Language and Identity
Nala McAdoo
English 106
Professor Taylor
3/4/2015
Can Language Shape Identity
Many people in life characterize each other by how they speak. You can tell a lot about a
person from just one conversation with them. When paying close attention it is easy to see whether a
person is truly knowledgeable of the things they speak on or if they are just throwing a bunch of
random ideas they feel goes together into the conversation. Language is something that is yours and
no one can take that away from you. There is a place and time to speak certain ways and you wouldn’t
speak to your mother using the same language you may speak to your friends or your boss at work.
Language and identity are very closely related.
In my own experiences growing up I have observed my mother and the way she speaks to
her family versus the way she speaks in a professional situation. From readings such as Amy Tans’
“Mother Tongue,” James Baldwins’ “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?,” and
Firoozeh Du Mas’ “The F Word” you will see how language is used to characterize and identify people
of all ethnic groups. Another good example of language and identity and language is the movie Sound
and Fury.
Mother Tongue
“Mother tongue” written by Amy Tan shows that the way a person speaks is closely
related to how well they so in the world. Amy Tan is of Chinese background and was lucky enough
to do well in life. Her mother is a native chinese speaker and has a thick accent when she speaks
English. When she talks she does not always speak in full complete sentences. As a child Tans’
mother would us her if she needed to talk on the phone with a person of business because when
her mother would try and converse with them they would not treat her the same because of the way
she talked. For example Tan says that her mother had not been issued her check, so she had Tan to
call her stockbroker and ask what the hold up was. What her mother told her to say was “why he
don’t send me check, already two weeks late. So mad he lie to me, losing me money.” Tan relayed
the message as “Yes, I’m getting rather concerned.You had agreed to send the check two weeks
ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”After the call her mother was issued her check. Had her mother called and
said it in the way that she talked there would have still been misunderstanding.
If Black English Isn’t a
Language…
In James Baldwin’s “If Black English isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?,” he
argues that “Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker.” He then goes on to talk about how
different people from different areas speak differently and how they would be somewhat confused if
they were to speak to each other. Baldwin also says that language is very powerful and it shows
how connected you are to society. In other words how much you have conformed to your society.
For example if you are an American you are expected to speak in a certain manner in certain
situations. In business situations it is expected of you to use grammatically correct sentences and
they can care less how you talk if you were with friends or family. Baldwin uses the example of an
English speaking person going to England and not speaking their type of English. He says “To open
your mouth in England is (if I may use black English) to “put your business in the street”: You have
confessed your parents, your youth, your school, your salary, your self-esteem, and, alas, your
future.” He is saying that by talking this way you are instantly characterized.
The F Word
Firoozeh Du Mas wrote “The F Word.” In this essay she talks about how something as
simple as your name can cause a ruckus among people in America. Being from an Iranian family
she has a Farsi name. She says “My name, Firoozeh, chosen by my mother, means “Turquoise” in
Farsi. In America, it means “Unpronounceable” or “I’m Not Going to Talk to You Because I Cannot
Possibly Learn Your Name and I Just Don’t Want to Have to Ask You Again and Again Because
You’ll Think I’m Dumb or You Might Get Upset or Something.” This shows how judgmental and
careless people can be. They characterize you before they are even able to get to know the real you
on the inside. People in Firoozeh’s life didn’t even take the time to get to know the meaning of her
name and why she was named that. Her name was so much of a struggle for her she wanted to
change it just to fit in at school. She says she chose the name “Julie” because she couldn’t think of
any “American” first names that started with an f. She loved her name at first then once she realized
that she was losing her culture and people didn’t acknowledge that she was Iranian at all she
changed it back once she got to college. In her words “I felt fake.” This shows how powerful
language is. If it can make a young girl want to change her whole identity then you know that
language has a strong effect on identity.
Sound and Fury
Sound and Fury is a movie made about deaf people. The deaf community is a very
strong tight knit community. Many people take pride in their deafness and others yearn for the ability
to hear. This movie showcases the families of two brothers. One brother was born deaf and the
other was born hearing. The brother that was born deaf married a deaf woman and had all deaf
children. The other brother married a woman that was born hearing and they happened to have a
deaf son. The daughter of the deaf man is about five years old and she wants to get an operation
that will allow her to hear and learn how to speak. The parents of this little girl were hesitant about it
at first so they decided to do research. The brother decided that for his months old baby it would be
best to get his son the surgery. This caused an altercation between the brothers. The deaf brother
feels as though the technology used to make death people hear and communicate with words is
being used against the deaf community. Their language is sign language and he feels like those
who are able to speak and communicate will forget their true identity as a deaf person. A lot of
people think that deaf people are incapable of living a normal life but he is the prime example of a
deaf person that has been successful in everyday life providing for his family by working on Wall
Street.
End of Sound and Fury
 http://youtu.be/0ki4qo-Dfos?t=1h29s
 Everyone in the family has strong opinions about the
implant and it causes them to be at odds
My Personal Experience
My mom works for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a very professional
person when it comes to work. She always tells me there is a place and time for everything. When
she says this I know she means that there is a certain way I should talk when I am in certain
situations. When we are around family I have to say my mom does not have the best choice of
words but when she needs to she can change how she speaks very quickly. I am sure that if she
talked to her boss or supervisor the way she talks to her sisters and brothers then she would be out
of a job. I listen to her phone conversations all the time and when she gets off the phone I no longer
have to ask, “who was that.” I can always tell whether she is handling business or if she is joking
around with one of her friends or family. In my mind I don’t believe that she talks this way with
business people to cover up her true identity she just does it because she is knowledgeable of the
consequences if she were to act any different with them
.
Conclusion
language and identity tend to clash in many different ways. Many say that language has
nothing to do with who a person is but it has constantly been proven that language can tell a person
who you are. In the essays “The F Word” by Firoozeh Du Mas, “If Black English Isnt a Language…
Then What Is” by James Baldwin, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, My own personal experiences and
the movie Sound and Fury directed by Josh Aronson you will be able to see that language really
does shape identity. Although a person may not really have the identity or characteristics you give
them once you first meet them it does show that you based your perception of them on their
language. A person who knows how to talk in every situation is a smart person especially in
everyday life. You never know who you are going to coming across and it always good to be on your
p’s and q’s.
Six Word Memoir
Happiness
Or
Sadness
I
Don’t
Know
Work Cited

Eschholz, Paul; Rosa, Alfred; Clark, Victoria (2013-01-11). Language Awareness (Page 170).
Bedford/St. Martin's. Kindle Edition.

Eschholz, Paul; Rosa, Alfred; Clark, Victoria (2013-01-11). Language Awareness (Page 172).
Bedford/St. Martin's. Kindle Edition.

Eschholz, Paul; Rosa, Alfred; Clark, Victoria (2013-01-11). Language Awareness (Page 352).
Bedford/St. Martin's. Kindle Edition.

Anvilly, Sound and Fury; youtube. http://youtu.be/0ki4qo-Dfos?t=1h29s