Language as a resistance?

I read an essay called 'the language of power' by bell hooks and in it, she talks about how the displaced Africans made up their own intimate language by mixing in English words and grammatical structures of African languages to create what we call AAVE or the vernacular English. Through her knowledge of the language, she tells us that AAVE , in its pure form was used as a resistance against the oppressors, who used standard English. Through the creation of this hybrid, subaltern language, the "homeless" Africans created a community which resisted the oppressors. AAVE is still used by African Americans but they have to use standard English academically, which is proved to be the case as bell hooks talks  about how she wrote an article in AAVE and then how that same article was sent back to her by the editor who changed it into standard English. In the 20th century as well AAVE was still used as a resistance even after slavery was banned. It was used in the form of rap which the African Americans used to express their feelings of inequality, racism and oppression.

One part of the essay which caught my attention was this excerpt:

“This is the oppressor’s language yet I need it to talk to you.” I’ve never forgotten it. Perhaps I could not have forgotten it even if I tried to erase it from memory. Words impose themselves, lake root in our memory against our will.

I can relate this to my own experiences with English unknowingly overthrowing my own language Malayalam ever since I joined an international school. Lately, I have been doing a lot of code switching when speaking to my relatives. Now when I call my grandfather, I always say "hey" which is not anywhere near how I used to speak 3 years back. Things for me have changed but I am still trying to resist the infiltration of English into my linguistic memory by speaking my mother tongue constantly with my parents and my close relatives so that I don't lose a language so intimate, and unique to me.

How is linguistic imperialism affecting my country?

Well as you know, I am from India and when people meet me they ask if I am from America or at times, where did I learn how to speak English. I always answer them by saying it from the schools I have been to and from cartoons I watched when I was a little kid; cartoons like Ed, Edd and Eddy, Powerpuff girls, Dexter's Laboratory etc.

The English language, for many years, has been taking advantage of the fact that there is no actual national language in India. My country is hugely diverse with 1.2 billion people and 700 languages to deal with and this very vast diversity has given the English language the opportunity to seep through the cracks of time. In fact, almost 250 languages has become extinct in 40 years time not to mention the massive change or transfer into a western outlook; I know this because I have studied in India for 7 years and all my subjects, except for my mother tongue was taught in English.

 A major impact of the vast variety of languages is the lack of a common language that everyone can communicate with. The lack of this language is the core reason for the emergence of English in India not to mention the influences of the British colonization of India. There is a positive and negative impact of this situation: The positive being that Indians now have a medium through which they can communicate on a national scale but the negative being that cultural values and languages are becoming increasingly moribund or endangered because the influence of this imperial language has encouraged people in India to forget their values to better accommodate this devastating change  happening right under our noses, both explicitly and implicitly.

The English language has definitely affected education in India as  far as the medium through which subjects are taught and it has reached to the extent that it is considered a very great thing to get good grades in English, which I think is a wrong mentality as by learning English you are forgetting your mother toungue, your culture and eventually through time, the history of a once great civilization.

Paper 1 Commentary- Text 2

This text is an article which was published by the non-profit organization, Oxfam International, which aims to convince readers about the efforts being undertaken by Oxfam to contain the food crisis that is being faced by people in the Sahel region of west and central Africa. The text uses a lot of literary devices and statistics effectively to bring their massage forward, possibly in an attempt to attract sponsors or increase the organization's general popularity.  

The fact that the article is published on a website makes the target audience vague but could in fact be people interested in sponsoring an organization like Oxfam or people who are actively following the food crisis in Africa. This is made clear by the reason that no person who is not interested in the issues happening in Africa would research about such a website and only a person who is actively looking for an organization to sponsor would bother reading the article. The purpose is very evident through analysis of the sentences and literary devices used and it is to inform as well as convince the audience about the food crisis in the African regions of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and other regions in Sahel and what Oxfam International is doing to prevent further damage of agriculture and people. 

 The content portrays themes of service towards the community, commitment, and generosity. At the same time it puts forward imagery of people suffering in these regions which draws in empathy from the readers. The article discusses how this food crisis has been a stagnant problem in the region for a long time since 2005 and that the very “underlying” cause of the crisis has not been cured or taken care of. Oxfam points out how the organization is going to meet its aims by stating how it is going to become closer with the poorest of people, near the areas of Gorgol and Brakhna, in Mauritania, providing them with equipment and therefore finding a permanent cure for the crisis which has had a long lasting effect on the population there. Despite of this, the main focus in the article is on statistics regarding the situation in the region of Sahel and after much of the information was sufficiently conveyed, the organization plugs-in the massive efforts that Oxfam is putting into action in order to have a greater impact on the audience which helps to convince them of the legitimacy of the organization, hence making it popular among readers or potential sponsors.

The tone is informative and objective. The article also has formal vocabulary and diction in order to raise the seriousness of the issue, attracting more investment in the organization. The tone shows enthusiasm by using phrases such as “gearing up” or “getting ready” which raises morale and hopes of humanitarian aid being actually provided by the organization and further enhances their legitimacy and undying commitment to the noble effort they are putting forward. The mood is also hopeful but the atmosphere is still, in context, very gloomy and saddening although it indicates Oxfam’s efforts to keep the crisis at bay.

The use of literary devices is prominent in this particular article and they enhance the readers understanding and overall impact of the text on them. Firstly, this article relies a lot on the pathos of the people of Africa as that impacts the reader’s interest and participation in a topic like this.

The article takes a very objective standpoint by stating the issue and then outlining the solutions and efforts being made by Oxfam. It hooks the reader by plugging in statistics which draws in and surprises a viewer who is obviously in a better situation than the people in those regions are, and hence making the readers empathize the situation in Africa. The article starts of by stating a quote which says “The humanitarian response must tackle the underlying causes of crises like to prevent from recurring.” This triggers a question of what the underlying causes could be and makes the reader want to read more about the issue. The article is well structured giving an introduction, and then outlining the issues faced in the region of Sahel, and then stating what Oxfam is doing to prevent it and stop it from recurring. The effects created by this article, personally, is very long lasting with its facts and statistics along with the humanitarian efforts being taken by countries to prevent this issue from occurring. The register is very serious which makes the whole issue rise in importance and concern.