“Language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining the perception of reality.” Benjamin Whorf
From the day the United States won its own, American intellectuals have tried to define the new independence. When we talk about American social identity, these elements and names come to mind:
Religion
idiom
Democracy
Pragmatism
Nationalism
Crucible, apple pie, cast and…
I chose the language that I believe is a key factor in the development of social identity in each culture.
With regard to the topic these types of questions come to mind.
What is social identity? What is the role of language in the development of social identity? So, first of all, we will define identity and language.
“Identity is a general term used in the social sciences to describe an individual’s understanding of himself as a discrete and separate entity. The notion of social identity is defined as the way in which individuals label themselves as members of particular groups (eg, nation, social class, subculture, ethnicity, gender, etc.)”. Social identity is something like personality and individual identity.
“A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile communication symbols and the rules used to manipulate them.” It is a means of communication between people. Language is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts, perceptions, feelings and emotions, and characteristic values of a community; it also represents a basic expression of social identity. Language is an important element that influences the cultural and intellectual aspects of human life. Not only does language create various communications between people, but it also establishes bilateral relations between different groups and societies. Events and realities are expressed in words and sentences. Politicians assert their abilities and their policies through language and words. Nowadays, since the role of the media has become very crucial, we can learn about the importance of language. So we can say that the individual’s ideology, religious concepts and literature are indebted to the language and, in fact, all of them make up the social identity of a nation.
In some countries like the United States, as a result of the truth of nations within geographic borders, there are many languages. Approximately 82% of the population speaks English as their native language. The variety of English spoken in the United States is known as American English, together with Canadian English forms the group of dialects known as North American English 96% of the US population speaks English well.
The Spanish language is the second most common language in the country, spoken by almost 30 million people. Therefore, these two languages had the most effect on American social identity, English as the language of Native Americans and Spanish as the language of immigrants.
“English is a dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The influence of the British Empire is the main reason for the initial expansion of the language far beyond the British Isles. Since World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the adoption of English.” English gives Americans a sense of superiority and self-confidence. If we look back, English has been the language of the most powerful empire that is the British Empire and now English is the language of the most powerful country that is the United States. In writing power and English are inseparable. On these matters, Americans deserve to see themselves as a superpower and an exceptional nation.
The Spanish language is the second most common language after English. The Spanish language has been spoken in North America since the 16th century. “The Spanish-speaking population of the United States historically increased due to territorial expansion due to wars and land purchases. Modern factors continue to increase the Spanish-speaking population. The influx of large numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants to the United States Unidos has raised the number of Spanish-speakers throughout the country, turning them into majorities or large minorities in many districts.”
There are many other languages in the US that belong to different cultures and these languages, like a few other factors, are responsible for the American salad bowl.
As mentioned above, language is one of the most significant elements of social identity that gives a feeling of dependency or independence, superiority or inferiority, and power or weakness. It even influences our personal identity as part of social identity. You can specify your social level and position. Furthermore, language conveys the entire history of a nation and maintains the identity of a nation.