Language shapes Our Identity

Introduction

Language

A language is a dynamic set of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the elements used to manipulate them. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon. Language is considered to be an exclusively human mode of communication; although other animals make use of quite sophisticated communicative systems, none of these are known to make use of all of the properties that linguists use to define language.
In Western Philosophy, language has long been closely associated with reason, which is also a uniquely human way of using symbols. In Ancient Greek philosophical terminology, the same word, logos, was used as a term for both language or speech and reason, and the philosopher Thomas Hobbes used the English word "speech" so that it similarly could refer to reason, as will be discussed below. More commonly though, the English word "language", derived ultimately from lingua, Latin for tongue, typically refers only to expressions of reason which can be understood by other people, most obviously by speaking.

Properties of language
A set of commonly accepted symbols is only one feature of language; all languages must define the structural relationships between these symbols in a system of grammar. Rules of grammar are what distinguish language from other forms of communication. They allow a finite set of symbols to be manipulated to create a potentially infinite number of grammatical utterances.
Another property of language is that its symbols are arbitrary. Any concept or grammatical rule can be mapped onto a symbol. Most languages make use of sound, but the combinations of sounds used do not have any inherent meaning – they are merely an agreed-upon convention to represent a certain thing by users of that language. For instance, there is nothing about the Spanish word nada itself that forces Spanish speakers to convey the idea of "nothing". Another set of sounds (for example, the English word nothing) could equally be used to represent the same concept, but all Spanish speakers have acquired or learned to correlate this meaning for this particular sound pattern. For Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian or Bosnian speakers on the other hand, nada means something else; it means "hope".
This arbitrariness does not, however, apply to words with an onomatopoetic dimension (i.e. words that to some extent simulate the sound of the token referred to). For example, the bird cuckoo's name was indeed not given arbitrarily.
Origins of language
Even before the Theory of Evolution made discussion of more animal-like human ancestors common place, philosophical and scientific speculation concerning the origins of language, implying that human ancestors once had no language, have been frequent throughout history. In modern Western Philosophy, speculation by authors such as Thomas Hobbes, and later Jean Jacques Rousseau lead to the Académie Francaise even declaring the subject off bounds.
The subject is of such interest to philosophy because language is such an essential characteristic of humans. In Classical Greek Philosophy such questions were connected to the subject of the Natures of things, in this case "Human Nature". Therefore already in Aristotle we see language being mentioned in discussions of natural propensities of humans to be political and to dwell in city state types of communities, pair-bonding, poetical and so on.
Hobbes followed by John Locke and others claimed that language is an extension of the "speech" which humans have with themselves, which in a sense takes the classical view that reason is one of the most primary characteristics in humans. Others have argued the opposite - that reason developed out of the need for more complex communication. Rousseau, despite writing before the publication of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, shockingly claimed that there had once been humans who had no language or reason and who developed language first, rather than reason.
Since Darwin the subject has come to be treated more often than not by scientists rather than philosophers. For example neurologist Terrence Deacon, has argued that reason and language "co-evolved". Merlin Donald sees language as a later development building up what he refers to as mimetic culture, emphasizing that this co-evolution depended upon the interactions of many individuals. He writes that:
A shared communicative culture, with sharing of mental representations to some degree, must have come first, before language, creating a social environment in which language would have been useful and adaptive.
The specific causes of the natural selection that led to language are however still the subject of much speculation, but a common theme which goes right back to Aristotle is that many theories propose that the gains to be had from language and/or reason were probably mainly in the area of increasingly sophisticated social structures.

