Discourse of Language in Our Lives

Introduction

When a human start living in this world, then he adopts set of rules and properties that become his identity and sometimes there are certain traits that will define live and become our identification. The way which we adopt in our lives and the method that we use become the part of our identity and we are then recognized and known on terms of those traits and qualities. Even the simple tasks like walking, talking, reading and writing set us in a certain box and our social status and the role is decided on the basis of it. A number of tools are used to define a discourse in life and among that tools language is the most important one being the social animal, we have to communicate with people and to make relations with them. While living among the group of people, it becomes essential to communicate with them on daily basis and this communication process may change from people to people. Moreover, a single people may communicate with different people differently depending on the social status and the role of that person in our lives. Here, use of language as the identity of the person and the role of language in our lives, while we communicate with people.

Investigation

Being a single person we adopt different roles in our lives and then these roles give us the identification and determine our role in the lives of the others. Our communication and use of language is dependent on the person we are talking to, the gathering in which we are, the current environment or the background of the communication. All these factors affect how we use language and how we interact with people. We adopt different discourses with parents, friends, teachers, siblings, bosses, acquaintances and relatives. We will discuss discourses of parents, friends and teachers.

Our first communication and interaction is always with our parents. The relationship that we have with our parents cannot be developed with any other person in the world. Since we are in the habit of watching our parents taking care of them and providing us all we need, so we feel indebted to them, all through our lives. In the type of environment where I grew up, there was never option of calling parents with their first or Last name and it is considered a serious disrespect of the parents. It is even considered disrespect to lie down or sit, when they are standing. In order to address my parents I call them by saying dear mother or dear father. No matter how much friendship we have with our parents, it is obligatory to give respect to them and to use the tone that shows respect for them. When I will need to go out of house, instead of informing them I would ask, may I go out for an outing with my friends or can I go to the birthday part of my friend. If I am hungry I will ask, mom can I have something to eat please? While communicating with parents, it is essential to take care of the fact that they are the ones who guided us throughout our lives and have the right to make decisions for us. Even in opting for a career I did ask that what do you suggest is this decision right for me or should I think about something else.

My relationship with friends is completely different than what is with the parents. Usually we have to pay no such attention to the selection of language. We may use slangs and the vernacular speech while talking with the friends. In the environment, where I grew up, the last name of the friends is taken and we call them with their last names only if we feel more association and love towards them. If I have a real close friend by the name of Thomas Butler, then I will call him like Hey Butler, how you doing and usually the first name are is taken for the friends with whom we are not very friendly or in the beginning of our relationship. If I am together with my friends, I would say, hey I am becoming a bear (used instead of hungry as a bear), do you want me to eat you or will you give me something to eat? If one of the friends fall down and hurt himself, them friends first laugh at him and then ask, Hey clumsy, are you alive? Similarly, if someone is I trouble it feel easier and comforting to say to him look before you shoot than saying that don’t worry this will be over soon. In short, the language that is used with the friends is informal and colloquial.

The place from where I came, teachers are considered spiritual parents. We are not supposed to give them nicknames or to even argue with them. I used to talk to my teachers with same respect that I gave to my parents, but the more formal one. But, since we have a professional relationship with the teachers, so, we have to use more formal and professional language. If I have to seek guidance regarding my career, then I would ask, ma’am /sir can you please guide me on the choice I have made and can you mention what difficulties I might feel in this career. We may ask our parents directly to our parents that we need your help in some matter, but, from teacher we used to ask that can you excuse me and spare some time for me, so I can discuss my issue with you. In the current setting in which I am getting education, we are more informal with teachers that I used to be with my previous teachers. When we are formal with the teachers, we address them from their last name and we do make an appointment with them, but, now the conversation is more informal and here the teachers treat students are the researchers and also the member of their own community, as the students who will join them after completing their studies.

Looking Forward

In university the language that we use is more formal than what we have used throughout our lives. In the beginning of university life, the academic writing that we are taught to do are in accordance with the future needs i.e. the writing we should learn, in order to become a successful researcher and the writer. Academic writing is more formal because most of the work that is done in academics is research related and the information that we have to present to the people, needs to be accurate and while presenting that information and the language that we use needs t be the technical one because the use of technical language reduces complications and the length of the writing. Since the people are working at the same level, in university, so we don’t need to add unnecessary details and informal language, to make it understandable for people.

When before writing this piece, I went through a series of steps, like how to read the material that is provided to use, before writing the paper and how to present ideas formally and with a pattern that they seem easily understandable, it is also expected that the information that we present is complete and answer all the questions, that might come in the minds of the people. In academic writing, it is expected that the person should use formal language, technical details professional style and the accurate information. This information and style is necessary in academic writing because, the information that is present by one researcher serves as the source of information and detail, for the other, so the information that is presented, should be accurate and presented in a manner that it is easily readable and understandable. Such expectations from academic writing are due to the need that one person. In order to become a good academic writer, it is essential to have the attributes of good writer, but, in addition, it is mended to have the knowledge of the particular field, in which we are working so that our academic writing can become the actual source of knowledge for the others. It is expected for us to present new ideas related to our field and to present them in most accurate and professional manner. It is certainly needed to become a good writer because if we know how to share information in a proper manner then we can become true successful writer and these are the same things that I also expect from me to be the professional academic writer because they can ensure my success and will help me in becoming the writer who can present ideas in most understandable manner.

Reflection

We may adopt different roles in life and may communicate differently with people on the basis of that role, but, there are certain terms that do not change and never leave our site, no matter, in which environment we are in and these attributes remain with us all the time. while I was young, I was taught that we have different relations with different people, but, the thing that need to be remembered that all relations demand respect and a relation becomes stronger if we give people their space and never be offensive in the use of language. I believe that this lecture of my parents never left my side. Irrespective of the fact that what type of people I am communicating with, parents teachers, friends, siblings, acquaintances, people of other social class or other religion or culture, I never use offensive language or tone. I do not do it intentionally, but it has become the part of my personality and never leaves me.

But, we certainly change our selves while being with other people. It can be well explained by Howard Giles Communication Accommodation theory. We generally want to be appreciated by the people and want to be felt as the part of community or group we are talking with and sometimes we want to separate ourselves from the group. In this case we unconsciously adopt different tones and styles of the people with which we are communicating. When we are among the group of people, we do not want to feel that we are left alone and are not part of that group, that why we tend to change our selves and we tend to communicate differently with different types of people and this thing has become the essential art of our personalities and we now keep on doing it, without giving it much thought.

After joining the university we are taught thorough to become a successful academic wrier and in order to succeed in this field, we are taught different techniques and styles and these determine and guarantee our success. If we learn to use the essential parts of becoming the successful writer, we can also develop our own special identity. The shifts in our common languages are due to the unconscious reasons, but, in university, we put conscious effort in becoming a good academic writer because it is the part of our learning process and it can benefit all throughout professional lives we may be the good researcher, but, if we are not good academic writers, then we cannot present our research to the people. We can establish our distinct identity by being more informative, readable and effective writers and our choice of words and the style we use can provide us the distinction among the other academic writers. After earning to become a good academic writer, it is completely on the writer to present his ideas effectively.

Conclusion

Use of language, in a proper way is important and it is also essential to use language in accordance with the environment and the surrounding in which we are in. also, when we reach university, research work and academic writing become essential part of our daily lives. It is essential to learn to become successful academic writer and also to become the most effective one by choosing to write in a manner that is understandable for other researchers.