Some people consider that it is essential for a nation’s sense of identity to have a common language shared by all its citizens.
Dominika Steadman, D1502643, L161, TMA03
Some people consider that it is essential for a nation’s sense of identity to have a common language shared by all its citizens.
There are many ways national identity can be described. One may associate it with sharing a nation’s culture and values, one may think about it as something everyone is born with and others might look at it as a way of unity with the country. It can also be argued, national identity is a collection of all the above, culture, history and same language.
This essay will concentrate on the latter – showing a common language as means of creating and preserving a nation’s sense of identity. It will look at the relationship between the language and the benefits of being a part of a nation as well as showing the emotional bond some nations have with their language based on an example of Wales. It will also look at the political quandary Tanzania was faced with in order to select a national language that will unify a newly created nation.
Conversely, nation, culture and language are tied together with an invisible bond where one cannot exist without the other. Nation describes a group of people sharing same territory, history, culture
(The Open University, 2014, p.129) and in order for this unity to remain strong their language should be made official and standardised (The Open University, 2014, p.183) as it is the main way of preserving a nation’s identity from foreign influences. As Mujica states “Only a common tongue can bind together a nation formed by people from other countries, other races, other languages and other religions” (The Open University, 2014). Being a part of an organised system offers many benefits to its members from security, access to various services to “giving meaning to one’s life”
(The Open University, 2014, p.133) by sharing same history, culture and values, however, it also brings certain obligations to which its members must comply with. Taxes, civil service or being “an
Some people consider that it is essential for a nation’s sense of identity to have a common language shared by all its citizens.
There are many ways national identity can be described. One may associate it with sharing a nation’s culture and values, one may think about it as something everyone is born with and others might look at it as a way of unity with the country. It can also be argued, national identity is a collection of all the above, culture, history and same language.
This essay will concentrate on the latter – showing a common language as means of creating and preserving a nation’s sense of identity. It will look at the relationship between the language and the benefits of being a part of a nation as well as showing the emotional bond some nations have with their language based on an example of Wales. It will also look at the political quandary Tanzania was faced with in order to select a national language that will unify a newly created nation.
Conversely, nation, culture and language are tied together with an invisible bond where one cannot exist without the other. Nation describes a group of people sharing same territory, history, culture
(The Open University, 2014, p.129) and in order for this unity to remain strong their language should be made official and standardised (The Open University, 2014, p.183) as it is the main way of preserving a nation’s identity from foreign influences. As Mujica states “Only a common tongue can bind together a nation formed by people from other countries, other races, other languages and other religions” (The Open University, 2014). Being a part of an organised system offers many benefits to its members from security, access to various services to “giving meaning to one’s life”
(The Open University, 2014, p.133) by sharing same history, culture and values, however, it also brings certain obligations to which its members must comply with. Taxes, civil service or being “an
References: LIST: The Open University (2014a), L161 Unit 10.1 The Meaning of nation, Milton Keynes, The Open The Open University (2014b), L161 Unit 11.5 Standardisation and codification, Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014), ‘Activity 11.6’, L161 Unit 11 Nation and language [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=552970§ion=1.5.1 (Accessed 10 February 2014) The Open University (2014c), L161 Unit 10.2 What is your relationship to nation? Milton Keynes, The The Open University (2014d), L161 Unit 10.2 What is your relationship to nation? Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014e), L161 Unit 11.3 Language and the Welsh, Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014f), L161 Unit 11.4 Planning and promoting a national language, Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014g), L161 Unit 11.3 Language and the Welsh, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Dominika Steadman, D1502643, L161, TMA03 The Open University (2014h), L161 Unit 11.3 Language and the Welsh, Milton Keynes, The Open The Open University (2014i), L161 Unit 11.4 Planning and promoting a national language, Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014j), L161 Unit 12.1 What is a lingua franca?, Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2014k), L161 Unit 11.3 Language and the Welsh, Milton Keynes, The Open University.