Opressive language

Beline Unogeye

Language effects on society

Language has played an oppressive role, in my social circle and others in many different ways. First we have different categorize of language first there is the language that we speak to communicate with the people around us , there is also body language, sign language , written language etc.

The languages that we speak and are spoken around us can sometimes be burdensome to other people who do not speak or at least understand it. Take an example of when someone goes to a foreign country and does not know how to speak their language; it can sometimes make someone feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. They can feel uncomfortable anywhere they go like to the super market, because you do not speak the language you cannot get around by yourself. It can also make someone feel that their dependent on other people to get around. Someone has to translate for you everywhere, you constantly need them, and that brings you down because you start to feel helpless and lost. This especially happens when you move somewhere not to visit but it is going to be your new home and after this you feel like going back to wherever you came from. People ask themselves this questions many times before really knowing the answer to it, “why am I here?” or “is this really what it’s going to be like? “.

We teenagers deal with the oppressive side of language the most, because we are trying to find ourselves and the people around you are also trying to define you. People take things differently, like some words might be considered “harsh’’ or “mean’’ in some places and others not. Like the word “Fat’’, here in America calling someone fat is considered mean and insulting but in some other places that’s not the case it’s just a fact ,just another word . That is why people need to be aware of their surroundings before using some words that have different meanings for different people.

In some social circles the way you speak determines your class. In most cases the ones who speak more fluently and use no slang are from the higher class and those who don’t are from the lower and middle class. People who speak slang are sometimes considered uneducated , which is not necessarily true some just like using it because it is simpler but it does not mean that they don’t know how to speak without slang. People who speak a different language are often stereotyped, like ‘’the French are all so romantic, and all French boys are charming ‘’ just because it is the romantic language. Words from another language are often changed and used in some other place, like the word ‘’nigger’’ in Spanish its ‘’Negro’’ which means black person. It is offensive to call someone that in America because it was a derogatory term that white people used to refer to people of color as. The way a word is used and in which manner and place it is used can completely change the meaning of the word.

Another type of Language that I think has played an oppressive role is body language. Body language is “using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language or other communication.’’ Some of these body movements can be more offensive or have more power over words. For example the middle finger over time it has come to be an insult when it used to just a finger. As they say “actions speak louder than words”, today if your facial expression is not happy and do not always smile you are considered depressed or unhappy. But really is that what happiness really is? Having a smile on your face 24/7, those people who do not show how they are feeling inside it eats them up. Another thing about body language is that it shows your personality or how you feel about yourself. If you were all black you are said to be gothic, this is a way people today describe others.

The language you use around family and friends can sometimes change the way people see you. Around family you are supposed to use kind words and be respectful. But around friends you are also supposed to be kind but not the way you are with your family, if you behave the same way your friends consider you different to most a normal teen is supposed to be free say whatever they feel whenever they feel like it. But this makes language look it has to be used differently around different people. Which is what our society thinks, but that is not how it really is supposed to be.

If our society today did not add their own meaning to words and gestures, language would not play such a negative role in our societies today. But we the next generation can stop that by stopping to cliché‘s and using words when they are supposed to be used.