The Relationship between Language and identity

Everybody uses language and literacy everyday, and they both can be seen as significant aspects of life. People’s language and identity are related because our use of language often shapes how others view us and even how we view ourselves. The way we speak, write, or even choose our words can show and affect parts of our identity,  from our cultural background to our personal experiences. We should care about this because the way society treats different kinds of language affects how people see themselves. This argument essay will focus on the effects of society judging people based on the way they speak and how language can either bring people together or divide them.

Identity and language are really connected because the way people speak apparently shows who they are and what groups they belong to. Language can include a person’s background, values, life experiences and also influences their self view. Identity can be broken into different aspects such as gender, race, religion, and personal interests, which can be related to language. Awad Ibrahim (2008) explains that race and language are important and have a big impact on how people see themselves, especially Black students. In schools, Black students deal with more challenges, such as being judged by stereotypes, facing bias, and learning from lessons that don’t relate with their culture or experiences.

Language also has something to do with how people are understanding and expressing their gender identity. In the TED Talk “What It Takes to Be Racially Literate,” Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo share stories that illustrate how language can help others feel recognized and accepted just as they are. In the TED Talk, Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo explain how language can make people feel accepted for who they are. Vulchi shares an example of a Cherokee language, which does not use gendered words, allowing a trans woman named Ahyoka to be accepted by her family and community. Vulchi’s  grandmother told her firmly a saying in Cherokee, ‘I don’t tell you who you are, you tell me who you are. And that is who you are” (Vulchi and Guo).  This example proves that when a language is well supported , it allows people to express their gender without being limited by strict gender roles. Additionally, the use of pathos helps us emotionally understand how powerful nongender language can be.

In language, people often view others as either racially literate or racially illiterate, which includes a lot of problems, and we can see examples of this in the article “Critiquing Racial Literacy: Presenting a Continuum of Racial Literacies”. Laura C. Chávez-Moreno explains that using these labels can actually be harmful. She argues that calling certain people “illiterate” about race can stigmatize them and negatively affect conversations instead of helping them learn. It can therefore result to scholars using the term inconsistently. Additionally, when we label people this way, we forget that everyone has their own understanding of race due to their personal experiences. This highlights how language can really influence identity; The words we use to describe people can affect how they see themselves and how others see them. Chávez- Moreno also  implies that the relationship of identity and language is always changing, which connects back to the topic that the way we use language often shapes how others view us and even how we view ourselves.

The three sources from Awad Ibrahim, Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo, and Laura C. Chávez-Moreno each analyze different parts of identity, but together they show how the influence of language and how it makes up people’s self-perceptions and how they view others.  Ibrahim implies that race  and language work together to make up identity and access to opportunities. Vulchi and Guo talk about gender and race, supporting the idea that language can make space for people to express who they are freely. Laura C. Chávez-Moreno extends this discussion by explaining that how people talk about race reflects their understanding of it and that labeling people as “literate” or “illiterate” can be harmful.

We can see that language doesn’t just express identity and it also helps create it. These shows how race and language affect how people are treated and understood. After reading and understanding this, I hope the audience understands that the way we use language significantly matters and that we can help create a more equal and understanding society just by knowing this.

Works Cited Page

Vulchi, Priya, & Guo, Winona. What it takes to be racially literate. (2019, April)  TED Talk].

https://www.ted.com/talks/priya_vulchi_and_winona_guo_what_it_takes_to_be_racially_literate?

Ibrahim, Awad.  (December, 2008) “Operating under erasure: Race/language/identity.” Comparative and International Education..  

https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/cie-eci/article/view/9119/7305

Chávez-Moreno, Laura C. (May, 2022) “Critiquing racial literacy: Presenting a continuum of racial literacies.” 

https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221093365