The story behind my language
Heritage , Identity , InclusivityResearchers have found that in places where there are rivers, the number of different languages that are spoken is much higher. As sources of transport, rivers draw people together, and each person who travels on a river brings unique parts of themselves along the journey – including their language.
No matter where the river of your life’s journey has taken you, your language is something that you carry with you. It gives you a sense of identity, connectedness and belonging.
Knowing one another’s languages is a beautiful way to see each other more deeply. In a multi-lingual country like South Africa – the only one in the world to have 12 official languages! – many of us can speak many different languages, but there is often one that we hold dearest.
To help you reflect on the different ways that language has featured in your life, and what words or phrases feel like home to you, we have put together some reflection questions that you can use to get more in touch with your own story, and some questions that you can ask other people about language to learn more about their stories. Getting to know someone’s story is at the heart of our What’s Your Story? initiative.
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." – Nelson Mandela
Reflection questions
- What language(s) did you grow up speaking?
- Did you learn any other languages? What was that experience like?
- What is a phrase or saying that you love hearing when you are at home or with loved ones?
Action step
If there is someone in your life who you would like to get to know better, language can be a beautiful place to start. Here are some questions you could ask them to get to know them better:
- What language do you dream in? Was there a point in life when it was different?
- Do you speak any other languages? What was that experience of learning a different language like?
- Which other language do you wish you could speak?
- What is a phrase or saying that you love hearing when you are at home?
Lindsey Moyo
Lindsey has a background in journalism, online content production and publishing. She is passionate about helping people use words to communicate their stories and perspectives.
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