The following is a response to Dan Adelman's February 21 blog:
I completely agree with what Dan says about language creating some of the biggest conflicts in society. When one looks at it, language is a huge instigator amongst many different people and cultures in modern day society. Whether it be, for example, an American tourist being ridiculed in France for his lack of knowledge on the French language, or just the accent of a man or woman of Arab descent, many people are quick to jump to fast, and often incorrect conclusions with regard to a person's race and/or nationality. The world that we live in today is extremely diverse, possessing thousands upon thousands of different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities. I also agree with Dan with respect to his point about sympathizing with Gloria in her trying times of being unable to express herself through language. To live in a society where I was a loner in the form of my race and nationality, and than to have to adapt to another culture's attributes would be an incredibly tough struggle.
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This is certainly true--and very often language is the instigator because, within different groups or cultures or societies, privileged languages are considered correct, wither it is English over Spanish or even a dialect of English (i.e. Northern over Southern, standard versus Ebonics). Much power can be wielded through language; in the Southwest, for example, laws have been passed in places requiring English-only manuals for civic exams and the like. Clearly this kind of thing excludes specifically-targeted groups of people.
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