The Privileges of Language
Languages are fun. Since I was a kid, I have always been fascinated by different cultures and places and as a consequence, I suppose, I have always been curious about languages and their tiny nuances. There are words and phrases I have come across in different languages that can never be adequately translated into English or simply do not have an English equivalent. For example, in French, the expression is “tu me manques” which would translate to “you are missing from me” instead of “I miss you” as we would say in English. In Vietnamese, the phrase “chia buồn” is used to express condolences and it translates to “dividing sadness”, to indicate that you are not alone in your struggles. Language can be beautiful and touching — especially when hearing about phrases or words that beautifully and succinctly summarize our feelings which may not be expressed as beautifully in English.
Language is largely perceived as something we choose. It is, for the most part, dependent on our families and nationalities but also where we are born and raised, the education we receive and the people we are surrounded by.
But, how aware are we about the privileges that language can bring about?
Being born into a society wherein you acquire, learn or are brought up speaking a ‘powerful language’ gives you an advantage in the world at large — i.e., it gives you privilege. English (and its several dialects) is the world’s most widely spoken language, and almost a default one at that. It’s the most internationally recognized language when it comes to scientific or legal or humanitarian literature and hence a lot of people in the world can speak it. The International Olympics Committee lists English and French as its official languages. The United Nations identifies English as one of its official languages. So, it is not unusual to see why English is viewed as an international language.
Being able to speak a powerful and widely spoken language such as English brings certain benefits and advantages, including:
1. Easier access to social, political and educational institutions
2. Easier access to forms of capital
3. The ability to avoid having one’s speech and words perceived negatively
Language privilege intersects with various other privileges that are associated with race, geography, ethnicity, nationality and social class. If you speak and understand English well, you’ll be at ease in reading street signs, legal documents, educational material and official business will be easy to do in your dominant language. These and many more aspects of your daily life will be just any other unconscious activity, while non-fluent speakers may struggle just to communicate with the cashier, follow the news or even fill out a form. This privilege kicks in when decision-makers in education and enterprise just assume that everyone living in a particular place can speak the predominant language, well. Although this practice occurs in societies which are not homogeneous such as the USA or the UK, it can apply to even states in India in which the primary language usually differs.
Indeed, English wields so much power that it is seen as a superior language. Lots of countries have adopted it as a second language to increase their own standing in the world. With the blinkered attitude available only to those for whom the world’s lingua franca is their mother tongue, we insist on the essential requirement of learning English. Native English speakers feel las though they can comfortably travel to or move to other countries without making a big effort to learn other languages. Essentially, this is because people in other countries cater to English speakers while vice versa, the efforts are generally not made.
As a consequence of the near hegemony that English enjoys in the language domain, sometimes bilinguals and polylinguals are made fun of because their English is not very good. There is no need to criticize people who are learning and making an effort at a new language because it is never easy. Moreover, if we try to understand where people are coming from and help them out, everyone could benefit from the situation.
There exists a real irony in the way that people of color are discussed, othered and juxtaposed in global public spaces while also fetishized — as a curiosity for the foreign. The most predominant and obvious example of this is the way Latina women are portrayed on screen. Curvaceous, wearing revealing clothing and plenty of make-up, feisty, “hot-headed” and even hypersexualized. Constantly portraying them in such light, gives more weight to stereotypes and leaves little to no room for any other sort of representation. Spanish, therefore, is also fetishized as a “sexy language” and dismissed as one that often has angry, hasty and rapid undertones. These kinds of perceptions are heavily misguided and harmful to the Latin community.
Overall, language plays an irreplaceable role in our lives as one of the sole means of communication and expression of thought. It is an inherent part of our identity and so it intersects with other aspects of our identity which can sometimes lead to creating privilege. Checking our privileges with respect to language can help us reduce them and make public spaces and opportunities more accessible for people who do not have the same kind of knowledge.
Resources:
https://linguisticpulse.com/2013/06/26/language-privilege-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters/
