Language and Identity

Language and Identity Language and identity can be two sides of the same coin in my opinion. A language identifies a certain group or place just like a flag represents a country, but this is not always true. If we were to look at the English language for example, it is a universal language that most people in the world practice either as their first language or as their second or third. The people who do speak English as their first language have a certain identity related to the language; while the people who speak English as their second or third language practice the language only for their professional and personal lives. For the second case, the English language does not identify those people but whatever language your mother’s tongue is, you can definitely say I represent that place or country by speaking that language. My first language was Amharic, but when I started going to school; I started learning my ABCs. I broadened my English language by watching tons of movies and reading children story books; I grew attached to this language. Later on in life I seem to have had an easier time with the English language than my first language. I was actually struggling with my Amharic literature class in high school while I was doing really well in my English literature class; I was among the best in the school. Simply from that perspective I identified with western culture from what I read and saw on TV as much as my Ethiopian heritage. It certainly does not mean I’m not full Ethiopian, but it does mean that I consider the English language as part of my identity. A language is not limited to a geographical place. You can be anywhere in the world but as long as you keep using your homeland language; it reminds you of where you come from. It is a big deal to find somebody who speaks the same language as you in a foreign land. I cannot express the feeling I got from speaking my language for the first time in the US. It was surreal because it is a