Building Identity Through Language Essay

Introduction

The problem of self-identity is one of the main topics of the psychological study. Language is one of the traits describing our identity. However, a lot of people in the world do not live in the country of their origin. They face the problem of identifying themselves in society. There are plenty of languages in the world and each of them is characterized by its alphabet, specific sounds, and pronunciation.

These linguistic features create obstacles to people who are not native speakers in the society. Besides, their pronunciation of their names can be rather difficult for the native speakers.

The aim of this essay is to compare the life experience and views of two authors, Amin Maalouf, and Firoozeh Dumas, both of who touched upon the problem of building identity through language.

The Problem of Self-Identity

It is an unarguable fact that we are all different. However, sometimes these differences create a problem of realizing who we are in society. The problem of self-identity was the central topic of study of the outstanding American psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. Erikson (1975) stressed that the problem “can lead to contradictory mental states, such as a sense of aggravated vulnerability and yet also an expectation of grand individual promise” (p.19).

The Comparison of the Views of Amin Maalouf and Firoozeh Dumas

Amin Maalouf in his book “Deadly Identities” described his own experience in searching for the national identity. Amin was born in Lebanon but spent twenty-two years living in France. He felt as being at the crossroads in identifying himself. On the one hand, he is Lebanese and, on the other hand, he is not as Lebanese as those who were born in Lebanon and have never left the country.

French culture influenced him substantially. It is not surprising as living in a foreign country means adjusting your behavior to the norms applicable in this country. Also, you should learn its language and communicate with people in a manner they used to.

Amin admits that he feels like being both French and Lebanese (Maalouf 1998). He says, “Half French and half Lebanese, then? Not at all! The identity cannot be compartmentalized; it cannot be split into halves or thirds, nor have any clearly defined set of boundaries. I do not have several identities, I only have one, made of all the elements that have shaped its unique proportions” (Maalouf 1998 n.pag.).

The other author and the person who has experienced the same problem as Amin have, Firoozeh Dumas, expressed her own view based on her own experience of being an immigrant in her book “The ‘F Word’”.

However, Firoozeh describes the problem from a little bit different standpoint. In her book, she says that the problem is that the native speakers often do not simply want to learn how to pronounce the foreign names. Firoozeh is an Iranian and her native language is Farsi. A long time ago her relatives and she moved to the US.

In contrast to Amin Maalouf, she emphasizes another side of the problem of the identity mentioning the unwillingness of the native speakers and the society to recognize the fact that the immigrants have their own language and their names are meaningful in their native langue. Probably, if they did they would have been more conscious in pronouncing the foreign names in the right way. Firoozeh says that she could not overcome this obstacle for a long time.

She says that she has felt that the Americans have tried to avoid her just not to make themselves pronouncing her foreign name. In comparison with Amin, who says about the problem of self-identity in the context of your own attitude towards who you are, Firoozeh describes the problem in context of the attitude of others towards your national identity. She begins her narration by giving the meanings of the Iranian names of her relatives and telling about how their names were mispronounced by the native speakers.

The author says that foreign names often seem funny or weird to the native speakers. This creates a real challenge for immigrants. Besides many other things, their own names become the obstacles in the way of achievement a better life which they seek in the foreign country.

Due to the difficulties in their names pronunciation for the native speakers, the immigrants cannot be fully integrated into society. Firoozeh mentioned one bright example in her book when the mom at her children’s school refused to pronounce her name, calling her ‘F Word’ (Dumas 2002).

However, the author states, “Despite a few exceptions, I have found that Americans are now far more willing to learn new names, just as they’re far more willing to try new ethnic foods” (Dumas 2002 p.87).

Conclusion

To summarize all the above mentioned, it should be said that almost all immigrants face the problem of self-identity. Language can be the barrier in the process of their integration in society.

Alan Maalouf and Firoozeh Dumas present their own life experiences and points of view on the problem in their books. Although they uncovered somewhat different aspects of the issue, their views are common in that the language is a crucial factor in the self-realization and identity.

References

Dumas, F. (2002). The “F Word”. Web.

Erikson, E.H. (1975). Life history and the historical moment. New York, USA: Vail-Ballou Press.

Maalouf, A. (1998). Deadly Identities.