The study of language
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language, encompassing a number of sub-fields. At the core of theoretical linguistics are the study of language structure (grammar) and the study of meaning (semantics). The first of these encompasses morphology (the formation and composition of words), syntax (the rules that determine how words combine into phrases and sentences) and phonology (the study of sound systems and abstract sound units). Phonetics is a related branch of linguistics concerned with the actual properties of speech sounds (phones), non-speech sounds, and how they are produced and perceived.
Theoretical linguistics is mostly concerned with developing models of linguistic knowledge. The fields that are generally considered as the core of theoretical linguistics are syntax, phonology, morphology, and semantics. Applied linguistics attempts to put linguistic theories into practice through areas like translation, stylistics, literary criticism and theory, discourse analysis, speech therapy, speech pathology and foreign language teaching.
Human languages
Human languages are usually referred to as natural languages, and the science of studying them falls under the purview of linguistics. A common progression for natural languages is that they are considered to be first spoken, then written, and then an understanding and explanation of their grammar is attempted.
Languages live, die, move from place to place, and change with time. Any language that ceases to change or develop is categorized as a dead language. Conversely, any language that is in a continuous state of change is known as a living language or modern language.
Making a principled distinction between one language and another is usually impossible. For instance, there are a few dialects of German similar to some dialects of Dutch. The transition between languages within the same language family is sometimes gradual (see dialect continuum).
Some like to make parallels with biology, where it is not possible to make a well-defined distinction between one species and the next. In either case, the ultimate difficulty may stem from the interactions between languages and populations. (See Dialect or August Schleicher for a longer discussion.)
Artificial languages
Constructed languages
Some individuals and groups have constructed their own artificial languages, for practical, experimental, personal, or ideological reasons. International auxiliary languages are generally constructed languages that strive to be easier to learn than natural languages.
International auxiliary languages
Some languages, most constructed, are meant specifically for communication between people of different nationalities or language groups as an easy-to-learn second language.
Controlled languages
Controlled natural languages are subsets of natural languages whose grammars and dictionaries have been restricted in order to reduce or eliminate both ambiguity and complexity.
Formal languages
Mathematics and computer science use artificial entities called formal languages (including programming languages and markup languages, and some that are more theoretical in nature).
Programming languages
A programming language is an extreme case of a formal language that can be used to control the behavior of a machine, particularly a computer, to perform specific tasks. Programming languages are defined using syntactic and semantic rules, to determine structure and meaning respectively.
Animal communication
The term "animal languages" is often used for non-human languages. Linguists do not consider these to be "language", but describe them as animal communication, because the interaction between animals in such communication is fundamentally different in its underlying principles from human language.

Ever Wonder Why There’s a Language Requirement?
Here are some reasons why:

"Language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one's perception of reality." Benjamin Whorf

From the day that the United States won its independence, intellectual Americans have attempted to define the new identity. When we speak about American social identity these elements and names come to the mind:
Religion
Language
Democracy
Pragmatism
Nationalism
Melting pot, apple pie, hollowing and...
I chose language which I think is very key factor in developing social identity in every culture.
Regarding the topic these kinds of questions come to the mind.
What is social identity? What is role of language in social identity development? So first of all we shall define identity and language.
"Identity is an umbrella term used throughout the social sciences to describe an individual's comprehension of him or herself as a discrete, separate entity. The notion of social identity is defined as the way that individuals label themselves as members of particular groups (e.g., nation, social class, subculture, ethnicity, gender, etc.)". Social identity is some thing like personality and individual identity.
"A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the rules used to manipulate them." It is a mean of communication between people. Language is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts, perceptions, feelings and emotions, and values features of a community; it also represents a basic expression of social identity. Language is an important element which influences cultural and intellectual aspects of human life. Not only language creates several communications among people but also it makes bilateral relation between different groups and societies. Events and realities are expressed by words and sentences. Politicians assert their abilities and their policies through language and words. Nowadays, since the role of media became very crucial we can learn about importance of language. So we can say individual's ideology, religious concepts and literature are indebted to the language and actually all of them shape social identity of a nation.
In some countries like the United States as a result of verity of nations within geographical borders, there are many languages." English is spoken by about 82% of the population as a native language. The variety of English spoken in the United States is known as American English; together with Canadian English it makes up the group of dialects known as North American English 96% of the population of the U.S. speaks English well.
The Spanish language is the second-most common language in the country, spoken by almost 30 million people." Therefore these two languages had more effect on American social identity, English as language of Native Americans and Spanish as language of immigrants.
"English is a dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy .The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the initial spread of the language far beyond the British Isles since World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the adoption of English." English gives feeling of superiority and self confidence to Americans. If we look back to the past English has been the language of the most powerful empire which is British Empire and now English is the language of most powerful country which is United States. In deed power and English are inseparable. Regarding these matters American deserve themselves as a superpower and exceptional nation.
Spanish language is the second most common language after English. The Spanish language has been spoken in North America since the 16th century. "The United States' Spanish-speaking population increased historically because of territorial expansion due to wars and land purchases. Modern factors continue to increase the Spanish-speaking population. The influx of large numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants to the United States has elevated the number of Spanish-speakers throughout the country, making them majorities or large minorities in many districts."
There are many other languages in the U.S. which belong to different cultures and these languages like some other factors are responsible for American salad bowl.
As it is mentioned above language is one of the most significant elements of social identity which gives a feeling of dependence or independence, superiority or inferiority and power or weakness. It even influences our personal identity as a part of social identity. It can specify your social level and your position. More over language conveys the whole story of a nation and keeps the identity of a nation.

