Unit 1

U1 - Language and Identity

Enquiry Questions for This Unit

🤔 Who are you?

🤔 What is identity and how is your identity created?

🤔 How do we learn, and why should we read books to learn more about ourselves and the world?

🤔 How did English develop into a global language?

In the first weeks of this school year, we have spent time getting to know each other. We have introduced ourselves several times, perhaps you have written about yourself to your teachers. On numerous occasions you have had to bring your ID card, which gives information about who you are. But your identity is much more than your name, date of birth, and a photo of you. Your identity is made up of many different factors. If we look up what identity means, we find the following definitions:

📚 «The distinguishing character or personality of an individual» (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)
📚«Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person or a group» (Wikipedia, 2023)

Part 1: Identity

«We know what we are, but not what we may be»
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet  

© Ann Elisabeth Stevens, 2018

How Is Your Identity Created?

The age-old discussion of nature vs. nurture relates to the question of how our identities are formed. Is our identity a result of our genetic components? Are we products of our surroundings, do we shape our own identities? We are not going to be able to come up with any definitive answers to that here, but we do know that certain factors have an influence on our identity development

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Culture
  • Religion
  • Institutions and organizations
  • Physical and material conditions


In the field of Psychology, there is something called social identity theory (this is something you will learn a lot more about if you choose IB Psychology in the DP). Social identity theory argues that rather than having one identity, we have many different «selves». Our membership in groups helps us define who we are:

Social Identity Theory

A person has not just one "personal self",
but rather several personal selves that correspond to group membership (InThinking, 2023).

Social Identity Theory

We need to understand who we are and know our value in social contexts. This is why we categorize ourselves in terms of group membership (InThinking, 2023).

Social Identity Theory

So when an individual talks of himself as male, Australian, a student, a member of a swimming team, and a surfer, he refers to his social identities (InThinking, 2023).

During our lives we have membership of a large number of different groups. Every time we become a member of a new group we need to learn what is expected of us. We need to learn the language, the norms, the values and customs of that particular social group. This process is referred to as socialization, and we usually talk about two different kinds of socialization:

  • Primary Socialization: At home, in the family (and partly in kindergarten/daycare)
  • Secondary Socialization: School, friends, sports team, organization, online activities

Socialization takes place every time we become part of a new social group, and is a life-long process. These processes also affect our identity.

To Do

  • 1: Write down key words about your own identity in your notebook.
  • 2: Identity in literature: We are going to read two short stories/excerpts from novels (see below), that deal with the theme of identity.

Story 1: “Fish Cheeks”, by Amy Tan, written in 1987.
Story 2: “My Name”, by Sandra Cisneros (excerpt from The House on Mango Street, 1984.

  • 3: Write a literary response to the two stories you have read.

How to Write a Literary Response

❗ Informal and personal
❗ Your reflections on what you have read
❗ How do we learn, and why should we read books to learn more about ourselves and the world?

Part 2: Language

Nations and Numbers

© Adobe Stock/vegefox.com

English Opens Doors to New Possibilities and Perspectives

Now that you are in Pre-IB you have entered into the world of the IB, which is another kind of social group. We have looked at the IB learner profile, which gives you guidelines for what is expected of you as a learner in this group. We have talked about the language policy, which requires you to speak English in the classroom. This might be a challenge for your identity as well, as the language we speak is closely connected to our identity. Maybe you feel a bit like a different person when you speak English? English is today a key to opening a lot of doors, both in education, in your professional life later on, and in your personal life. In the following we will explore how English has become such an important Global language.

The History of English

A Comprehensive Overlook of the Nordic Languages in Their Old World Language Families. 

From «Stand Still and Stay Silent»
/
© Minna Sundberg 

Please note: This is not intended by the artist to be a scientific and all-encompassing representation of every single language world wide. It is a presentation of languages used in and relevant to the story in the comic Stand Still and Stay Silent.

Languages change all the time, and English today is very different from what it was like around A.D.500. Within just a short generation, a lot of new words and expressions have been adopted into our languages. If you travelled back in time 30 years and told the people you met that in 2023, we save documents in the cloud, we unfriend people, following people usually mean walking after them in real life, and they would be puzzled if you said your profession was ‘influencer’.

Our language is affected by changes in technology but also by globalization. Our class speaks 13 different languages together. I am sure you will find words in English that have originated from Arabic, Russian or French. From Norwegian Vikings the English adopted such words as husband, window, wife, skull, blood, and knife. The word ‘bag’ (baggi) first travelled with the Vikings to the British Isles, only to travel back to Norway in the 20th century (Språkkalenderen, 2013). 

