I do speak English, fluently and completely. I grew up in a bilingual (arguably trilingual) household, so I learned how to speak English alongside Hindi and Urdu. (As a side note, Hindi and Urdu are two very oddly related languages. Orally they are virtually the same language; when I talk to my Indian friends, I speak in Urdu and they speak in Hindi and we get along absolutely perfectly. There are very minor differences such as a word here and there, but they are pretty much the same. Written, however, is completely different. Urdu uses an alphabet derived from the Farsi and Arabic alphabets, while the Hindi alphabet is a derivative of Sanskrit). So although I am fluent in English, I also am just as comfortable with one (possible two?) other languages.
The idea of a nation and language are intimately tied together. A group of people becomes a nation when they can pinpoint certain characteristics that bind them together, that transcend simple superficial factors to a point that no matter what that any given individual has a common heritage with another. So along this though, language plays an integral role in the formation of a nation. In the United States, English is the prominent language, so in order to fit into the nation you must be able to speak English. Language is such a powerful thing. Have you ever played charades? Think about how absurdly hard it is to convey the meaning of a simple word such as "park" to someone without using words (or using a common language). Because language plays such an integral role in the communication of thoughts and ideas, it makes perfect sense that a group of people will automatically divide themselves by their common language.
I'm not sure what I think of this idea, dividing people by language, quite yet. I think that it is human nature to connect to people similar to you (such as people who speak your language). But I also think that creating a language barrier to establish nations is...artificial? Yeah, maybe that is the right word. When my mom moved to the United States, she did not speak perfect English by any means, but she is very much fluent now. And she is an American. On the other hand, I speak Urdu but when I go back to Pakistan, I am not automatically accepted into culture there. I'm immediately marked as an outsider because as much as I try, I do have an American accent. I guess I'm still working through all these thoughts, but I would like to know what anyone else who is bilingual thinks about how language plays a role in developing a national culture?
The idea of a nation and language are intimately tied together. A group of people becomes a nation when they can pinpoint certain characteristics that bind them together, that transcend simple superficial factors to a point that no matter what that any given individual has a common heritage with another. So along this though, language plays an integral role in the formation of a nation. In the United States, English is the prominent language, so in order to fit into the nation you must be able to speak English. Language is such a powerful thing. Have you ever played charades? Think about how absurdly hard it is to convey the meaning of a simple word such as "park" to someone without using words (or using a common language). Because language plays such an integral role in the communication of thoughts and ideas, it makes perfect sense that a group of people will automatically divide themselves by their common language.
I'm not sure what I think of this idea, dividing people by language, quite yet. I think that it is human nature to connect to people similar to you (such as people who speak your language). But I also think that creating a language barrier to establish nations is...artificial? Yeah, maybe that is the right word. When my mom moved to the United States, she did not speak perfect English by any means, but she is very much fluent now. And she is an American. On the other hand, I speak Urdu but when I go back to Pakistan, I am not automatically accepted into culture there. I'm immediately marked as an outsider because as much as I try, I do have an American accent. I guess I'm still working through all these thoughts, but I would like to know what anyone else who is bilingual thinks about how language plays a role in developing a national culture?
I am not bilingual by any means. I wish so badly that I was because it is not only a way to connect with people of different cultures but also a valued skill in America. I really wish it wasn't that way but we do not teach our young children multiple languages, being bilingual is a privilege. Although I took four years of French in my high school, my teacher was a joke and we hardly ever spoke French and on top of that I had no one to talk to in French so that I could practice.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I only speak one language fluently, I do believe that language plays a crucial part in developing a national culture because it is how we communicate! Not saying that it is impossible, but it is improbable that someone will be able to bond with a stranger who does not speak the same language. Even if we occupy the same space, if I can't understand you then chances are I'm not going to feel a connection to you because you are a big question mark to me. I can't get to know you if we can't communicate.