Literature review

Methodology
LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY
Language and Identity is the topic of this paper. I have somewhat based this paper on the reading of two literary plays, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita. The following should be regarded as a personal interpretation and not as the absolute truth in every respect.
Language and identity are two expressions that need to be explained. English is the official language in several countries, Chinese is the language spoken by Chinese people and Danish is how Danes speak. But languages could also be described as different ways of talking due to social background, education, profession, age and sex. A person’s language is connected to his social situation. Eliza, the cockney flower girl from the gutter does not speak the same language as professor Higgins, even if English is their common mother tongue. They speak differently because they belong to different social worlds. Identity can signify the very special characteristic of a person, something that makes him differ from others.
EDUCATION AND IDENTITY CHANGES
Eliza and Rita, the principal characters of the two plays are both objects of identity change in the course of the stories. Are these changes identical or can we find differences? The two young women originally come from intellectually poor circles. Eliza is a young flower girl who speaks a gutter language. She talks in the following way: "Aint no call to meddle with me, he aint." (1) Her manners are crude, and her cockney accent leaves her feeling as if she is a second-class citizen. She is treated that way. Still, she seems to be proud of herself, "I’m a good girl, I am." (2)
Rita is a twenty-six-year-old, brash, earthy hairdresser, married to a Liverpudlian beerdrinker who demands her to have children and to be a good wife. She feels unsatisfied with her marriage. At the hairdressing salon where she works, she gets tired of the daily listening to women who talk a lot without saying any important. "They never tell y’things that matter." (3)
The story of the two plays tells how the education of the women changes their lives. There are remarkable progresses in their studies and the result is an obvious change of their lives.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CHANGES
I would guess that many readers and spectators of the two plays regard them as about the same story. As a matter of fact, they are not. There is at least one important difference. The changes are not the same. One of them is external while the other is internal.
What happens to Eliza is more or less a change on the surface. In a few months Henry Higgins, a professor of linguistics, manages to lift her up from a low status on the street and transform her into a refined young lady. Among the upper class representatives of London she is able to behave like a duchess and by those who do not know her she is treated like a princess. Her mastering of English grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation is admirable. But do these progresses of language skills mean a real change of personality? Certainly not! Eliza remains a cockney gutter girl even though her conversation becomes more sophisticated. A few months of language learning do not transform her character and identity profoundly.
Rita, on the other hand, keeps her old manners of talking like an uneducated woman. When Frank, her teacher, at the end of the story asks her if she will follow a friend to France, she answers: "I dunno. He’s a bit of a wranker really. But I’ve never been abroad. An’ me mother’s invited me to her’s for Christmas." (4)
Nevertheless, Rita has been changed. Not because of pure language training, but owing to her literary learning. Her deep determination to change her life brings her to a world ofd self respect and new ideas.
There is a link between language and identity. But language studies that are concentrated on pure linguistic training of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation bring only about external progresses. If they are completed with literature they are likely to attain a higher level. Language skills are important, but the are nothing but tools. To be used in a fertile way that produces interior changes of character and personality, the need to be completed with a knowledge of literature.
Eliza achieves good language proficiencies, but her identity remains that of a cockney gutter girl, while Rita develops her character and reaches personal independence. However, it would have been ideal if the two young women had been able to study together and learn more about both language and literature.
Footnotes
1. George Bernard Shaw, 1957: Pygmalion, page 24
2. Shaw, 1957, page 24
3. Willy Russell, 1997, Educating Rita, page 10
4. Russell, 1997, page 72

