Subject: Initial Post
Posted by Meg Franklin Fri Dec 30 16:57:29 2005.
Message: Italo Calvino has said that "Everything can change but not the language that we carry inside us, like a world more exclusive and final than one's mother's womb." Using the readings as guides (Aciman, Hoffman, Santayana), please discuss the nature of language in terms of identity. How important is the native language in terms of one's sense of self? What are the repercussions if that language is changed or modified through immigration? How does ones environment change when they are not well versed in the language?
Posted by Heather Liebal Sat Feb 4 18:25:00 2006.
Message: Within a geographic area, language can create unity or it can create boundaries, depending on whether or not you can speak it. If you are a native to the language, you may know all the slang words and the proper usage of different terms, and you will automatically "fit in" amongst the others. If you live in a region where you do not know the language, or you learned it later in order to survive in this new environment and therefore cannot have a real handle on it, you won't know the ins and outs of the language and will therefore never really "fit in" with the natives.
Eva Hoffman devotes much of "Obsessed with Words" to expressing the importance of language to identity. She talks of the fear she experiences when she can't think of the right word. It serves as a form of exclusion. She becomes an outsider, even though she is with her peers. Even though she knows the language, it feels foreign to her. Suddenly, everything feels foreign. Simply ordering a coffee becomes a chore in which you do everything to hide the fact that you do not belong. If you had to live with that every day for the rest of your life, you might feel as though you were living a lie. You cannot commit to your true identity. And when your identity is false, everything else in your life falls into a false sense as well.
Language is the basis on which we live. We rely so heavily on communication that immigration can throw our whole lives off balance. Language is directly related to culture, and with immigration, according to Aciman, one can find themselves in "the space where you let go of one identity, invent another, and end up being more than one person though never quite two." Language has everything to do with identity. Lose your form of communication and you lose your full self.
Posted by Pamela Mongiat Sun Feb 5 08:36:12 2006.
Message: The identity that each one of is carries, is very dependent on the language that we speak, write, and communicate with. Our native language helps to determine who we are and the experiences that we will encounter throughout our lives. By speaking the language of those around you, there is already a feeling of belonging, and inclusiveness. When placed in an environment where the language if foreign, there is a vast list of challenges that one can be confronted with...
...Experiencing a new language that one is foreign to can complicate the environment that one is in. Hoffman wrote about, that while she did know English well, she was fearful that she did not know it enough to fit in. This changed her environment greatly, just as it would change the environment of many in her position. There is a constant feeling of anxiety, and never really being a part of the "exclusive" group around them. Also, the fear of trying to find the right words to express feelings or understanding others is always present.
Posted by Stefanie Miksch Sun Feb 5 16:40:53 2006.
...language is a vital part to living and has strong connections to one's identity. Andre Aciman reemphasizes the importance of words and language when he mentions that English words of non English speakers are "priceless buoys with which they try to stay afloat both as professional thinkers and human beings." This illustrates words are a method of surviving and without them people lose their identity and themselves...
Posted by Ashley Polasek Mon Feb 6 14:29:47 2006.
Message: While I appreciate and agree with the opinions of the authors Hoffman, Santayana and Aciman, I feel that they all present the connection of language and identity in a negative light. They each attempt to show how immigration and adoption of a new language is a difficult, alienating experience. Certainly it can manifest itself that way. Perhaps on a smaller scale many of us can relate. If you've ever moved to a different city, region or state you've probably felt how out of place a single wrong word would be. As a Canadian who relocated to South Carolina I can attest to the difficulty in dropping the "eh" from my vocabulary and struggling to include words such as "y'all," which even to this day I don't feel comfortable using.
Posted by Tess Kittelberger Tue Feb 7 09:13:36 2006.
...Language is significant to the sense of self because it gurantees the stability of your identity. This means that whenever a person is challenged by issues such as race or ethnicity, which could play a factor in maintaining self-esteem and self-assurance, language can maintain strong roots. With the language, a person can remember where they blossomed by phrases and slangs that were once used, or, with particular accents, a person can remain confident of where their language originated. Often African-American dialect is stereotyped as being loud, and I've noticed that in my occasional speech. Also, being Caucasion, there is a stereoptype of more proper language and that is recognized in my speech as well. So not only do I take the language to fit my identity, but it signifies my roots. If a person were to be confronting a new culture like Hoffman discusses, the language can maintain that sense of self (232)...
