Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, M. (2018). Language and Identity: A Critique. Journal of Narrative and Language Studies, 6(11), 217-226.
This article explains the connection between the language and its speaker’s identity. The author of this article, Masoud Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, is a lector at the University of California, Irvine. His article provides basic information on how the native language shapes its speaker’s identity from early childhood, forming the personal order, etiquette, and individual’s way of thinking. However, he also stresses that language is only one of the influencing factors since a person’s identity is shaped by his personal history and social interactions as well. The author uses sociolinguistics and sociocultural theory as a theoretical basis for his analysis, focusing on social constructivism theory. Moreover, he evaluates language’s influence during the modern era, explaining how the individual’s self-perception has changed due to the appearance of mass and social media. This article allows the reader to evaluate the language’s influence on the individual’s development, analyzing the role of language compared to other influencing factors, such as modern media, thus, being relevant to the research topic.
Zalmay, K. (2017). Language and identity. The News International.
The author of this article is Khalan Zalmay – a freelance journalist and human rights defender. He states that the language of an individual’s parents plays a key role in shaping his personality. The native language influences a person’s thoughts and emotions and his perception of the surrounding world, being the most important link between an individual and his country, people, and culture. Moreover, the author notes that the native language is one of the strongest bonds between a parent and a child. Khalan Zalmay also stresses the benefits of learning another language. It helps in giving a person a better understanding of a foreign culture, represented by the given language. Thus, this article is relevant to the purpose of the research since it explains how language connects its speakers with their own people and family and how it influences a person’s worldview.