In the following short film you will get to travel through the centuries, in a brief look at what has influenced the English language and what changes it has gone through:

Global English

Since the time of 5 million English speakers around 1500, a lot has happened to the number of English users. Today there are 45 countries that have English as an official language, and over 600 million people have English as their mother tongue. However, almost 1,5 billion people are English users, making it the language spoken by the most people worldwide ​(Statista, 2023)​. This is of course due to British colonization, but also due to globalization and the cultural impact of British and American films, TV, music and literature. Today, English is the most important Lingua Franca in the world. This means that it is the language that people with different mother tongues most often use to communicate. English is the most important global language. This means, however, that mastering English also means being able to understand different varieties of English around the globe. Scottish English sounds different from and has a different vocabulary than Nigerian English or Canadian English.

To Do

  • 1: Research 3 different varieties of English and make notes about what characterizes these varieties.

Language Learning Strategies

You have been learning English for the past 10 years at school, and probably in other settings before that. You have probably watched thousands of hours of YouTube videos in English, and maybe you use English every day while gaming or communicating online. Perhaps English has become such a big part of how you communicate and who you are that you can consider yourself bilingual (or even multilingual if you speak more languages fluently)? Most Norwegian high school students can communicate very well in English, so why do we need to study English at school anyway? One of the goals for this year will be to improve your ability to read, speak and write more academically. This means that you will be prepared, not only for possible IB studies next year, but also for your future in higher education. Language learning is not something that happens within the scope of a year. We are language learners our entire lives, even in our mother tongues. Therefore, it is important that you learn some strategies for developing your language skills throughout this year. In the curriculum for English VG1 it says that students aim to “use appropriate strategies in language learning, text creation and communication”.

To Do

  • 1: Try to think of some strategies you have used in the past to learn a language. Which ones have seemed to be effective for you? What other strategies can you try?

Part 3: Cultural Identity

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

As we have seen above, the concept of identity is deeply connected to our culture. Sometimes our identity can be challenged in the face of a different culture than our own. We  might also have preconceived notions about how other cultures are, and we have simplified ideas about other people. These simplified ideas are often referred to as stereotypes. Stereotypes are not necessarily only negative; they can help us make sense of the world around us. However, we need to be aware that stereotypes are simplified portrayals of a person or group of people. We consist of many stories, and it is dangerous to only acknowledge one story about others, as you will hear explained by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the video below:

In her novels and short stories, Adichie often writes about the experience of being faced with stereotypes and prejudice, as well as having your own stereotypes challenged in meeting other cultures. We are going to read a short-story where there seems to be some parallels between the life of the main character and the author’s own life.
Born in Nigeria in 1977 and went to study in the USA at the age of 19. With her feet firmly planted in both Nigerian and American culture, her books and stories often revolve around issues like culture clashes, alienation and of family, identity and politics. These are highly relevant themes in the context of English teaching, and Adichie representing two different English-speaking countries also makes her a very interesting writer.  She has won awards for her books.

To Do

Before reading the short-story, “The Thing Around Your Neck”, please discuss the following questions in groups.

Imagine you were going to study or live in the USA:

  • 1: What prejudice or stereotypes do you have about Americans?
  • 2: What challenges do you think you would face in the USA?
  • 3: What is a US Green Card?
  • 4: What connotations do you get when you hear the title of the story, "The Thing Around Your Neck"?
Adichie’s “The Thing Around Your Neck”, is from the short story collection by the same name, published in 2009. The collection consists of 12 different stories, some set in the USA, some set in Nigeria but all with a connection to Nigeria. Many of them are about exile and alienation, culture meetings, prejudice and stereotypes. Read the story. Here is the link to our Teams page with “The Thing Around Your Neck”. Or you can ask for a paper copy of it.

To Do

  • 1: What is the plot of the short story? Is it chronological?
  • 2: What is the setting of the story? Is it important? Why?
  • 3: Point of view: The point of view in this story is not very common. What is it, and what effect does this choice have?
  • 4: What type of characterization is used in the story (direct or indirect), and what effect does this have?
  • 5: Would you say the main character is dynamic or static? Explain!
  • 6: Can you identify any literary devices in the story? Choose two of them and explain what they are and what effect they have.
  • 7: Identify two themes in this story and explain why you think these are central themes.

Identity and Social Media

Hair

© Pawel Kuczynski
(Re-printed here with permission by the artist) 

Social identity theory, as you read above, claims that we have several identities linked to the groups we belong to. Today, most people belong to several online communities as well as “IRL” groups. This gives us amazing opportunities to find connection, maybe find a community where we feel at home, and to explore our identities with endless possibilities. However, online communities are not without risk, and perhaps social media has too much power over our identities? Do algorithms determine who you are or who you should be? This is a topic which is explored in the narrative documentary The Social Dilemma. The New York Times wrote this about the film when it was released: ““The Social Dilemma” is remarkably effective in sounding the alarm about the incursion of data mining and manipulative technology into our social lives and beyond” (Girish, 2020).

