Language and Cultural Identity, Kenya
Language is the use of symbols (words) to communicate. It is the most-important cultural aspect and every culture in the world communicates with their native language (Senft, 12). Language is also a tool used by archeologist to examine past activates and provide clues about cultural and social origins of certain people. For example, language was the primary tool used to trace the migrations of the Bantu and their dispersal across the African continent. In the present world, English is the most-common language used in the western cultures. In America, it is the main form of communication, overshadowing all other languages such as Spanish, Native American among other immigrant languages. In this paper, I will examine the difficulties faced by the people who do not use English as their mother tongue and the effect of these difficulties on their identity (Senft, 12).
The mother tongue is the initial language that a child uses when growing up (Senft, 14). In countries such as America and England, the mother tongue is English. However, most of the other countries, especially African countries use many diverging languages. For example, in Kenya there are more than 40 different languages. Such places require an official language or national language (English is the official language in most places, but they feel the need to identify with at least one local language).
[...] He also feels that the purpose of school is top transmit culture and the presence of a second language of instruction would only act as a barrier to effective interaction between students in the school (Rodriguez, 6). The use of language is the main source of cultural identity. Denying small children a chance to enjoy and feel pride about their mother tongue denies them their sense of belonging. However, interactions in schools should keep in English to award them an opportunity to know the American language and the American culture by extension. Bibliography Senft, Gunter. [...]
[...] People like Amy Tan and Rodriguez suffer from being members of minority groups and their perception of others as superior to them. As a result, other people tend to associate them with negativity. Their era treated as outsiders due to their language. An example of this is the phrase ‘keep you brats away' allegedly used against Rodriguez by his neighbors. Such treatment occurs due to language differences, language being the main cultural aspect (Rodriguez, 3). The use of language limits cultural interactions. [...]
[...] She was often ashamed of her mother as a young child and feared public events that involved her mother trying to communicate with public speakers (Tan, 2). These two examples show that young children are ashamed of their identities as they make them feel different from other people around them. Consequently, they try to sell of relations to their mother tongue with the first available opportunity. Lack of English as a native language also acts as a limiting factor to career advancement. Amy Tan claims that she performed poorly in English tests compared to other subjects because she found the subject too speculative. [...]
[...] The mother tongue is the initial language that a child uses when growing up (Senft, 14). In countries such as America and England, the mother tongue is English. However, most of the other countries, especially African countries use many diverging languages. For example, in Kenya there are more than 40 different languages. Such places require an official language or national language (English is the official language in most places, but they feel the need to identify with at least one local language). [...]
[...] Culture and language use. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co Print. Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." mother tongue 1 (2001): 1 -4. Print. Rodriguez, Richard. "aria." a memoir of a bilingual child 1 (2001): 1 - 18. Print. [...]
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