Barriers In Modern English Language

Barriers As I look around, get a quick glance, and recall how the world appears to be based on my observations, one word comes into mind: barriers. Barriers? Yes, barriers – something that makes it difficult for people to understand each other (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, that is).

Oddly enough, this word is the first thing I remember; perhaps, because the world is full of prominent manifestations of this word – such as, language, gender roles in the society, and social hierarchy, to name a few.

Language: A Barrier Between Generations

During the Anglo-Saxon era, the language they spoke was unique and different, Old English, conveying a prominent barrier between the latter and the modern English language since they both have

However, the barrier does not end there since there existed a system of grammatical gender in the Old English language which brings us to another manifestation – gender roles in the society.

Gender Roles: A Barrier Between the Image of Men and Women

With the use of grammatical gender in nouns and adjectives, men and women live up to how they are described by society.

For instance, during the Anglo-Saxon era, women were often described as caring, making them the caregivers who tend for the children and the household; peaceful, making them the peace weavers who bring about unity by marrying a man from another tribe; and submissive, implying that they are inferiors by their willingness to obey others. In contrast, men (especially heroes) were usually described as strong, wise, and courageous, giving them a heroic image as during that era, a hero had to have the said traits to be a

However, we now live in an era where men and women practice equal rights and responsibilities, and most have already broken the norms set by society by being more daring and adventurous in their roles. Most women, nowadays, no longer settle for simple tasks which restricted them from exploring their capabilities as they have learned overtime that, like men, they are strong, intelligent, courageous and can be their own warriors.

Social Hierarchy: A Barrier Between People Though gender roles are already given, social hierarchy is still a prominent factor during the Anglo-Saxon period. The description of the gender roles of men and women are very general, but the social hierarchy defines specific roles given to both genders. Organized by class, there were the aristocrats and the peasants. Aristocratic men were powerful and held the roles of kings, leaders, warriors, and protectors of the society. On the other hand, upper-class women’s roles were to oversee the slaves and the storerooms, manage the household, and play a hostess during merrymaking in the mead hall. Peasants, however, assumed the roles of being slaves to the aristocrats. Although social hierarchy still lives on in the twenty-first century, most people no longer refer to the social hierarchy to define themselves and their roles in the