Lingua Teddi 24-25

The languages we speak intrinsically mould our identity. Language is a reflection of one’s culture, community, and self. Language is how we make sense of the world, and for most, there exists an intimate connection to a native or first language that quietly yet tangibly influences one’s approach to others and oneself. For me, that language is Hindi. I am from India, where cultures vary from city to city, and as do languages from one place to another. While there are 22 official languages recognized by the Indian Constitution, there are over 120 other major languages, with what may well be over 1,500 dialects. I am native to the northern part of India, where Hindi is the most prominently spoken language. Growing up, Hindi was the language I associated with home. It persisted in being a familiar comfort from when I first started to learn English in kindergarten, to now, and, I imagine, will continue to be so beyond. As I grew older and drifted away from my native tongue, Hindi became something I came to start valuing more; not because I felt disconnected from it, but because I realized how deeply intertwined it was with my sense of identity. It’s omnipresent in my life; in how I feel and express emotion, the comfort I feel switching back to it mid sentence with family, the inside jokes I have with my friends from my hometown, in moments when I reminisce my childhood, and even in how my brother and I at times blend it with English into an undignified Hinglish. Even if I express myself in English most of the time, I feel most myself when I slip into Hindi without meaning to. Hindi holds my memories, my culture, my humour, and most importantly, my identity. How we express ourselves and form our identities often starts with the first ever words we learned. Keeping your language close means holding onto a part of yourself. Whatever your tongue may be, it’s worth holding onto. EXPRESSING IDENTITY THROUGH LANGUAGE: HOW HINDI SHAPED MY IDENTITY

BY SYYSHA SINHA (N), LOWER SIXTH PHOTOGRAPHY FROM DIFFERENT MFL EVENTS

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