In: Psychology
Thoughts on Identifying Yourself Through Language
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.
(Answer) One’s culture is generally a mix of religious traditions, national outlooks, social traditions and even language. A cultural identity is exhibited each time one chooses to adhere to their traditional ways. For instance, a Chinese person baking a moon pie on Chinese New Year’s day or an Indian celebrating the festival of Diwali.
When a person undertakes these activities, they show that they identify with a people and their historical traditions. Similarly, when a person chooses to speak their native language, they acknowledge their kinship with the culture that the language is inclusive with.
An American Chinese or an American Indian might be just as “American” as anyone else. This is simply because; America is a country of immigrants. However, if they choose to speak Mandarin or Hindi every now and then, they acknowledge their identity that is deeply embedded in their culture through a common language.