How does the language we use reveal who we are?

In many people’s opinion, to call the link between language and culture sacred would not be exaggeration. The language of our birth, the language of the first words we speak to our parents or those closest to us, creates a powerful bond and shapes our perception of the world. Yet few of us are fully aware of the way our language influences others or the extent to which language is used to manipulate our emotions, our politics, and our decisions.

Although the United States is closely associated with English, its citizens speak a myriad of other languages. In many American cities, Spanish is as common as English, and some urban school districts have students who, collectively, speak more than a hundred languages. The writers we study these days, often the children of immigrants, tell of parents who speak not standard written English but rather “broken English,” a term author Amy Tan analyzes in her essay “Mother Tongue.” The way a person speaks can lead to stereotyped judgments about him or her and assumptions about economic class and even IQ. The selections in this chapter examine these issues and more. Should English be the official language of the United States, sanctioned and enforced by legislation? What is it like being an immigrant and living and learning in a “foreign” language?

The power of language adds another dimension to our discussion. Language has deep connections to our thoughts and beliefs. Whether it’s an advertising campaign or an election campaign, whether people are telling you what to think or what not to say, language is a potent and powerful tool. In this chapter’s Conversation, we explore how language can be used to manipulate, motivate, and even stifle.

In his essay “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is,” African American writer James Baldwin writes: “It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power. It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: it reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.” In this chapter, you will explore language as both “political instrument, means, and proof of power” and “key to identity.”