Role Of Language In Identity Formation Cultural Studies Essay

Role Of Language In Identity Formation Cultural Studies EssayPeople that have bilingual background face complex issues in adapting and assimilating their speech to affable indistinguishability operator that they necessity to be identified with. People create their linguistic structure so as to bear a resemblance to those of the free radical with which from time to time they wish to identify. Cultural identity is defined as the product of social and historical background that is constructed when an individual categorize themselves a group, in addition to social context and ethnically accustomed communicatory structures in a particular society (Jung and Lee,2004). Language serves as a tool that embraces ones identity and operates as a look upon of uniting a heathen community that sh ar the same incorporated identity.In the dish of identity defining, speech communication functions as a tool that holds the ethnic identity that the wording resembles. Professor Ngugi Wa Thi ongo, an Afri enkindle scholar and Kenyan former claims that row is a carrier of culture (cited in Kaili and Kaili). He explains that the distinctive feature qualities that a culture possessed for example, its birth jimmy, custom, principles, faith, ideologies and the ways of life are embed in its own language. Kaili and Kaili (1998) gives an example about the relationship amid language and identity that is embedded in a culture of fakaapaapa to the form of status in Tongan social hierarchy this heathen springer is conceded in the Tongan language of respect. A Tongan declareer testament utilize variety form of Tongan speech to express the train of fakaapaapa that is ethnically suitable for the person ones is speaking to. This illustration demonstrate the use of goods and services that language play in the process of identity system.Lanehart (1996) in her term alleges that language is a part of ones culture and identity. In the article, Laneheart explains the connectio n betwixt language and identity and how they are related with each other. She claims that our identities emerge from our feat which is develop within a culture, whither language is essential. Lanehart relates language and identity through and through the concept of language goals where people construct their language structure so as to bear similitude with the cluster they want to identify with and want to become. As an African American, she gives her view based on her social develop where she explains the dilemma that African Americans face when they try to incorporate their language to cultural identity that they want to identified with. Social experience that equates the choice to speak Standard English as trying to be White creates a dilemma in most people that have multilingual background. This perception and situation demonstrate that there is a significant connection among language and identity formation.However, the role as a cultural identity that the language play is debatable because there are some cases when the individuals does non identify themselves as a group in particular ethnic even though they master the language of that ethnic. Jung and Lee (2004) in their rent about the ethnic identities of Korean American school-age childs found that most of their look for subjects identify themselves as a person that has a strong Korean background although they are fluent in English and were born in U.S. They identify themselves as either Korean American or Korean, besides not American. This is the outcome of strong influence of Korean community that is ethnically oriented. In this context, we can see two forces that drive the changes and divergences identity formation structures and agency. Structure is the forces beyond our control which shape our identities while agency is the tier control which we ourselves can exert who we are (The Open University, 2010). Ones cannot choose the language that they are born with because of the structure for ces however, as time goes by, identities changes as a result of agency factor such as media, environment and social pressure and this induce a person to crap changes in which language and cultural identities they want to identify with. Open University (2010) asserts that identities are not doctor and constant they change too. It can be concludes that language is not the only tools that embrace identity there are some other outer factors that helps the process of identity formation.Language besides works as a mean of connecting a cultural community that share the same collective identity. Collective identity refers to sense of belonging when an individual identify themselves to a group or nation (Open University, 2010). Kaili and Kaili (1998) claims that when an individual speak their mother spiel language with their peers, they are a sense of relationship, unity and bond that make the cultural community more connected with each other. Research that was conducted by Jung and Le e (2004) found out that Korean language is the agent that unites the Korean Americans cultural community. Even though there is a type of student whom did not really engage with Korean cultural activities, this type of students unflurried typically hangs out with Korean peers because they feel cultural disparity when they pass by with American peers. Ghose (2010) supports the idea of unity that language plays in identity formation in his article and he stresses that language serves as a mean of unifying the country. If the role of language in uniting a cultural community is analyzed in a different perspective, language can act as a tool that divides the people in a cultural community. Goose (2010), Lanehart (1996) and Kaili and Kaili (1998) share the same opinion about this idea. They unfavorable judgment the society obsession with Standard English and how English have gnaw the cultural identity of their culture. For example, many Tongans see the Tongan language as an obstruction to their academic and economic development they favored English language more than the Tongan language.Freire and Macedo (1987, 128) highlight that language should never be tacit as a mere tool of communication (cited in Lanehart). Without doubt, language plays a significant role in the formation of cultural identity. It also acts as tool to unite the people in one cultural community that share the same collective identity. We often do not realize how much language has impacted our life. So, it is important for us to value our language because it carries our cultural, historical and social identity. Without a language, ones will lose its own identity.