How our identity & language shapes us – Steven Fry’s Planet Word: Identity

Here is the link the the video that I am talking about

Steven Fry makes a good point about how being able to speak the language of the land gives you a sense of pride and identity and makes you feel as if you belong. For me personally, I can relate to that but sort of in an opposite way, when I go back to Ireland, although no one I am with speaks Gaelic everyone is still speaking English with a strong Irish accent. Since I didn’t grow up there and neither of my parents speaks with strong Irish accents, although I am a citizen there I don’t ever feel like Ireland is what I call home. So I for me I think it depends on who you are if you feel language can exclude or include you. I do get some sort of feeling like I am being excluding because I am in a country that I am supposed to call home and I don’t speak the same way as everyone there. I feel that my attachment to English is on an emotional level instead of intelligence level because English is the language in my brain and all my thoughts are in English.

When he talks about how people can make assumptions about a person solely based on the sound of their voice and the accent they speak with. I can see that happening in the world but since I grew up in an international school and in a country with so many expats from all over the world. I hear so many accents throughout one day that I know not to make assumptions about someone based on their accent.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

One thought on “How our identity & language shapes us – Steven Fry’s Planet Word: Identity”

  1. How intriguing. I do especially agree with your opinions regarding how sometimes one does not fit in because of their language. Being an American-born Indian who is unable to speak Hindi, I do experience this occasionally when with extended family.

    You had mentioned that all your thoughts tend to be in English while your extended family also speaks in English though with a strong Irish accent. How do you feel this accent would change the thoughts or ideas of your extended family like a cousin around your age? Would this comparison reveal significant differences between your opinions and your cousin’s simply due to accent?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *