Language is Culture | Ayanna Njoroge | TEDxYouth@BrookhouseSchool

[Music] many of us cease to realize the power and unifying ability of language the ability to communicate is one which we take for granted every day imagine this you wake up in the morning and are scrolling through your social media as us technology added to do and you come across a comment a video or a meme that has you on the floor cracking up so bad you can't even breathe or maybe that's just me I hope not well your first instinct will be to run into class the next day and share it with as many people as possible now imagine the scenario again but everyone in the room is speaking a language you do not understand you wouldn't be able to share this experience communication is in my opinion the most essential part of living it is deeply ingrained in each and every one of us the desire to communicate with others and in Kenya we've embraced the beauty that is Kenyan memes captioned in Kiswahili and our vernacular languages for example now many of you who have read and understood may or may not have left to a lot of us this was just a funny caption attached to a related image but to me it was so much more than that it was an attempt to communicate communicate with an audience who could not be able to understand the content of English memes on the basis of simply not knowing the language my goal for this TED talk is to encourage our further acquisition and the maintenance of our vernacular languages now I know that many of you have noticed my not-so Kenyan accent I landed here seven years ago from the US and as I walked through the airport I was perplexed by these signs and arrows labeled in this language I was yet to learn the signs were labeled phrases like one of the kia arrivals and Madam's ego luggage claim I was frightened the fact that each combination of vowels and letters were gibberish to me now as a result of all of my experiences with Kikuyu my vernacular being with my grandparents or the elderly members of my family I was of the idea that this language was meant for the older generation and this is still a mindset that many of us youth still have today hindering us from learning our mother tongues I would like to put it to you that there are so many benefits of learning your mother tongue and here are just a few connection to culture there is a quote that states languages culture and culture is language language is the system of communication used by a particular country or culture and when we were able to use our vernacular languages we will be able to build bonds within our culture and in Kenya we have embraced the beauty and we have been able Kenyan Kenyan media has played such a huge role in orchestrating the revolution of vernacular entertainment carnivore pioneering vernacular events and view salsa vernacular comedy language is the system language language is the road map of a culture it shows that where its people have come from and where they are going says Rita Mae brown without language it is completely and utterly impossible for an individual to fully understand and connect with one's culture communication the Marquise whaling Kikuyu I learned I realized that there was so much I was yet to discover when I moved here I was terrified of going to the supermarket I would hide behind my mom at the cash register hoping that the person seated on the other side wouldn't see me and ask Mambo because I didn't know how to respond but at least now I know it's poor after a couple of years I picked up some vocabulary here and there and what tested out as I passed the kiosk outside my church of course using horrible grammar but I didn't care because I still left with the two lollipops I intended to buy apart from these sweets I took away some confidence in my ability to communicate learning a language is much easier said than done but here's just one tip don't care so much about what other people may say you are learning this language to connect with a part of your culture so vital in the understanding of what makes you you I struggled at the beginning of my language learning journey always worried about what people would say or whether they would support me continue making your mistakes because I can assure you that practice makes perfect I would like to post you this question why can't we perfect our vernaculars and our English I asked this because I know that English is the global language of trade and it is impossible to throw away however does that mean that we must abandon our own languages in order to keep up with the ever developing world we live in I think not why do we look at those who are fluent in their mother tongues but struggle in English as though they are of lesser intelligence than us fluent only in a language which has nothing to do with our ancestral heritage a few weeks ago I overheard a woman speaking with her children in Kikuyu I wanted to know why why she took it upon herself to invest in her children a culture which many of us do not she said that your mother tongue is not something to be learned it is a way of life she was saying that we need to indulge ourselves in our mother tongues and in our cultures breaking down the walls of unfamiliarity built by societal changes today I stand in front of you with the belief that my future and the future of generations to come can be filled with the richness of our mother tongues to our parents take it upon yourself to introduce your children to their culture developing in them a pride for this part of their identity and to us the leaders of the future we cannot let this pass us by beginning the journey is the hardest part but in the end it is worth it neh - oh god Oh [Applause] [Music]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 5,902

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Education, Language

Id: -cO15gHFnFY

Length: 7min 58sec (478 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 09 2020