Introduction Language is one of the most basic necessities for human interactions in a society. Ng and Bradac (1993) stated that, “some of the most remarkable human tools are the specific languages that particular groups of human have developed and adapted for use in their daily lives” (p.1). Without language, socialization between individuals in society would be highly difficult; which would possibly result in a lack of social solidarity that ties people together. From social and academic institutions (family and school), we were taught to use the most favorable language to survive in society. Brunei Darussalam centers on the Malay and English language. Depending on the surrounding and how Bruneians were raised, the use of language may differ for different individuals. In this essay, I’ll be talking about the language that my family and I have acquired. I will also talk about the existence of bilingualism in my family and the use of different languages during travelling. My Family There are a total of seven people that makes up my whole family, including myself. I have one father, one mother, three brothers and one sister. I am the fourth child amongst my siblings. My father was born in Malaysia, along with his other siblings. Although at a very young age, my father and his family moved to Brunei to live with his father (my grandfather) who originated in Brunei. His other relatives are still in Malaysia, hence, at times of special occasions such as wedding ceremonies and days of Eid Mubarak, my family and I would pay them friendly visits. My father have just retired from his job, working as an assistant director at Pusat Da’wah, a religious institution that mainly deals with the spreading and teaching of Islamic-related mat... ... middle of paper ... ...countries where we are physically noticeable as foreigners, I believe that by knowing how to speak the local language, we could prevent the locals from isolating themselves from us too much. This shows how we take action in respecting foreign languages as well (Hudson, 1984). I believe that gaining knowledge of foreign languages is a part travelling too, as we are venture ourselves to experience a part of their culture. Conclusion The use of language in a society is crucial to form a strong bond between people. Being a bilingual Bruneian family that uses “bahasa rojak” is seen as the most conventional way to sustain our communication in Brunei’s society. Also, we show respect and achieve solidarity as my family and I adjust our languages as we travel. These are the ways that my family communicates amongst others, to obey to general consensus in language and us.
My family consists of a short generation. My parents, Gina and Darrell, are divorced. I am the oldest and I have a younger brother, Kyle. My mom’s side of the family is the Cox family. My mom is the oldest of five.
Language is an important part of who we are. It influences the way we think and behave on a great scale. However, sometimes it is forced upon us to go in different directions just so we can physically and mentally feel as if we belong to the society in which we live in. Just as we see in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Richard Rodriguez’s “A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, both authors faced some challenges along the way by coping with two different languages, while still trying to achieve the social position which they desired.
Most people who grow up with a foreign language spoken in there house grow up with an advantage in society. This advantage can only occur once the individual learning that foreign language also learns the dominant language spoken in that country. Once both of these languages are learned and mastered, the individual has now placed them se...
Language is a means of communication and it varies from one community to another. Everyone has a mother tongue which depended on the family’s upbringing. A second language can be learned along the way. There are also instances where a person is born in a community that speaks two languages and therefore, had to learn both languages. The quality of the languages learned will be affected by how well the community speaks both languages. This can later develop into a new form of language. The essay describes the frustration of the author who felt rejected by different groups for speaking a different form of language. Her essay aims to gain sympathy from readers by seeing the issue from her point of view. Anzaldua attempts to achieve this in her essay by raising issues on identity and discrimination. She wanted to highlight that language is not determined by a country’s physical borders.
From this perspective, for immigrants learning the language of the host country is a tool to develop a net of useful social contacts. Cristina Rodriguez states that in addition to its role in developing social bonds, the language use assists with preserving a multilingual en...
