Edward Kenneth A.

Dragas

2015-46053

The choice of linguistic communication and the use to which it is put are
fundamental to a peoples definition of itself in relation to its natural and social
environment. Language is thus inseparable from us as a assemblage of human beings
with a specific form and character, a specific chronicle, a specific relationship to the
world we live in. Language relationship with mind, soul, personality and thought of
those who speak in their mother tongue, make most of societies with colonialist goals
to intrude other societies and focus on forcing foreign language and language identity
in their such communities. Being aware of the value of language and cultural
domination, colonialists try to convey their thought, beliefs and their customs through
language as a cultural tool in an concealed and imperceptible way. Hence language
has always been at the center of the two contending social forces (colonialism and the
attempt for liberation from it) in countries in which the 3 imperial languages (Spanish,
French and English) have linguistic control up to this day.
During colonization, colonizers from these 3 imperial nations usually enforce
their language onto the peoples they colonized, forbidding the common folk to speak
their lingua franca, whether directly or indirectly. There are many historical records,
for example on how students were demoted, mortified, or even beaten for speaking
their native language in colonial schools. To answer the question, non-elites are forced
to the systematic imposition of colonial languages, also there are some who continue
to resist. They, in turn become activists who continue to defy orders from native elite
who the colonizers trained to serve their purpose in the region. On the other hand,
most non-elites see the language imposed by their colonizer as a practical alternative,
using the colonial spoken language both to enhance inter/intra-nation communication,

to find a way to position themselves in relation to their former colonizers and other,
and to join in the current advent of globalization in the 21st century.
The people of territory which are dominated through language can't think with
their native language and they accept dependence to colonialism language, at least to
represent and supply their primitive requirements and this dependence starts from
usual matters and little by little change to a part of their collective memory. The
conquered nation which accepted the hegemonic language occasionally become ready
psychologically to think about that language and separate of their mother tongue.
Separating to their ancestral language is a gradual one, which will span through
generations. Signs of change actually begin with the 2 nd generation of people speaking
the acquired language. They became bilingual, proficient with both their ancestral
language and the imposed language by the colonizers. When it comes to the 3 rd
generation, signs of seperation from their ancestral language became unavoidable as
they seek to better their position in their society. We can all agree that we want to
better ourselves in the future so the non-elites chose to be assimilated with their
colonial language rather than continue to use their ancestral one. These non-elites
have their own dreams and aspirations from themselves, and through that colonial
language, they have a chance of doing so. Some of them actually became scholars and
got to study abroad, in their colonial masters country. Finishing studies there opens
up opportunities for the non-elite in which in the future they will become the elite
themselves.
This kind of orientalism towards the 3 imperial languages is what makes it so
successful that they became global languages, until this day. Learning their language
usually provides opportunities for the natives, especially the common folk to better
themselves in the face of the current situation of their country. Puppet governments

were established in these colonial outposts as to streamline or implant this ideology to

the current and future population of that country. They pass laws which are now
written in their colonial masters language, their macro and micro-economic policies
usually coincide also with them, as well as the creation of new culture as they try to
combine their cultural past with the new one in store.
All in all, the non-elite were at first forced in assimilating to this new kind of
language their colonial masters imposed on them. This in turn gave rise to many
insurrections, which lasted through generations. Eventually they will prevail, but like
a seed succesfully planted into the soil, the grip of their former masters language
became to strong that they decided to retain it. Although there are some who both use
their ancestral and colonial language, some chose to completely abandon their past
language and fully embrace the new acquired language. It is in their collective
memory to accept the use of this language up to this day.