Around the world 7,000 languages are being spoken, and most of us only speak one or two. Our identities are formed by a lot of aspects: by the people around us, the books we read, the music we listen to and the work we do. But, speaking a second language, can lead one to create a different disguise and help to understand who we are. The beauty of multilingualism lies in the ability to express yourself in multiple ways. Even though the language is mostly used to communicate it also conveys your culture and identity. A lot of times, multilingual face problems when it comes to balancing language and their cultural backgrounds. On the other hand, sometimes people feel like they have a slightly different identity while speaking a language other than their mother tongue, especially in countries where speaking another language next to the official langue is rare, like in Egypt. To understand this better I have interviewed 2 students from 2 Arabic countries to explore being bilingual through their own experiences.
Situation: Speaks English at home and school but lives in Kuwait.
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As someone who speaks English on a daily basis, how do you find it affecting your Arabic culture?
I feel like I am much more westernized than my Arabic classmates. Because of my English education, I notice that I have other ideas about certain topics which definitely affect my Arab culture. To be honest, sometimes it feels like I am living in two different worlds and I feel further from the Arab one.
Have you ever experienced an identity crisis because of people’s attitude towards you speaking English in predominantly Arab society?
Sadly I have, I had a lot of difficulties making Arabic friends. The things I interact with are mostly English based which results in a slight distance between me and my peers. Furthermore, I have felt like people were wrongfully judging my character because of my speaking English, perhaps they felt like I was showing off, but the truth is that this is the language I have been raised with and to speak a language different from my own just to belong would be wrong.
Do you believe that you need to speak Arabic to be connected to your culture?
By speaking Arabic at home I learned manners, ways of joking, and values that are in the culture itself, there are some things you can’t just study about but really need to understand. I also do believe that language is a big part of cultural heritage and in this way is very tight to culture.
In what ways do you believe English has an influence on your identity?
By learning to speak English it gradually became possible for me to talk about certain matters which seemed to be quite taboo in Arabic. People who speak the English language seem to be less squeamish about certain matters. Using English l learned how to become freer in my use of language.
If you could only speak one language for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
English, definitely, is the language that is closest to my heart and that I wish to be affiliated with the most. Also when I speak English it gradually becomes possible to voice certain matters which seem a big taboo in Arabic. In the English language, people are less squeamish about certain matters, which in my opinion is much more freeing.
Nationality; Egyptian situation: Always spoke Arabic but learned English on an international school.
As someone who speaks English on a daily basis, how do you find it affecting your Arabic culture?
Speaking English and speaking Arabic for me are two completely separate things, I speak English at school and with my friends and I speak Arabic with my family at home, and in that way, it doesn’t affect my Arabic culture as much as it could if I would not keep it separate. I see English as a bonus language to reach a lot of people as it I spoke all around the world.
As you started learning English in high school, did you encounter any problems?
Learning to speak English carried a lot of difficulties for me: the frustration of not being understood, and the feeling of being stupid, being reduced to a smaller vocabulary than my first language, and not having the familiarity of expressions. I find it impossible to appreciate poetry for example. There are some things you can’t translate directly, key emotions and key understandings, then there is something of culture itself that does not completely translate.
Do you believe that you need to speak Arabic to be connected to your culture?
I don’t believe that you need to speak it necessarily to be connected to your roots, although I do think that it makes it easier because you connect more easily with the locals and so you understand them much better than if you speak English to them. Arabic connects me to my country of origin and my heritage, but I think you can also learn traits of culture when not speaking the culture’s language.
Do you feel like English is a part of your identity?
I don’t really feel like English is a part of my identity, because I can’t express myself as well in English as I can in Arabic. Also, my family does not understand English and this often makes me quite uncomfortable
If you could only speak one language for the rest of your life, which on would it be?
Arabic, because it connects me to my relatives and my cultural heritage, and I don’t feel connected to English nor another language. Also because the English language does not connect with my cultural heritage and my relative and I can’t express myself as good in English as in my mother tongue.
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