Power

            Language is not just a means of communication. Language is the means by which we humans can engage in political, social, and economic life. Ergo, language in itself is political. Take the British Empire and the fact that English is currently the standard language in more than fifty countries. This blanket that English creates among so many countries is a clear demonstration of history, of the power of the British Empire. Language is power. Language, sadly, helps people in their judgement of others, those who spoke slang in Australia were considered low class, and back in the 19^th century, people in England who didn’t speak PBS (Public School English) weren’t considered as sophisticated. And so language can be used politically and to create social divisions. Language “can enslave people.”

            The British Empire is the key example of the power of English. While in India, they enforced English on the people, using it as a kind of tool. But little did they know that creating a common language for the people would make it easier for them to unite and rebel against the Empire. In Human Geography, a centripetal force that brings a country together is language. It helps create a common identity and nationalism. In that same way, India used English to unite and fight back against the British.

            The effect of English is also seen in the slaves as the traders spoke English and it mixed with theirs until both languages synthesised and formed a gateway between the two. From here comes the present day African American Vernacular English comes from, the roots of the Black American language.

            Language. “One language to rule them all, One language to find them, One language to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” That’s language for you, an entity that can bring together a whole nation of people and bind them. It is the means by which people feel more political and national identity. Language can kill and destroy and maybe that’s what we have to take into account as communities and use that knowledge from now on.