Language and Identity
From Seminar 2: The Peopling of New York City
Contents |
How do Language and Popular Press Sustain West Indian Identities in New York City?
Origins
The perception that human beings have of each other is crucial to determining how they behave toward each other. While there are many elements in defining an individual’s identity, one of the most important, albeit not recognizable by sight, is the person’s language. Language determines, largely, “how we conceive of a person” and our actions toward them. Identity is, in fact, considered the third major function of language. People quickly form “strong conceptions of each other’s identities based on the way” they speak (Joseph 12). This is especially true for immigrants. It is important to realize that the construction of such identities is quite arbitrary and the divisions may not be real but once they are established, they become genuine for all practical purposes. This is crucial in New York with its tremendous variation of peoples.
What is Transnationalism and What does it have to do with Identity?
The dynamics of immigration in New York City depend a lot on transnationalism. Also, identity becomes extremely complicated when class, national and transnational identities are factored in. Transnationalism refers to processes by which “immigrants forge and sustain multi-stranded social relations that link together their societies of origin and settlement.” (Schiller 48) This “simultaneous embeddedness” in multiple societies characterizes West Indian immigration to the United States (Schiller 48). Transnational immigrants like West Indians also possess a transnational identity. For example, while many West Indian immigrants become citizens of the United States, they identify with their region of origin. This is also true in the case of the second-generation. Sometimes, these immigrants (in response to society) identify themselves as "West Indian" in addition to the regional identity.
The dynamics of language in the West Indies
Language in the West Indies is a very complex issue and requires extensive analysis to fully comprehend. The West Indian languages arose due to forced contact between different groups of people during colonialism (Holm 16). Although, considered derivations of the language of the mother colonial country, contemporary scholars regard these as new languages (Holm 1). Nero describes the actual language use in the West Indies as a “creole continuum” that ranges from Creole to Creole English (487).
The identity of identity and the influence of language
Creation of an Identity
Identity is “dynamic across time and place” and since identity “constructs and is constructed by language”, language still plays a major role even in realizing identities ‘forced’ onto people by society (Norton 419). Racism in the United States contributes to this ‘forced’ creation of identities. The response of society to the immigrants and the numerous languages that they speak work hand in hand to create and preserve a common ethnic identity.
Social/Ethnic Identity
By saying language preserves identity, we mean, specifically, ethnic or social identity. There are two different forms of ethnic identities that Gumperz calls “old” and “new” ethnicities. The old form of ethnic identity depended on ties such as familial, neighborhood and occupational. The new form of ethnic identity is procured from emphasizing the differences between individual groups (Gumperz 5). This new form of ethnic identity is important in the interaction between West Indians and African-Americans.
Identity and language in practical situations
While in a famous chain of restaurants, I spotted two young men conversing in rapid patois, which is Jamaican English. However, when they turned to order, they switched to American English. Interestingly, these men spoke to two Haitian women in a dialect that was neither purely patois nor standard American English. It was possible for them to speak in American English to the young women; however, they chose to speak in a dialect that was more West Indian but not purely Jamaican. The patois speakers had a particular perception of an identity that they believed they were part of. This influenced their interactions with other members of the same group as well as with members of different groups.
Popular press and identity? What is the connection?
People who share the same identity tend to live in the same neighborhood. This, in turn, facilitates the creation of neighborhood presses (Kasinitz 70). The effect of the immigrant press is crucial to understanding immigrant identity and how it is preserved. There are “two distinct phases” that most immigrant presses go through. They first have a “cosmopolitan” outlook. However, when their reader base begin to learn English and procure “better financed” indigenous media, the community press becomes specialized and reports ethnic news. These media then become a source of opinions and discussions . The readers feel united as they express common thoughts and views.
Other benefits of the local press
The press helps to present an unified face for politicians to access voter block. It helps employers to access a solid pool of West Indian labor. Most importantly, since these media “define themselves as ‘Caribbean’, rather than either ‘black’ or specifically national…” (Kasinitz 72-73). A feeling of co-existence is created and upheld by these ethnic presses. The ethnic press sometimes unifies when language fails to connect people of the same ethnic background. Take the case of Haitians in New York, who speak both French and French Creole. They are linguistic barriers but they still identify as Haitian partially due to the effect of these presses.
Current Publications
Everybody reads Everybody's
One particular magazine, Everybody's (published in New York), provides “coverage of neighborhood activities”, with emphasis on music, entertainment and social events. This magazine was “originally focused on ‘news from home’ ”, it switched its priorities to providing information on the Caribbean community (Kasinitz 71). The magazine moved from being a source of information to being a source of identity. Its very name signifies its aim to unify.
