Language: Language Is Interconnected With Culture And Identity

Language is the primary way by which we conduct our social lives and communicate with one another. And in terms of communication, language is intertwined with culture and identity. The words people speak refer to shared experiences. The words used express ideas, events, facts, and really anything because they are connected to a base set of knowledge which everyone a part of the culture knows and understands. Members of a linguistic community do not only convey experience, they construct it. They give it meaning through the medium they choose to express themselves with. The way in which people use the spoken, written or visual medium itself creates meanings that are understandable to the group they belong to. In addition to what is being said or written, their are the non-verbal characteristics such as tone, hand gestures and facial expressions. Language is also a system of signs. People view their language as a symbol of their social identity. Its speakers often identify the prohibition of its use as a dismissal of their social

From their accent, to their vocabulary and their discourse pattern, speakers identify themselves with members of that linguistic community. In the face of the ingrained belief that one language equals one culture, individuals assume several collective identities; from where you live, to languages you speak, groups you’re a part of, etc. Identity is constantly growing and changing as the individual progresses through life. (Claire Kramsch) During the late 18th century scholars like Johann Herder and Wilhelm von Humboldt put forward the idea that “different people speak differently because they think differently, and that they think differently because their language offers them different ways of expressing the world around them.” (Claire Kramsch) This leads us into the next point about Sapir-Whorf and linguistic