On Language & National Identity (II)

Language is often discussed together with a great deal of things. In addition to its relations with culture, thoughts and power, it can also be linked to identity i.e how we and the people surrounding us distinguish each other. In this post, we will be investigating how language and national identity (to be precise) are intertwined.

[1]Ochs (1996:424, as cited in Austin, 2005) defined identity as something, “encompasses participant roles, positions, relationships, reputations, and other dimensions of social personae…” Identity, according to Ochs, is a broad accomplishment that is dynamic in nature. One’s identity can be altered from time to time, subject to any change in the socio-cultural background. Language, on the other hand, is the tool that we use to shape our identity. In the case of sculpting national identity, [2]we use language to include or exclude members in our ethnic group (Byram, 2006). For instance, if you speak fluent Cantonese or Mandarin, then you are likely to be regarded as a Chinese, but not vice versa. Byram admitted, however, understanding your identity (labelling yourself) is much more sophisticated in the reality because most people speak more than one languages and some languages, such as German can give rise to more than one national identities. Nevertheless, as it has been suggested that our national identity is mainly dependent on our first language, it can be inferred that being bilingual, or even multilingual, would hardly alter one’s pride of his ethnic origin ([3]Ghazali, 2010). The claim is also revealed in our interview results.

It has come to our observation that the interviewees, despite being multilingual, showed strong ethnic pride during the interview. When we were discussing the reason for learning their mother tongue, Zarifa insisted that learning Hindi is more than just for communication. She proclaimed that it was her obligation to learn and master Hindi because studying Hindi- the official language, is the most direct way to get in touch with the vibrant culture and customs of India. Dilini and Moaz shared the view with her, and added that even if his child is raised in a country where Urdu is not widely spoken, such as China, he would still consider teaching his mother tongue to him. Zarifa responded to his point by saying that she would also be interested in learning Hindi if she was born outside India. Although both of them did not elaborate, it can still be inferred that they appreciated their first language, and probably the culture, a lot.

As [4]Wigglesworth (2005, as cited in Khatib, 2011) made an important note in his paper, “Language is a marker of ethnic identity,” language is the determinant of one’s national’s identity. The role of language, however, is very much different from the tangible objects, such as national flags and customs. According to [5]Anderson (1991), language helps strengthen the solidarity in the communities through the ‘experience of simultaneity’. He cited the example of singing national anthem to support his stance,

“In the act of singing national anthems …. At such moments when people (are) totally unknown are anonymous to each other, utter

the same verses to the same melody, the image of unity is created.”

Some may argue that the sense of unity might due more to the melody than the language. Notwithstanding, one should note that the basic component of the national anthem is the words, the language, rather than the melody. Thus, saying that language determines one’s national identity is mostly correct, if not absolute.

[1] Jon Austin, Culture and Identity (The Pearson Education, 2005), 32

[2] Michael Byram, “Language and Identities,” Language Policy Division, Strasbourg. 16- 18 October, 2006. Accessed on 29th March,2014,

https://www.google.com.hk/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coe.int%2Ft%2Fdg4%2Flinguistic%2Fsource%2Fbyram_identities_final_en.doc&ei=BGwrVZP4H-PLmAXl1YCgDA&usg=AFQjCNEK17hP-wrmpzOOmXRtGfUj4TStKg

[3] Kamila Ghazali, “National Identity and Minority Languages,” UN Chronicle 47, no. 3 (2010): 18

[4] Mohammad Khatib, “Mutual Relations of Identity and Foreign Language Learning: An Overview of Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Approaches to Identity,” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 1, no. 12 (2011): 1702

[5] Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism (London and New York: Verso, 1991), 132-133

Reference

Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London and New York: Verso, 1991

Austin, Jon. Culture and Identity. The Pearson Education, 2005

Byram, Michael. “Language and Identities.” Language Policy Division, Strasbourg. 16-18 October, 2006. Accessed on 29th March, 2014,

https://www.google.com.hk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coe.int%2Ft%2Fdg4%2Flinguistic%2Fsource%2Fbyram_identities_final_en.doc&ei=BGwrVZP4H-PLmAXl1YCgDA&usg=AFQjCNEK17hP-wrmpzOOmXRtGfUj4TStKg

Ghazali, Kamila. “National Identity and Minority Languages.” UN Chronicle 47, no. 3 (2010): 17-20

Khatib, Mohammad. “Mutual Relations of Identity and Foreign Language Learning: An Overview of Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Approaches to Identity.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 1, no. 12 (2011): 1701-1708

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