To Do

Before you watch the film “The Social Dilemma”, please discuss the following questions in groups:
  • 1: How much time do you spend each day or week on social media?
  • 2: How much control do you think your apps have over you?
  • 3: Do you worry about how much information different apps collect about you?
  • 4: Is there such a thing as privacy in our digitalized age?

To Do

After you have watched the film, write some notes where you reflect on the points below (we´ll reflect on these things together in class after):
  • 1: Did you learn any new information from watching the film?
  • 2: The film claims that “If the service is free, then you are the product”. What does this mean?
  • 3: The film portrays social media as addictive, and almost like a drug. Do you agree with this?
  • 4: Should the age limit for social media be raised?
  • 5: What can you do personally in order to take back control?

Reading Books

What is it good for? I love reading books. Reading books helps me relax, escape into a different world, and get insight into the lives of others. My personal preference is realistic books with characters I can identify with, but some of you might prefer fantasy, sci-fi, crime novels or romance. Whatever you read you can’t really go wrong, as long as you read something. Below is a list of some good reasons to read books:
Reading books gives your brain positive stimulation, which will keep it fit and ready to learn new things. Because of the complex nature of reading, the brain develops new connections, and different regions of the brain are required to work together (Houston, 2014).

Reading develops empathy. Empathy means the ability to and understand another person’s feelings and perspectives, simply put, being able to put yourself in the shoes of another person. Reading fiction allows us to take the perspectives of the characters in the book and actually develops our ability to empathize (Kidera, 2023).

Improve your ability to focus. In our fast-paced world, there are so many things that try to steal our focus. The constant notifications on our phones, computers, music constantly streaming into our ears, the demands of everyday life. We need to take back our ability to focus on doing one thing for longer stretches of time. What better way to do that than sitting down with a good book and immersing ourselves in it for an hour or two. It takes practice and dedication, leave your phone in another room, or activate flight mode, lock your door if you have siblings that like to interrupt. We need our ability to focus, for so many reasons that we will talk about on other occasions as well!
Develop language skills. I have heard that the second best way to learn a language (the first one being moving to a culture where you have to speak that language constantly), is to read books in the language you wish to learn. By reading books you will improve your vocabulary, you will learn idioms, and learn the structure of the language. Reading will make you a better English speaker and writer.
Reading is enjoyable – simple as that! 😎

To Do

Reading…
  • Now you are going to pick a book from the library – in English, which you are going to read. Choose a book appropriate for your language level, so that you are able to complete your reading within 4 weeks.
  • In 4 weeks you will present the book you have read to a group of 2-3 other students and your teachers. See more information in Teams on what to prepare to talk about.
PS! It might be a good idea to make some notes on interesting ideas, themes, good quotes etc. while you read.

Bibliography

Girish, D. (2020, September 9). ‘The Social Dilemma’ Review: Unplug and Run. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/ movies/the-social-dilemma-review.html

Houston, S. e. (2014, March 26). Reading skill and structural brain development. Neuroreport, pp. 347-352.

InThinking. (2023 ). InThinking. Retrieved from Social Identity Theory: https://www.thinkib.net/psychology

Kidera, J. (2023, February 13). How reading fiction can make you a better person. Retrieved from Big Think: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/reading-fiction-empathy-better-person/

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Identity. Retrieved from Merriam-Webster Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/identity

Språkkalenderen. (2013, April 27). Ukas Ord: Bag. Retrieved from Språkkalenderen 2013: https://sprakkalender2013.wordpress. com/2013/04/27/27-04-13-ukas-ord-bag/

Statista, R. D. (2023, June 16). The most spoken languages worldwide in 2023. Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/ 266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/

University, O. (2011, June 22). The History of English in 10 minutes. Retrieved from Open University: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ languages/english-language/the-history-english-ten-minutes

Wikipedia. (2023 ). Wikipedia: Identity. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_ (social_science)

Arne Mjelde Sæther

47 69 59 80

arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com

 

Arne Mjelde Sæther

47 69 59 80

arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com

 

Arne Mjelde Sæther

47 69 59 80

arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com

 

LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY

P1: Identity

➤ How Is Your Identity Created?

➤ How to Write a Literary Response

P2: Language

➤ English Opens Doors to New Possibilities and Perspectives

➤ The History of English

➤ Global English

➤ Language Learning Strategies

P3: Cultural Identity

➤ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

➤ Identity and Social Media

➤ Reading Books