in the mildest sense: gloss over, whitewash, gray, wan, pale, ashen, etc.

Language is used to communicate and convey meaning from one person to another. It is an arbitrary system of sounds and symbols in which it is contextualised and is used to express cultural identity and social relationships. Language can be seen by the way individuals communicate through gestures and facial and body expressions. Language can be heard through voice and attitude (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Language is diverse in the sense that different languages have different words for the same concept. However language allows communication of values and beliefs. Kilickaya (2009) highlights that, ‘English is the best option for people from different backgrounds’. Within Standard English different registers are used to assist communication,

Language has different meanings and is used to describe something physically presented in the world. It is distinguished among terms such as oral language, written language, and language itself. Oral language is the primary form of language and written language comes second. An individual’s social class can influence the way language is written and spoken. Language is ideological, where an individual’s view of the world can be changed. Multi-literacies can influence the way texts are viewed and the child's access to it can shape their journey with language. Educators guidance on their students can affect the child's skills and learning of language. Language has its many purposes and forms in which are influenced by culture and religions.

Language is the primary way to communicate, learn and express identity. Some language learners are successful by virtue of their sheer determination, hard work and diligence. However, there are other crucial factors influencing success that are largely beyond the control of learners. ' 'Second language is any language other than the learner 's native language or mother tongue ' '(Mitchell pg 5). To be successful in second language acquisition, there are various factors which act as barrier in the process of learning English as a second language.

With the drastic measures that non-native language learners are driven towards, it illustrates how the demand of a certain inflection in an individual’s voice is valued. Nonetheless, studies conducted with semantic development in non-heritage language learners provides evidence that information is processed slower, which implies that learning a non-native language is a long procedure. The spectrum of issue associated with learning a non-native language is undeniably an ongoing concern that requires the attention of many, as ignorance would only exacerbate the matter at

Language is the medium that has various meaning and forms. According to some researchers, language is a cognitive system that has consistent rules which people use to both write and speak (Gee & Hayes, 2011, p. 6; Vendryes, 1997, p.16). Alternatively, other study claim language as dynamic phenomena, which has changing characteristics and influenced by socio-cultural context (Green, 2006, p. 2). Also, Grugeon and Gardner (2013, p. 105) explain language as a physical object that people use for social interaction which is influenced by the relationship between the speaker and the listener, and can vary due to the social and cultural context. Hence, language is a material and a systemic object with set rules that are used as a social process and changes due to the geographic location, social context and relationship of those who are communicating (Ellis & Larsen-Freeman, 2009, p. 3). Teachers should realise that classrooms would have students from various cultures and languages (Cremin & Myhill, 2012, p. 19). In addition to this, Cremin and Myhill, (2012, p. 20) claim that it is essential that teachers should ensure to meet the nature of multicultural classrooms with various language resources and text based on socio-cultural artefacts to support the diverse learners. This essay will discuss that a language has the interconnected phenomena of an object, systemic functions and the social process. Additionally, this essay will explain how teachers can adapt to an inclusive and

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self”. B.R. Ambedkar, in Develop with Fact: Neutralizing the Catalysts of Downturn, p. 57. There are many different languages spoken around the world. Sometimes it can create a barrier when trying to communicate. Other times it may cause you to be judged because you have a different accent, or you use different terminology. Language can play a small role in how people’s identities are formed., The language variety that you speak as a native language is closely tied to your geographical identity.