By Ressie Jan Marie G. Manginsay
In the era of virtual world with the advent of technology, many significant things are taken for granted that we tend to forget their relevance in achieving the eminence that we experience. Like language, what is it all about? How would it help us understand the world we live in?
Basically, without language, one is voiceless, without language, one is silenced and deprived from the opportunities and possibilities of the world. It is evident that language has an effect on our lives. Language defines the type of person we are generally and it has had an effect on the choices as well as our lifestyle, (Tan, A.).
Amy Tan stressed that language is very powerful that it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. We could just imagine how our thoughts can be shared to other people; how we converse and participate to the world we live. I couldn’t write down all my thoughts of how amazing language is. Language is a combination of specific words into thoughts and ideas that are essential to the bind that attracts communication of individuals in a community. Language does not only empower individuals to participate as members of the community, it is also a fundamental key that enables one to establish and define the dimensions of their own identity.
Let us not forget the power and purpose of language; communication. Without language, there will be no communication, and without communication, a misunderstanding would transpire. If misunderstanding would take over the people, how would a community stand firm in unity towards progress? Language cannot articulate a simple truth, it can also hold the bind that keeps the people linked together to promote one aim. Language, in its many complexities and kinds, performs the most intricate and subtle role in communication. Indeed, this is the power of language. “Our language will help us shape the way we see things, express things, and make sense of the world,” (Tan, A.)
Language is many things: the arrangement of words in a particular order, uttered in a certain way, denoting a certain meaning; it is a political instrument which evokes images and motion. Definitely, all of these are descriptions of the purpose and function of language. But as its most fundamental, language is simply the expression of self and the ability to share that expression with others. That is all about language.
exegesis 