Five Rationale
1. Communication
· Competence in a foreign language is an important social skill.
· The need to communicate with the many others who speak languages other than English is an important reason for learning foreign languages.
· Language study allows us to communicate effectively in non-English speaking countries.
· One need not travel abroad, however, in order to be confronted with the need to communicate in a language other than English: for example, doctors and social workers in many American communities will need Spanish, Arabic, or Chinese.
2. Personal Growth & Transformation
· Language learning forces us to step out of the air-conditioned tour bus and into the actual climate of a location. Language learning can be unsettling: to be deprived of the familiar means by which we make ourselves known not only affords us a taste of the struggles that many in the world experience in trying to speak English; it also removes us from an all-too-comfortable position of judging the world at a distance.
· The process of opening up one’s identity can also be satisfying in ways that are deeply personal. In many cases, learning a foreign language allows students to communicate with their parents and grandparents in their own first languages, and to gain a fuller understanding of a shared heritage. Speaking and writing a foreign language is at every level a form of creative expression. Thus the results of a survey of graduating seniors by Harvard University should come as no surprise: language courses consistently ranked among students’ most significant and satisfying undergraduate experiences.
· Even partial knowledge of a foreign language broadens intellectual horizons, diversifies ways of thinking, heightens sensitivity, and enriches self-understanding: it gives us new eyes that open up new worlds. Learning another culture in depth through study of its language also provides a unique platform from which we are able to gain perspective on our own culture and language specifically, and on the myriad ways in which language shapes thought, culture, and identity generally.
· Language learning has an important role to play in the processes of personal growth that liberal education should seek to foster.

3. Diversity & Tolerance
· Proficiency in a foreign language requires and enables proficiency in cross-cultural thinking: the “language requirement” is inherently a language and culture requirement. Natural languages are not abstract or arbitrary constructs but the central and defining media of specific peoples and cultures. There is no understanding of another people that approaches the understanding provided by fluency in their language.
· Language learning challenges us to abandon our own deeply ingrained structures -- grammatical, semantic, psychological, cultural -- and cross over into new ones. It allows us to escape the monolingual trap of translating all experience into our own terms. Because language skills are seated at the level of habit, the conscious practice of new cultural habits required by language learning is especially effective in combating unconscious or semi-conscious prejudices. Study of a foreign language provides not only conceptual insights, but also ongoing, transforming practice in openness, flexibility, diversity, and tolerance.
· The expectation that others will conform to our language and culture without reciprocation can foster resentment; learning others’ languages can only help to create bonds of trust, reconciliation, and understanding. Recent events have underscored the extent to which such bonds are still lacking.
· We rightly cherish diversity as a high institutional ideal. An important dimension of diversity is a person’s ability to understand national and global events from multiple perspectives. Few academic pursuits are better suited to developing this capacity than language learning.
· Language learning is a crucial means of fostering diversity.

