In his essay, “Decolonizing the Mind,” Ngũgĩ wa Thiong 'o claims language “is a product of history” and, in turn, “reflects” that history (899). This “reflection” take the form of traditions, idioms, and customs which structure a culture (899). For Ngũgĩ wa Thiong 'o, the culture which language creates is defined as a “collective memory bank of a peoples’ experiences in history;” a history often filled with outside influence (900). These experiences give rise to a culture’s unique worldviews. Because the culture’s worldviews are formed by its amounting history, the culture continues to evolve over time. Robyn Creswell and Bernard Haykel also recognize history’s role in the formation of culture and language in their study of jihadist poetry.
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To Creswell and Haykel, a society’s history epitomizes the standard to which a society should model their modern day culture. Instead of a culture maturing, it remains constant throughout the years; it does not accept outside influence and does not care for any history besides the golden age which it is attempting to model (Creswell and Haykel). For instance, according to Creswell and Haykel’s essay, “Battle Lines,” jihadi must renounce their homes in society because those societies have forsaken what history has proven it means to be a “true” Muslim (Creswell and Haykel). Thus, these jihadi form a culture “of romance,” promising adventure, and where “medieval heroism and chivalry” are still “relevant” (Creswell and Haykel). They attempt to prove to the world, and to themselves, that this “identity” they have taken on is rooted in their ancient history and portrays them as “the only true Muslims” (Creswell and Haykel). Language, itself, is subsequently influenced by this constrained worldview; poems are written with “archaic flourish,” propaganda videos are reminiscent of the “earliest Muslim conquerors,” and the use of antiquated vernacular is a popular way to communicate within the society (Creswell and Haykel). Thus a culture carries a single history, in this case, the romantic view of …show more content…
Language affects the way the people of a given culture think, and this culturally based thought process results in a unique perspective of the world. Defined by either a set point in history or the amounting experiences of a society, cultural perspective provides a way to see the present in light of the past (897). The uniqueness of a culture’s worldviews are often manifested in the idiosyncrasies of its language; for example, jihadist use “archaic flourish” and often obsolete parlances (Creswell and Haykel) and colonizers manipulate language to alter how others, especially those who have been colonized, perceive them (903). Furthermore, language represents a society in the world, it facilitates understanding, and helps the world relate to the often exotic nature of foreign societies. In conjunction with a study of a people’s history, language is fundamental to understanding a culture; at very least, language provides the basis for which to build
To Creswell and Haykel, a society’s history epitomizes the standard to which a society should model their modern day culture. Instead of a culture maturing, it remains constant throughout the years; it does not accept outside influence and does not care for any history besides the golden age which it is attempting to model (Creswell and Haykel). For instance, according to Creswell and Haykel’s essay, “Battle Lines,” jihadi must renounce their homes in society because those societies have forsaken what history has proven it means to be a “true” Muslim (Creswell and Haykel). Thus, these jihadi form a culture “of romance,” promising adventure, and where “medieval heroism and chivalry” are still “relevant” (Creswell and Haykel). They attempt to prove to the world, and to themselves, that this “identity” they have taken on is rooted in their ancient history and portrays them as “the only true Muslims” (Creswell and Haykel). Language, itself, is subsequently influenced by this constrained worldview; poems are written with “archaic flourish,” propaganda videos are reminiscent of the “earliest Muslim conquerors,” and the use of antiquated vernacular is a popular way to communicate within the society (Creswell and Haykel). Thus a culture carries a single history, in this case, the romantic view of …show more content…
Language affects the way the people of a given culture think, and this culturally based thought process results in a unique perspective of the world. Defined by either a set point in history or the amounting experiences of a society, cultural perspective provides a way to see the present in light of the past (897). The uniqueness of a culture’s worldviews are often manifested in the idiosyncrasies of its language; for example, jihadist use “archaic flourish” and often obsolete parlances (Creswell and Haykel) and colonizers manipulate language to alter how others, especially those who have been colonized, perceive them (903). Furthermore, language represents a society in the world, it facilitates understanding, and helps the world relate to the often exotic nature of foreign societies. In conjunction with a study of a people’s history, language is fundamental to understanding a culture; at very least, language provides the basis for which to build