The foreign language role in the identity construction-el rol de las lenguas modernas en la construcción de la identidad

 Intercultural Communication in English II

Universidad del Cauca

Lic. Lenguas Modernas

Zully Vanessa Vallejo

zullyvallejoi@gmail.com

The foreign language role in the identity construction

The  being and identity construction is a fact that is given every day and every context in a different way in each individual, since each person has a different perspective and he/ she has lived a particular experience it is to say she or he has a life history. A foreign language can form one person identity building the personal and social development that is immerse in a culture.  

If we center our attention in the foreign language training which is a mean that allows the first approach with another language in a context where that language is not a second language due to the non-bilingual context, we can say that it is very important given that is through education that the knowledge, perceptions, ideas, apprenticeship, information, etc are shared “no es impartir conocimiento es compartir día a día”. Mendez, 2014. It is for that reason that all the things that education can give us are one of the biggest basis that can form a person and his or her identity.

In the given interview by Professor Mendez who works in the Modern language Department at the University of Cauca we can analyze different points of views about his relation with the foreign languages learning and teaching process. Professor Mendez states the first contact with the foreign languages learning was in high school, and he received a learning based on a grammatical method. Later on, he decided to study foreign languages because the mass media showed him other cultures which were very interesting for him, besides he could know other cultures. Regarding the foreign language role in his identity construction he said that the foreign language allowed him to recognize himself and the others as individuals with cultural differences which are important and deserve respect in each situation for example the individualism of a determined culture that is not a good or bad thing but different. He said that to be immerse in another culture is one element that helps us to understand and guide a teaching and learning process. In one person speech is difficult to avoid finding certain traits that identify a human being, for instance, the accent which reveals a part of our origins.

At the educational scope, he expresses that his role as educator has been contributing to the education process “ya no hablo yo tanto de profesor, porque el  profesor de alguna manera es esa idea del que sabe más, que conoce, que es la última palabra, que es el único que tiene derecho a impartir conocimiento” “el mismo proceso de enseñanza es un proceso de aprendizaje” Mendez, 2014. One relevant aspect as educator is to be update and take advantage of technologies in order to keep latent the contact with the foreign language, for instance the TV, internet, the radio among others tools. Some cultural elements that he has adopted or rather adapted from the other culture is to be a strict person in the academic dynamics within and outside the lecture room, as well as the discipline, the reading and research habits due to in the colombian culture most of the people have few study habits; these aspects allowed him to construct his being. Respecting his customs he said that “en ningún momento tuve ese tipo de inconvenientes en lo que tuve que dejar lo mío, por llegarme a parecer o ser como la gente de otra cultura” Mendez, 2014. In this sentence the educator feels that leave the own customs and adopt new ones can affect his identity in a negative way since it would be a drawback in his being. In relation to his experiences abroad, he changed the perception about what is another culture, understanding of the cultural differences “tumbe la idea de que lo de afuera es lo mejor, la cultura extranjera es lo mejor” Mendez, 2014.

Take into account the familiar context the interviewee affirms that his family has supporting him in his decision making when he chose to study foreign language and moreover he woke up an interest in his family for knowing about another culture. We can see that family is one of the first elements in the construction as human beings, hence the family types bonds represent an essential factor in early identity definitions.

The foreign language is an individual, social and cultural phenomenon that is given in different contexts whether within or outside the classroom, it is for this reason that an educator has the responsibility of sharing knowledge more than imparting them. Many times we create false ideals that born due to the lack of intercultural communication, like when we harbor ideas such as we are inferior in comparison with other cultures, thus if we are aware that there are cultural differences we will be aware about the respect and tolerance towards other cultures since any is better or worse than other. We can say that a foreign language defines a construction process because it invites us to be in permanent learning role and to be aware of the language never is isolated of our individual and collective identity.

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