4. Globalization and Internationalization
· The UM President’s Commission on the Undergraduate Experience issued a report recommending that “the University needs to respond to the opportunity and the challenge of globalism” in a world “where interconnections are increasingly complex and fluid, and where students are more likely to traverse natural and cultural boundaries in their future careers.” In light of these challenges, the Commission has laid down as a benchmark the ideal “that U-M students should graduate with enough knowledge about at least one culture abroad that they can be said to have an informed respect for it.”
· As we look to the future, the University of Michigan should seek to foster and prepare students for the new internationalism that has enveloped every aspect of our lives. There is every indication that this trend will only accelerate in the face of transnational movements of large populations, the ongoing globalization of the world’s economies, and the emergence of strong regional and global networks, institutions, and alliances.
· The growing dominance of English does not obviate the need for an informed response to globalization, but rather reinforces it: students are increasingly likely to interact with individuals whose perspective on the world was formed through a different language, and the pervasiveness of English masks these real differences . It is increasingly vital that the people of Michigan and the United States be educated in a way that enables real dialogue across the myriad local differences that make up our globalizing world.
· Language study is crucial to the realization of globalization’s most promising potential: the creation of new, transnational cultures of partnership, reciprocity. As Chinese Ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi has claimed, “The bridge of understanding and friendship cannot be built without language.”
· “Our goal is to enable our students to think and act effectively as global citizens, who take responsibility and action in relation to both the opportunities of globalization and its adverse effects.” From Dean Shirley Neuman’s “Charge to the Committee on Internationalization in Undergraduate Education”
· Becoming a “global citizen” requires active preparation, engagement, and above all awareness that genuine globalization (as opposed to mere exploitation) must always be a two-way street. The promise of globalization can be fulfilled only through the development of “informed respect” for other cultures. Language maps the inside of culture; thus, language learning is uniquely suited to foster “informed respect.” Globalization is a fact, but understanding of other cultures is not therefore a given. Indeed, globalization challenges us all to change and grow.
· Command of a second language is also a highly marketable skill that opens the door to a wealth of professional opportunities. According to The Wall Street Journal, “demand for multilingual workers is rising fast,” and there is a “supply and demand mismatch at middle and upper management for employees who can speak a second language.” In a recent survey of businesses, over 80% said they would place a greater emphasis on “international competence” in hiring and training over the next decade.
· Success in a globalized economy depends on our ability to establish relationships based on common experiences, but also on respect for local cultures, customs, and work ethics. Moreover, monolingual Americans will inevitably find themselves at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis others with a wider set of skills. For example, they will be dependent on intermediaries for access to primary sources and other information flows, and they will continuously be tempted to assume that everything of importance has already been translated into English, when this is not always the case.
· Knowledge of foreign languages is also crucial to security and diplomacy. Knowledge of foreign languages allows us to respond quickly and effectively in times of crisis.
· The demands of public service are changing rapidly as it confronts new notions of sovereignty, new obligations under international agreements, and the complexity of issues such as human rights, ecology, and disease, that refuse to respect national boundaries.
· We are all increasingly challenged to become citizens of the world: if we are to meet that responsibility, it is crucial that we gain the deepest possible insight into other cultures through study of their languages.

5. Academics
· Language learning enhances a wide range of analytic, interpretive, and critical skills. Beyond the ability to use a specific tongue, language learning offers more general benefits that are fully consonant with the highest goals of a liberal education.
· From a renewed appreciation of gestures to picking up points of English grammar never mastered in grade school, language classes make us turn our attention to things we risk taking for granted. Becoming a more self-aware language user means becoming a better communicator in all languages, someone quicker to seize the importance of finding the right turn of phrase in a memo or discovering the appropriate response in a situation demanding etiquette and tact.
· By studying foreign languages, one learns that no communication is ever totally transparent or free from potential misunderstanding; that communication always requires effort, precision, and care. Language learning opens the door to a deep literacy that is more fully aware of the many ways in which language shapes thought, culture, and identity.
· Early fulfillment of the language requirement makes it possible to major or minor in a language, but it also fulfills an all-important prerequisite for the kind of direct and meaningful engagement implied by ‘advanced work’ in a discipline. Natural scientists and social scientists need strong language skills in order to perform field work. Humanists and social scientists need these skills to access untranslated archives. Students with strong language skills can access both primary and secondary sources in the original across a wide array of subjects. They are better able to collaborate with their teachers on research projects, exploit the rich holdings of the University’s libraries, and benefit from the cosmopolitanism of a faculty and student body drawn from all over the world. The language requirement positions students to make fullest use of our extraordinary institutional resources.
· Those who have mastered the nuances of a second language are keenly aware how much gets “lost in translation,” and that what is lost is often the most crucial point. They can more easily situate discrete information within its full cultural context. They can appreciate fully the beauty, subtlety, and power of great literature. In a wide variety of professional situations, they are empowered to break free from ‘handlers’ and become players.

