Language and National Identity

Ethnicity, Language and National Identity Yesterday’s leader from The Daily Mail gives a lot of food for thought on this topic. Our national identity may often be considered to be something ‘natural’ and inevitable, and even something which transcends politics. In fact, I’d argue it’s all about politics- in the sense of power and conflict between different social groups.

Here’s what the Mail had to say: “Figures released yesterday reveal that as many as 14 per cent of our primary school children – one in seven – speak English only as a second language, if at all. There are schools in some areas with high immigrant populations where barely a handful of children speak English as their mother tongue. What hope is there for an education system in which teachers face a Herculean task to make themselves understood? It’s not fair on the teachers, nor on the children who are being held back by their own or their classmates’ language problems. It’s not only language, but culture and tradition – the essence of nationhood- that divides the growing numbers of new arrivals from the indigenous population. Labour imported the alien concept of universal human rights and threw open the nation’s borders to all comers. We’re a country rapidly losing its sense of identity.”

There are some slippery lines of argument in this piece. It seems to imply that even speaking English as a second language isn’t quite good enough - and to suggest that if English is your mother tongue, that makes you superior in some way.

It claims that non-English speakers are holding back other students, without giving any evidence for that view. It neglects to address the counter-argument that a classroom with students who speak several languages could actually be a more educative environment.

It suggests that a nation must have a uniform culture; but that is just one view of what nationhood involves; many nations offer citizenship to individuals which is not based on ethnic origin, and explicitly state that all citizens are equal.

Clearly the piece reflects some strong opinions about social change. But it also -unwittingly perhaps -poses some sociological questions. Try discussing these:

How would sociologists explain the increased diversity of languages used in modern Britain? You may come up with one concept, but see if you can apply sociological theories as well, such as Marxism and Functionalism.

How important is language in the construction of identity? Consider other examples in British society, such as Welsh, Gaelic, Polish, Urdu, Punjabi, Chinese.

How does ethnicity shape identity in modern British society?