Identity and Language — Know Yourself like Franz Kafka

Identity and language are inextricably linked: language shapes our thinking, reflects our origins, and helps us express our uniqueness. It is a central tool on the path to self-discovery and identity formation.

In the German language, the multifaceted and complex concept of “identity” is associated with a variety of meanings and aspects. According to Duden, the great dictionary of the German language, distinctions are made as follows:

a) Identity in the sense of determining someone’s identity, as the “authenticity of a person or thing” or the “complete congruence with what it is or is designated as.”

b) Identity in expressions such as finding or seeking one’s identity, or a new identity, in the sense of an “internally experienced unity of a person.”

c) Identity as “complete congruence with someone or something, sameness.”

(Duden, 1999)

The question of one’s own identity is of central importance to human existence and occupies not only philosophers, psychologists, and linguists but every individual in their personal life. It challenges us to explore ourselves, to question our innermost beliefs, values, and goals, and to search for the essence of what makes us unique. This search for identity is closely tied to language, as it…