How does a nation………
A nation is commonly known as a group of people whose common identity creates a psychological bond and a political community. Their political identity usually comprises such characteristics as a common language, culture, ethnicity, and history. What is it that shapes the nation’s political institutions? Is it the culture or the history? Answer to this last question is critical because we live in a time of reshaping such nations like Iraq and Afghanistan. It would be important for these nations, which are changing their political institutions to know what they should base their system and institutions on other than democracy alone.
Indeed, the culture of a nation is the character of that nation. Nevertheless, in terms of politics the facts show that when a nation analyzes her history and draws a conclusion about what was done wrong in the past can be more beneficial for the nation to build institutions by only relying on their cultural teachings and practices. So, how does a nation’s history shape its political institutions? In order to answer this question, there must be model countries to be observed and analyzed. In this case, they will be Republic of Italy and Republic of Turkey. One should also need historical backgrounds as
First, he is the representation of the national unity. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the President may then apply to the Constitutional Court for reversal of the law. They also may be submitted to a popular referendum. In addition, bad leadership of the last Sultans, wrong alliance in World War 1 and the rise of Nationalist ideas in the Balkan states made everything go down hill for the Ottomans (13). History repeated itself and Italians proclaimed the Democratic Republic in 1946 because of historical analysis done by Italian scholars and leaders (10). The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the President, supervises the judiciary (14). Empires non-secular; therefore, Islamic ways were so involved in every aspect of life that the laws were drawn from the holy book and teachings of Islam. For example, Feudalism was the result of the fusion of Roman, Christian, German, and Celtic elements, although the weight of these different elements cannot exactly specified (5). Ottomans believed in strict control over its citizens. These ideas inherited from the Roman Empire by Italy and concepts such as independent thinking, free will and mind are probably the reasons why such characters like Silvio Berlusconi obtain the highest place in the Italian government today. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament. However, they were effective and it seemed fit as well as normal for medieval standards. Even though Italian democracy was threatened time to time in the past, it always came back or brought back with the will of the citizens.
The history’s role in shaping these institutions is huge.

analysis
The functions, skills, and abilities of voice, speech, and language are related. Some dictionaries and textbooks use the terms almost interchangeably. But for scientists and medical professionals, it is important to distinguish among them.
Voice
Voice (or vocalization) is the sound produced by humans and other vertebrates using the lungs and the vocal folds in the larynx, or voice box. Voice is not always produced as speech, however. Infants babble and coo; animals bark, moo, whinny, growl, and meow; and adult humans laugh, sing, and cry. Voice is generated by airflow from the lungs as the vocal folds are brought close together. When air is pushed past the vocal folds with sufficient pressure, the vocal folds vibrate. If the vocal folds in the larynx did not vibrate normally, speech could only be produced as a whisper. Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint. It helps define your personality, mood, and health.
Approximately 7.5 million people in the United States have trouble using their voices. Disorders of the voice involve problems with pitch, loudness, and quality. Pitch is the highness or lowness of a sound based on the frequency of the sound waves. Loudness is the perceived volume (or amplitude) of the sound, while quality refers to the character or distinctive attributes of a sound. Many people who have normal speaking skills have great difficulty communicating when their vocal apparatus fails. This can occur if the nerves controlling the larynx are impaired because of an accident, a surgical procedure, a viral infection, or cancer.
Speech
Humans express thoughts, feelings, and ideas orally to one another through a series of complex movements that alter and mold the basic tone created by voice into specific, decodable sounds. Speech is produced by precisely coordinated muscle actions in the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. Speech development is a gradual process that requires years of practice. During this process, a child learns how to regulate these muscles to produce understandable speech.
However, by the first grade, roughly 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders; the majority of these speech disorders have no known cause. One category of speech disorder is fluency disorder, or stuttering, which is characterized by a disruption in the flow of speech. It includes repetitions of speech sounds, hesitations before and during speaking, and the prolonged emphasis of speech sounds. More than 15 million individuals in the world stutter, most of whom began stuttering at a very early age. The majority of speech sound disorders in the preschool years occur in children who are developing normally in all other areas. Speech disorders also may occur in children who have developmental disabilities.

CONCLUSION
Identity is an essential part of the human experience. For adolescents, especially, identity marks a developmental milestone. Identity can be approached in terms of the relationships between the internal experience, such as personality and self-definition, and the external world, such as social relationships and shared values.
Identity and language play important roles. Use of language not only presents an identity, but also expresses ideas, experiences, and feelings. While this study supports the social interactionist perspective, in as much as language is being used to construct and reflect adolescent identity, multiple "public" faces were not the norm. Instead, my understanding constructs a tendency for adolescents to use language to create an anchor and a consistent public face as they engage in the very serious business of constructing a stable cohesive set of representations of who they are. This interpretation of the study is supported by adolescent choices to reveal personally identifying information about themselves, including their names and their sexual orientations.