Primarily, language usage is the main tool for learning and expressing one’s ideas or beliefs. Our language is what composes our existence and has been with from the day we were born. In the book, The Skin That We Speak by Joanne Kilcour Dowdy, the author depicts an experience as a young child when she was living in Trindidad. She was speaking the “Mother Language” or the Standard Language. She was instructed by her mother to not speak her own language out in public. So one day she was playing ball and hit the ball over a fence and declared that she hit it “over there”. Here was a time when she felt good about her physical achievement but instead her peers began laughing at her pronunciation of these words. This had a lasting effect on this author’s self-esteem and her place in society. She continues to talk about how the issue is really about getting today’s world to accept others to have freedom to go back and forth from one’s home language to the
My family consists of my mother, father, and myself. I was adopted at birth and was raised by a family member
Language is the main way to communicate with others, and when a foreigner comes to a new country, the communication is the major thing he has to deal with. According to the text, “the first is so obvious it hardly needs mentioning-language. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on, all cause difficulties, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware when he is in this kind of trouble” (p. 69). Language is an obvious blockade in a cross-culture communication, because of the different grammar, words, slang, and so on. If a person knew the language of that country, at least he could know when he is in the trouble and what kind of the trouble, and I perceive this as the most important thing, to be able to understand. The difficulty of learning a language, is not only know the vocabulary and syntax, but the actual meaning of the sentences. I totally agree with this stumbling block of cross- culture communication, due to my experience of being an international student who studies in another country. When I wanted to come to the
I have three siblings along with three nephews. I have a younger sister, older sister, and one older brother. My older sister is the one that had my nephews. We all lived under the same roof until I moved out for college. My mother was more like my father in the house because my father was away working for us, and even though my siblings are her children, it seems that they 're her siblings too. It felt that I was the parent of my nephews and little sister because of the way I had to care for them because everyone else was working. I connect with my immediate family firmly. We always look out for each other because we mean so much to one another. I
To serve the high status domains or people, Thai people are required to use higher function language, which is “Kam Racha Sap”/ /. Kam Racha Sap is considered Higher function. According to “language in Society” An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, by Suzanne Romaine, people do not acquire higher function language at home as a mother tongue. They acquire the h...
The rapid technological evolution and the growth in the population around the world are playing considerable role in creating new levels of intercultural communicate both locally and globally. People now can get the information from any spots on the planets easily through many televisions channels. Also, gaining huge amount of knowledge from every part around the world is provided by computer networks. Computer networks facilitate the communications as well. Beside create new opportunities, technological and demographic evolutions provide significant challenges to the people. Communicating successfully in another language depends on shifting the frames of reference, norms, and assumptions (Kinzer, 2003). In other words, when individuals use another language effectively, they must adopt new perspectives about communication and language and not just focus on the structure and vocabulary. Reading, writing and discussion of texts will help learner to understand another way of thinking. Actually, there are needs to embrace issues of cultural identity and for an inclusive process in how reading and writing are being taught. In this regard, language appeared as one of the most essential aspects of culture and social being. Language is not the only mean which individuals create activities and identities. Also, language is not enough to be recognised in a specific community or group. Person must behave and act in ways considered right among this community or group.
Humans have been communicating since four million years. On the other hand, the birth of culture is estimated to have taken place about 35,000 years ago. Today, both culture and communication have evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another, to the point that communication is considered to be a product of culture. Thus, our own culture has a deep impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Since each culture has its distinct aspects, intercultural communication can be the cause of conflict and disorder. There are three main issues which are at the root of the problem of intercultural miscommunication : language as a barrier, cultural diversity and ethnocentrism. I will analyze these three notions in situations in which intercultural communication is frequent such as : the workplace, the classroom and vacation trips.
Language. It is a sign of who we are and where we come from. As language defines us, so does it unite us, but it can also impose barriers that drive us apart. As our society aggressively pursues globalization, individuals who maintain cultural sensitivity and strive for effective communication despite language barriers will be an increasingly important commodity; individuals who can also pass the gift of adept communication to others will be invaluable. On the eve of my college graduation, the culmination of four years ' immersion in language and communication and the beginning of a lifetime of educating others in these disciplines, I feel increasingly the weight of
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been
Indonesia is a linguistically complex country with most Indonesians being bilingual or multilingual, speaking Bahasa Indonesia - the national and official language – plus one or more of the 700 vernacular languages (ICBS, 2010), plus a language with external roots (such as Arabic or English). For example, I speak Bahasa Indonesia, two vernacular languages (Javanese and Madurese), and English, and I am not unusual in doing so.