By : Natalie Alvarado

Language can have two principal functions, it is of course a way of communicating with others, but it can also function as a way to identify someone’s identity. Many people do not realize that the way someone speaks can really influence what other people think about them but it really can. Language can tell a lot about someone’s culture, social group, how they were raised, education and sometimes maybe even about their heritage. Language is a way people express themselves, and a way people make an impact on the world. Language gives the people the chance to show other people who they are. Sometimes the things that language tells about someone may only be stereotypes, however other times they can be true. The effect language has on our identity comes from the different varieties of languages in each country, dialects, and accents used in each language. In this essay I will argue that language does play an important role in our social identity. There are a diverse range of languages throughout the world. The fact that there are so many languages around the world, can sometimes create a huge barrier when trying to communicate. Other times it may cause you to be judged because you have a different accent or you speak in a different way that others do. For example when we first meet someone for the first time we do not bother to get to know them, instead we start to make assumptions from the way they speak and even from just knowing what their name is. A good example of this is the essay, “The ‘F’ Word”, in this essay the author talks about the way her and her family are judged because of the unfamiliarity of their names to another culture. This further shows, that thousands of people around the world are judged because of the difference of their culture, and are often alienated simply because they are different. This also shows that people often mistaken a foreign culture as something bizarre instead of actually looking into the interesting or positive aspects of it.

Another good example of this is from the essay, “’FOBs’ vs. ‘Twinkies’: The New discrimination is Intraracial”, in this essay we see how second generation Asian Americans who choose to follow their Asian culture are judged and being called “Fresh Off The Boat” and the Asian Americans who choose to refuse their Asian culture are being called “white washed”. This shows that either way if they were to choose to speak their language or they choose to reject their language they are still going to be judged about who they are. This further shows how people are judged no matter what language they speak. It also shows how extreme somebody can judge someone based off of cultural differences. Sometimes the assumptions that we make about someone else based on the way that they speak may not always be correct. For example the video Accents by Amy Walker. In her video she shows herself talking in a variety of different accents and in my opinion they all sound like that is really the accents that she has but they really are not. Her video shows us that we can be fooled by the way someone speaks. Her video further shows that not everyone is the person that we think they always are. Sometimes people are even judged simply because of their appearance. Nowadays someone’s appearance shows a lot about who they are as well. For example when people see an African American they quickly jump into the conclusion that they are up to trouble. A controversial example of this is Treyvon Martin, an African American who was shot in his neighborhood by a neighborhood watchman thinking he was up to no good. However Treyvon Martin was not equipped with any weapon and all he had was a drink and skittles. This is controversial because they are saying he was only approached based on his appearance.

Another perfect example of people being judged by their appearance is when people see a Middle Eastern person they quickly jump into the conclusion that they are terrorist. In most cases the people being judged are innocent and harmless people. Just because a few people from a cartain culture does something very bad does not mean that everyone in the same race is just like them. There are bad seeds in every culture. This is a common way that people are misjudged by their appearance. This further shows that people should not be judging other people based on their appearance because their judgments are not always right. Another common way that language plays an important role on social identity is based on their education. Usually people who do not have a lot of education are seen as ignorant however people who have a higher education are seen as intelligent people. People who have a higher education are known to sound more sophisticated and known to have a higher vocabulary than a person without a lot of education. A person with no education speaks the complete opposite of a person with education from the words they say, the way they say it, and the way they sound. The more education someone has the smarter they are known to be. However, just because a person does not use big words does not necessarily mean that they are uneducated. However, our society is very biased and will judge people very harsh without even getting to know someone.

The culture that people come from says a lot about their identity as well. People are sometimes judged because of the culture that they come from. They do not have the choice, it is a culture they are born into. For example, I was born in the United States however, my parents only spoke Spanish therefore I adopted Spanish as my primary language. From the moment that I learned how to speak, my language was Spanish. When I started school I did not know English because no one in my house spoke English. Therefore when I started going to school I had to learn English when I knew nothing at all. When I first started school I was judged because I only spoke Spanish. When I was trying to learn English they made fun of the way that I pronounced words and that would discourage me. Sometimes I wished that I had not followed my family’s Mexican culture because that would of made my early school years way more easy. This shows that where someone comes from is what they end up being. However choosing to have kept my culture really benefit me in the long run. Today I am happy to say that I am bilingual and someone who sees me today would not ever imagine that at one point I did not know any English. By the first grade I was an excellent English speaker. Many times the culture does not necessarily identify who someone is because I personally know many people who have a Mexican culture and did not follow it therefore they do not know the language from the culture that they come from.

In conclusion language does play an important role when it comes to identifying someone. As I mentioned previously language is a very important key when it comes to communicating with others. The way that someone speaks, the accent that they have, the culture that someone comes from, and the education that someone has identifies who the person is. It can also affect the way a person can percieve someone just by the way they speak. Although sometimes the assumptions that people make based on someone’s appearance can be the complete opposite of what they really are on the inside. In our society many people have certain stereotypes about certain races, more specifically their accents. Someone with an accent can face more challenges in life and they are not taken as serious as someone who speaks english because people view them as being lower than others.

Eschholz, Paul A., Alfred F. Rosa, and Virginia P. Clark. "The "F Word"" Language Awareness. New York: St. Martin's, N. pag. Print. Eschholz, Paul A., Alfred F. Rosa, and Virginia P. Clark. ""FOBS" vs. "Twinkies: The New Discrimination Is Intraracial." Language Awareness. New York: St. Martin's, N. pag. Print. Walker, Amy. "21 Accents." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 05 Mar WORKS CITED