The Haitian Times
This complex situation of Haitian languages is made worse in the United States where the younger generation speak English. The Haitian Times, a weekly publication in New York, is a very interesting case as it is written in English (Basara). Its publisher, Garry Pierre-Pierre, says he gambled on the younger generation who knew English. English is also crucial in negating class differences. The Haitian Times and Pierre-Pierre hope that Haitians will remain a "separate ethnic group and will not dissipate into the American melting pot of races and cultures." Here, we see a special case of language and the newspaper, working hand-in-hand to preserve ethnic identities
The New York Carib News
When I first opened a copy of the The Carib News, a full-page color advertisement invited me to celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month with Carib News. While not a member of the community, I was able to feel the bonds that immigrant press created between its readers. The paper reported a large amount of articles that were designed to project as sense of oneness. Almost all of the articles related to issues that directly affected the community. The newspaper mostly reported either news that directly influenced the West Indian population or current events in the Caribbean and sometimes, even Africa. For instance, in the April 29, 2008 issue, there were articles reporting Crime and Violence in the Caribbean (P12), advertisements about the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (P25) and even a community calendar proclaiming health fairs and tributes to Reggae music (P29). There were also entire sections devoted to youth, women, education, travel etc. The newspaper, thus, strongly displayed a need to address the entire Caribbean population.
How society views and treats the immigrants
The ubiquitous race factor
The United States has a long history of racism against African-Americans. migrants. In light of the racialization in the United States, identity plays an even more important role. The term “black” encompasses everyone whose skin-color ranges through every shade of black in the United States. However, this is not the case in the Caribbean (Foner 12). People who immigrate to the United States and consider themselves to not be black, suddenly find themselves lumped together with African-Americans. They become “aware” that they are "black". They have an identity forced upon them.
How West Indians respond using their language and their media
West Indian immigrants have to, indeed they are forced to, find methods to stress their individuality. They turn to their aspects of their culture that are unique. Very often, language may be the only factor that distinguishes these immigrants from African-Americans. This is the “new” ethnic identity discussed before. Language, here, plays a very crucial role in defining a unique West Indian status in New York. This coupled with their print media that generate solidarity and help these immigrants to remain, essentially, immigrants and not completely integrate into society. Their languages serve to distinguish them from other members of the same race classification that society has imposed and their immigrant presses serve to strengthen and maintain this identity.
Concluding Remarks
New York City is a very unique place with a tremendously variegated population that co-exists with relatively few issues. This is the city's greatest asset. Each of these populations create and maintain an unique identity. West Indians, who concentrate in ethnic neighborhoods like East Flatbush, do this through their unique languages and their ethnic presses. Racism forces these people to distance themselves from African-Americans. Nevertheless, these creations of identities truly bring the Islands to the City.
Works Cited
Basara, Zbigniew, and Nowy Dziennik. "Haitian Times A." Indypress NY. 23 Mar. 2003. Polish Daily News. 24 Apr. 2008 http://www.indypressny.org/polisharticle.htm.
Caribbean. Caribbean Travel Forums. Caribbean Travels. 5 May 2008 Digital Image <http://www.caribbeantravelforums.com/Caribbean.htm>.
Foner, Nancy, ed. Islands in the City: West Indian Migration to New York. Berkeley: University of California P, 2001.
Gumperz, John. Language and Social Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1982.
Holm, John A. Pidgins and Creoles: Volume I, Theory and Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988.
Joseph, John E. Language and Identity: National, Ethnic, Religious. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
Kasinitz, Philip. Caribbean New York: Black Immigrants and the Politics of Race. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1992.
Nero, Shondel. "The Changing Faces of English: a Caribbean Perspective." TESOL Quarterly 34 (2000): 483-510. JStor. 14 Apr. 2008.
Norton, Bonny. "Language, Identity and the Ownership of English." TESOL Quarterly 31 (1997): 409-429. JStor. 13 Apr. 2008.
New York. NYPA Board of Directors. New York Press Association. Digital Image. 4 May 2008 <http://www.nynewspapers.com/board.html>.
New York. Welcome to Everybody's Caribbean-American. Everybody's Magazine. Digital Image. 5 May 2008 <http://www.everybodysmag.com/>.
Schiller, Nina, Linda Basch, and Cristina S. Blanc. "From Immigrant to Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration." Anthropological Quarterly 68 (1995): 48-63. JStor. 14 Apr. 2008.