Introduction
Language influence how people grow up and have a crucial role in shaping the human brain structure. There is evidence that the first language profoundly influences how a human will function: for example, on the perception of color, space, and time. Languages have social and cultural influences, shaping one’s identity by determining how one will perceive oneself. In my life, language was never really a big deal; everyone in my family spoke English, and most of my friends did too. I assumed that was normal from a young age, but I realized that it is much different when other languages come into play as I grew up.
Influences on the Language
Cultural Identity Shaping and the Borderline Concept
Different languages have different cultural influences, and cases when people in some societies speak more than one language are the most interesting. The reason is not only in distinct words used in those languages but in their different socio-cultural context. The concept of borderline, developed, “theorized, and articulated by Anzaldúa are characterized by movement, change, diversity, hybridity, and tension. This lens contributes greatly to apprehending the complexity of language teaching and learning, in which individuals continually encounter, wrestle with, and cross borders of “language,” “culture,” “place,” and “identity” (Yazan et al. 134). As one can see, this concept theorizes about the issues of connections between two languages. It shows each language’s social, economic, and cultural position and how people who use them can communicate efficiently by crossing the borderline between them.
Personality Shaping
People who speak several languages tend to think differently when switching between languages. There is evidence that even moral judgments are different when the same person uses other languages to make them. For example, in an ambiguous ethical situation, when a person must decide whether to kill one person if it may save five other people, judgments are different (Hayakawa et al. 1394). In the case of the native language, a person was more likely to refuse to kill a person, but when using a second language, the same person made another choice. Such an ethical dilemma can be considered the controversy between utilitarian and deontology ethics. The research shows that the native language has a more profound moral influence on its speaker.
My Personal Experience of Borderline Crossing
The Situation
The first time I encountered a different language was when I started working at my family’s bakery. It was my extended family; thus, I only saw them on occasion. Then I realized that English was only their first language and definitely not their last. They would speak Italian a lot, and to another coworker who spoke Spanish, they would speak Spanish. At first, this did not really affect me, and I just thought it was weird because it was new, and I had never experienced it first-hand. As time went on, it made me feel left out; I did not like the language barrier and my coworker, and it felt weird not to understand what my family would say. I would get frustrated and feel alone because I was the only one who did not speak a second language. We can still talk with each other in English, but I felt something that told me it was not enough.
As time went on in my life, I got used to others speaking differently around me and did not mind it as much. I realized that English was not the norm anymore and that everyone had their differences. Of course, I wish I still had a second language and could interact with some of my family and co-workers or even friends, but I accepted it and moved past it. I got it when I realized that others most likely feel the same way about their language towards mine. Thus, others possibly, wanted to learn English as much as I wanted to learn Italian or Spanish. I would be happy to help them learn those languages, and such a possibility made me think differently about the language differences and not feel lonely.
The Analysis
I have realized that the reason why this situation was thus uncomfortable at first is the profound influence of language on the mind. As I have mentioned, languages shape how a person perceives the world and oneself, for example, ethical reasoning (Hayakawa et al. 1394-1395). In that way, when deeply and actively communicating with people who have used to speak many languages other than English, I felt that they are quite different as well. After all, they knew English and were people too, but they thought slightly differently than I used to think. My unfamiliarity with Spanish and Italian led to feeling of loneliness and misunderstanding with those who had known them well. When I realized that I could change my point of view and try to look at a situation from their position, it helped me get rid of those negative feelings and build good communication with them.
The variety between me and the people I interacted with who spoke differently brought us closer together. It made the relationships have more depth and made them fun to learn about each other. When I talk to someone whose first language is not English, I feel like it is a challenge but in a good way. It was the borderline crossing in terms of Anzaldúa: as I learned to understand their cultural context and my own English context, I became more familiar with them, and our relationships became better (Yazan et al. 134). I like to have them understand me and learn more of my language while I learn their one. Also, learning other languages for me is very intriguing; it makes me feel a part of something I never got the chance to be a part of when I was younger. I think everyone should try to learn another language and should try to speak to others. It will be funny in a positive way, creating mutual trust between oneself and others with different cultural backgrounds; it will also make one’s worldview wider and deeper.
Discussion about the Languages’ Influences and Interconnections
The situation with English and Spanish is an especially interesting case because they are two widespread languages, often interconnect on the same territory, and have distinct social statuses. English is usually presented as a language with higher status because it is more widespread worldwide, and many people can speak it and understand it. On the other side, Spanish is usually recognized as the local language and spoken at home or with native Spanish speakers. The concept of borderline shows the line of the crossing of English- and Spanish-speaking communities and describes it as having great tension (Yazan et al. 134). On the other side, the cultural exchange between languages enriches both of them and facilitates communication between people with different social and cultural backgrounds.
I think that there are curious consequences of the wide distribution of English as a second language worldwide, assuming those mentioned differences in language perception. According to Hayakawa et al. (1395), people tend to think more utilitarianly when making moral judgments. In that way, as English becomes more widespread as a second language, a utilitarian worldview becomes more frequent among people. The spread of utilitarianism is actual for modern days and capitalist society, aimed at material prosperity. In the context of the borderline concept, a tension between English and the native languages of people learning it can also be shown (Yazan et al. 135). The teaching of languages often collides with such tensions, and to overcome them, teachers should understand the cultural influences of the learners’ native language.
My own experience also shows how the spread of various languages stimulates cultural exchange, which is usually fun, engaging, and informative. In my opinion, the main reason why my experience was such positive is the good line of communication with those people I encountered. To make the borderline crossing comfortable, people should learn to understand the concepts of each other, which are different for different language speakers due to language’s sociocultural influence (Yazan et al. 134–135). Thus, I think that perceiving and understanding another culture is crucial in establishing happy and productive relationships with other people.
Conclusion
Languages influence one’s way of thinking, cultural identity, and social representation and, thus, is a crucial element of psychology and sociology. The native and non-native languages are perceived differently, and the native one is usually more influential. In addition, language often expresses social status that depends on the perception of the language in the specific society. For example, English usually has high social status because it is widespread around the world. People who speak different languages can often have misunderstandings, as my situation has shown, but it is also the possibility for an exciting cultural exchange.
Works Cited
Hayakawa, Sayuri, et al. “Thinking More or Feeling Less? Explaining the Foreign-Language Effect on Moral Judgment.” Psychological Science, vol. 28, no. 10, 2017, pp. 1387–97. Crossref, Web.
Yazan, Bedrettin, et al. “Borderland Negotiations of Identity in Language Education: Introducing the Special Issue.” International Multilingual Research Journal, vol. 13, no. 3, 2019, pp. 133–36. Crossref, Web.