Why do I speak as I do and how does my language define me?

Language is a huge part of my identity and a lot of things have influenced the way I speak. I am Indian and my mother tongue is Tamil. I have grown up speaking it at home and as a result was able to develop the skill to juggle multiple languages at a young age. This was extremely beneficial as it ended up helping me greatly in the area of speech. It enabled me to pick up languages quickly and easily.

My education and the people around me have also greatly influenced my language and the way I speak. During the early stages of my education I was taught to spell in British english. Being in schools with a great variety of nationalities also caused my accent to adapt and change to be able to fit in and be understood better.

As I grew older my exposure to people of different races increased as I lived in many different places. For example over the years that I have stayed in Singapore my exposure and understanding towards the covert prestige ‘Singlish’ has increased.  My idiolect also consists of a range of expressions picked up from different cultures.  Once again going back to the example of Singlish there are certain phrases that I would have never used before, but have started using such as “can lah” or addressing people who are older than me as “uncle” and “aunty”. At the same time I have become accustomed to the usage of expressions such as “shiok” indicating pleasure  and an enjoyable experience.

Being a part of the Singaporean society this came to me as second nature in order to relate to the locals around me. However, at the same time I adapt code switching when I am conversing with my family at home. I tend to use a mix of both Tamil and English. A lot of the times I do reply to question in Tamil and oftentimes say “Aama” as in yes and “Yilai” as in no. I feel closer to my family when conversing in Tamil and connect deeper with them due to this common ground.

This eventually led to me developing a neutral accent so that I can be understood and related to by most of the people that I meet. My language, through it’s evolution has now become a part of my identity as it represents various parts of myself that I have picked up from my various experiences and encounters with different cultures and societies.

How can language include or exclude, represent or misrepresent?

Speaking a certain way can change the way you are looked at by society. If you speak similar to the rest of the community it plays a huge role in you feeling a part of the community. If you do speak differently it may be looked at as a unique trait or you will end up being looked down on and excluded. An example of this that I can relate to is every time I am in a different environment or group that possesses a dominant sociolect i tend to comply linguistic convergence in order to feel more accustomed to these set of people.   

English is a language spoken by many all over the world. But, at the same time many people consider speaking English a certain way is more prestigious. An example fro this can once again be Singlish. Locals consider it to be a treasure of their culture and believe that it is the standard english spoken in Singapore. At the same time many people believe Singlish is grammatically incorrect and there is even an organisation known as ‘good english’ who have labelled Singlish as ‘Singaporean Blunders’. Globally, Singlish is looked down upon as it is very different to how english is commonly spoken and is after all a covert prestige meaning that only a small group of people worldwide speak like that. Whereas British english holds higher prestige as it is deemed to be more grammatically correct and is at the same time overt prestige meaning it is more socially acknowledged.

At the same time languages also have cultural stereotypes along with it. A really common one being the segregation in jobs pertained to only males or females. Since a young age kids are told that firefighters are males and nurses are females. A lot of times language does not do enough justice towards certain subjects such as the different types of genders- to most people there only two. There are also stereotypes regarding the matter that Asian are academically smarter. This ideology could possibly have stemmed from the complexity and difficulty in mastering asian languages. Overall, language place a huge role on the outside world’s perception on each person as an individual as it is a part of you.

Who owns English and why does it keep changing?

I believe English isn’t owned by any specific person. It belongs to the people and is an extremely versatile language that brings together people of so many different races. Everyone has their own way of speaking it yet it is the same language. English is a global language. A language that brings people closer to each other and binds cultures. It is a language that is constantly changing in order to satisfy and keep up with the continuous developments in society like the riddance of social and cultural stereotypes will lead to obvious changes in the language.

Even my mother tongue has gone through it’s fair share of transformation over the years. Tamil is a very complex language with a lot of depth and history. In the past, you were looked upon with a higher regard if you were well versed in Tamil literature. It was a form of overt prestige and showcased the good education you received. At the same time displayed the wealthy and sophisticated background you belonged to. In today’s day and time, not many of the current generation possess the ability to communicate using fluent Tamil.

A lot of the Tamil spoken uses slang and has a mix of different languages. This change has also impacted the society’s outlook on life. The current generation is a lot more relaxed and prefer to ‘Go with the flow’ and not live a very rigid and constrained life. This could very well be directly compared to Tamil grammar which very strict and definite whereas on the other hand the Tamil more commonly spoken today is very casual and laid-back. To conclude my point languages will constantly evolve and grow in order to maintain it’s relevance in our lives.

Word that I have coined…

A word that i have coined that I believe is necessary in today’s context and the topic of language  is ‘EQUIDOVITY’. It means having a perfect balance and stable connection to all parts of your identity. The word is a combination of the term ‘equi’ which means equal and dove which represents balance and peace. I believe that your language is a part of you and is something that is influenced by your experiences and surroundings. It is important that you are connected to all the different cultures and languages that are a part of your life and to find the perfect equity between them.