jkurian23

[jkurian23]

A social dance between culture and spoken language

In a social construct, language is used to categorize people based on their dialects, accents, and mannerism. Social identities and social groups are many and varied among people. For example, there may be 'teachers', ‘engineers', 'Parisians', and so on. Being able to speak the language, a variety, or use of a particular jargon gives a sense of belonging to the group. That is why it is often said, an individual's sense of belonging to a national group is often closely linked to their spoken language. The remainder of this piece will look at a few of the external factors that influence the adoption of certain spoken languages by a group of people along with how they shape personal identity.

Language and identity in Sociolinguistics Sociolinguistics is the study of how social parameters such as age and gender, influence language use. In practice, this considers how someone communicates and is able to come to their own judgment based on external variables. Geographic location, gender, employment, class, and ethnicity constitute a few of the social elements that might influence a person's language and identity. As a general rule, individuals from higher social classes are more likely to speak with Received Pronunciation (RP); this is because RP has historically been the accent used and taught in educational institutions.

As previously mentioned, the use of certain linguistic elements can convey a sense of belonging to various social groupings. These group-specific characteristics are utilized to convey to society as a whole a distinctive identity that has been recognized as belonging to a certain group's sociolect. Today, an example would be a teenager using the term "GOAT," which is just slang for "greatest of all time." Other phrases that are frequently encountered include 'lit' (to imply amazing/brilliant) and 'V' (very). The use of such jargon and particular slang phases allows individuals in distinguishing themselves from earlier generations, such as their parents or grandparents, and portray their age as a focal point of their identity.

Linguist Michael Nelson, conducted a study in the year 2000 on the use of jargon in the corporate field. He arrived at the conclusion that people at work employ language in a semantic field of business, such as business, firms, money, technology, and so on. Nelson's theory illustrates the idea of identity and how a person may acquire a workplace language, therefore he pointed out how certain phrases or topics were deliberately not used in business communication. Lexis such as weekend activities, difficulties at home, or family. This demonstrates how an external factor, such as a profession, can influence spoken language. When at work, speakers may use Nelson's business lexis to create a professional identity while keeping their home identity private, or they may deviate from Nelson's business lexis and use more of their idiolect features to create a more personable and approachable identity. This addresses the inclusion vs exclusion hypothesis, which examines how jargon might shape a group's sociolect among individuals who use it.

Immigrants and their self-identity Immigrants who settle in a place where a foreign language is spoken have distinct hurdles, which are often disregarded. Adults tend to assimilate the issue and have to cope with issues related to personal and cultural identity. When the dominant culture in the host country overlooks the immigrant's native language, the challenge becomes even harder. In her thesis on "The relationship between language and identity," Lourdes C. Rovira uses her own identity and experiences as an exiled Cuban, a teacher, and an administrator by profession, to address concerns about immigrant identification abroad. 'Our name, our national origin, and our citizenship constitute the most intimate parts of our being and identity,' says Rovira. People have fixed beliefs and presumptions, which are often not accurate, which determine whether we are embraced or neglected, accepted or rejected. However, who you are as a person and your distinctive characteristics are at the heart of self-identity.

Rovira emphasizes aspects of identity that pertain to the self as a member of a specific group, such as the identity of being an immigrant. The use of language and specific social experiences influence one's self-image. It is worth mentioning how culture plays a key role in developing a person's identity - shared values, conventions, and histories that are distinctive to an ethnic group have a great influence on the way a person behaves, thinks, and perceives the world. This is consistent with behaviorism theory, which holds that the development of a sense of self occurs parallel with the acquisition of language. Cultural identity, as defined by Rovira, comprises everything related to self, belonging, ideologies, as well as sensations of self-worth. Language is inextricably linked to cultural expression; it is the way by which we pass on the essence of ourselves from generation to generation. Rovira closes her ideas by saying, “Language – both code and content – is a complicated dance between internal and external interpretations of our identity.”

Language and social equality Language has left an influence on policy, research agendas, and society as a whole. Further, language reflects and sustains societal ideals and prejudices, and it is a potent tool for perpetuating inequities. For instance, websites, social media platforms as well and programmers on television.

It is typical for people to use improper or derogatory words to express their feelings toward other social groupings. For example, in 2017, Dany Cotton, the leader of the London Brigade, experienced severe outrage and online abuse when she advocated for personnel to refer to themselves as "firefighters" rather than "firemen." These are still indicators of inequity. Furthermore, while constructive steps have been taken to address blatantly biased language in which maleness is the standard ("mankind"), terminology such as gendered jobs and cultural attitudes remains difficult to dispute and alter. To address disparities in society, we must include individuals who are experiencing them and express concerns through our use of language; recent advancements in social media platforms have helped make this achievable.

In a nutshell, language plays a significant part in creating our self-image, altering our judgments, and, most crucially, establishing interpersonal connections with one another. In an instantaneous society like ours, it is essential to take the time to truly understand how the language that we use on a daily basis contributes to both our personal and societal identities.

[jkurian23]

Broken yet beautiful

It is in brokenness that I am complete

It is in the fear of having to hear or say yet another goodbye that I fear it was me who was the problem.

It is in the fear of having plenty or maybe just a little less than enough

It is in the fear of knowing that your hopes and dreams were not for me but rather someone else or maybe something else.

It is with that bruised, broken and buried with past fear heart that i hope for a second love to mend,

Yet in secret i admit to waiting to see whether you saw my story, or probably even replied to that desperate message i sent 3 months back,

The love I had for you has moved on yet hasn’t been forgotten.

So in short I accept that I miss those warm winter hugs

Sharing an ice cream on that Ooty spring day.

But in other words I’d like to say Thank you.

Because whatever I am, however I am today, it's all because of you.

Because of the worst that happened between us.

Just because of that one day that you decided to block my number

Thank you for that decision of yours that did not give our relationship a second chance.

Thankyou for giving up, because it is in that broken heart where I learnt that broken can become beautiful with time.

I still have that love for you, I just stopped waiting for that seen on my Instagram stories.

So if it's possible please forgive me, because I always thought you made a mistake

But in reality I was wrong and you were right,

Thank you for being the right mistake, because today I can look back with a different perspective to what love truly is.

Even though the heart moves on, does it really though?

When will that beautiful be strong enough to be broken again?

This is not story dear readers but rather a piece of my own heart.

I pray you find your beauty that can stand against those stormy nights and lonely drives.