Posted by Jamie Newcombe Tue Feb 7 11:59:31 2006.
...this brings up the idea of open mindedness. As educated people living in a world that is globalizing by the minute it is almost ignorant for people to only know one language. One of the most prominent things I have noticed here in London is the different languages that fill the busy streets. Because the city is so close to continental Europe and now part of the European Union it has become easier for European travel. At any given moment out on the street or riding the underground one will notice the many different languages that fill the air. I think it is amazing. Many of these languages I have never heard before. Most of them are unique, which explains why language is such a huge part of one's identity. As Americans it is unusual for us to walk around city streets and hear more than English and sometimes a hint of Spanish. Are we that closed off from the rest of the world?
Posted by Brianne Bendit Thu Feb 9 19:20:27 2006.
....Most of these writers talk about feelings of exile. They feel like they don't fit in, and are not confident with themselves in foreign places. They try to completely give themselves over to another language to truly become a part of it. I say let the language become a part of you. In the spirit of London, Cheers Mates!
Sample Podcasts:
Mongiat Language Quest
Bergantino Language Quest
Posted by Meg Franklin Fri Dec 30 16:58:25 2005.
Message: Look at the phrases uploaded by your colleagues, as well as their explanations and accompanying details. Consider Brodsky's initial statement about working for dictionary. How does a community adapt its language to become more unique? How does a slang phrase become part of the majority speech? Ultimately, how tied to identity is language?
Posted by Jenna Levandowski Tue Feb 28 18:19:17 2006.
Message: I agree that regions participate in certain slang and help to form one's identity, but one thing that is particularly important in London is that language (and more particularly, one's accent)is inherited and static. Rather than judge "middle class" "upper class" and "working class" by occupation or income, the British determine a person's class solely by their accent. Because stations in life are not fluid as they are in America (the American dream of moving up in status) British can automatically tell someone's background and therefore future. One person told me that most royals make little money and the inheritances dwindle, but they are still upper class. And if a working class man hits the lottery, they are still working class. And this is mostly due to their manner of speech.
I think this is something that is distinctly British and so very different from our culture. A person can add as many words to their dictionary as they want here, but their accent is still a dead giveaway to their place in society.
Posted by Suzanne Vourtsis Fri Mar 3 10:45:38 2006.
Message: While listening to the postings, I found it interesting to see the different perspectives of language. A community is more unique because it has acquired different dialects and phrases over many generations. I noticed many of the phrases were different based on where the individual was from. People from one part of the country would have a hard time understanding various slang phrases from another part of the country, thus finding it difficult to engage in conversation. One of the individuals I recorded mentioned that her brother and his friends have entire conversations in slang phrases. She mentioned that someone even from the UK wouldn't be able to understand a fragment of the conversation...
Posted by David Kochi Fri Mar 3 13:15:13 2006.
A community's language is always changing. Like clothing, slang words have their phases. People are constantly looking for unique slang words to replace the old played out ones. Different communities will have different slang because slang words are created to fill the gaps in the English language as well as provide another form of expression. Slang normally catches like wild fire thanks to radio and TV. MTV is one of the main reasons for the spread of slang. The slang used on TV is main stream slang that a lot of people use and understand. However, slang is deeper then the crap MTV feeds you. It can tell you more about someone than people think.
Posted by Jamie Newcombe Sun Mar 5 10:01:53 2006.
Message: Listening to the various podcasts has made the link between language and identity much more clear to me. In some of the podcasts and also some of the posts there is mention of Cockney Slang or "Rhyming." This is a perfect example how language is tied to Identity. A certain type of accent or even different dialect can tell many things about a person. It can tell you where they live or where they have come from. Even a person's choice of words can tell you something about their class status in society...
...Language is a very important part of life. It is an essential source of communication from one person to another. Every individual's personality shines through the way they speak. It is inevitable.
