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Linguistic Imperialism Is Affecting An Individual's Cultural Identity

994 Words4 Pages

English is the universal language for communication. Many non-native English speakers study the language as a second language since common languages facilitate global communication. As the practice becomes a phenomenon, some countries experience language shift, where the native language is slowly replaced by another language. For example, English has become integrated into Spanish-speaking families in the Philippines. A growing number of countries is experiencing Linguicide; half of the world’s 6,000 languages have disappeared or are in the process of doing so (UNESCO,2011). This results in a loss of culture and heritage, ultimately impacting an individual’s cultural identity, which is composed of ‘language, physical appearance, history etc.’ …show more content…

If a balance between promoting English and keeping indigenous language is maintained, hybrid cultural forms and cultural heterogeneity could occur, otherwise, result in dire consequences. Having a common language facilitate communication between individuals and countries, it also allows the exchange of knowledge and enhance multiple industries such as business and trading. Culturally, it allows people from different areas to share a common platform to promote and expose themselves to new cultures; allowing us to appreciate the beauty of different practices and heritages. Hong Kong(HK), a multicultural district, is an area which tries to hold the balance between incoming English language and original Cantonese language but English has somewhat affected native languages and individual’s perception. English is viewed to be more important academically when compared to Cantonese by parents, mainly due to influences under British colonialism when English was declared as HK 's official language (Simpson,2007). Younger generations may consider English culture to be superior to Chinese culture. Studying in an international school, I have seen classmates who refuse to appreciate their own culture and make statements such as ‘‘Chinese food is boring’ or ‘I dislike Chinese culture’ without actually understanding the culture. At times, some pretend not to know how to speak Cantonese. These acts not only …show more content…

Without a proper education or compromise, the disadvantages of having English as global language would override its benefits. Linguistic imperialism is a consequence of the losing balance which results in language shift and death. Unfortunately, the loss of balance is commonly experienced, and thus many local languages are displaced, resulting in the loss of cultural identity. Without a proper solution, displacement of more languages is

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