Like fashion, language is one of the most important ways individuals use to express their identities, their preferences, and their lifestyle. Language communicates far more than its semantics. With choice of language, a person aligns with a specific generation, a geographic location, or a cultural group. Language can also differentiate between an in-group and an out-group, as when native speakers revert to using their own language in the presence of foreigners. On the contrary, using English as a universal or international language is a symbol of globalization, interconnectedness, and interdependency. Like fashion, language can become trendy or go out of style. Language can convey wealth, status, and level of education. What one chooses to say, or not to say, has a strong bearing on how that person wishes to be perceived by others. Fashion, language, and identity construction are therefore closely connected with one another.
Given the importance of language to identity, it is easy to see why language is critical in branding for fashion or any other industry that relies heavily on identity markers. Fashion and language are both “sign systems,” (“Dress, Language, and Communication.” (n.d.). Whereas fashion is primarily a visual sign system, language is verbal. Fashion is a visual language. Language performance refers to the deliberate construction of personal identity using verbal symbols. Often, verbal symbols coincide with fashion markers of identity to create a cohesive image or brand identity. One example is the convergence of hip-hop language with hip-hop fashion. Language, like fashion, can also express gender identity or sexuality. The decision to use slang, slurs, or curse words communicates the person’s core identity and alignment with various subcultures.
Both language and fashion convey cultural, ethnic, and national identity. Traditional dress can denote one’s culture or role in the society, and a rejection of traditional dress also speaks volumes about the person’s politics or identity. Similarly, language is a direct expression of culture. The Basque...
Works Cited
Arvanitidou, Zoi and Gasouka, Maria. “Fashion, Gender, and Social Identity.” Retrieved online: https://process.arts.ac.uk/sites/default/files/zoi-arvanitidou.pdf
Brown, Tony. “Key Indicators of Language Impact on Identity Formation in Belarus.” Russian Language Journal 63(2013): 247-288.
“Dress, Language, and Communication.” n.d.. Retrieved online: http://www.margaritabenitez.com/readings/dress_language_communication_full.pdf
“Language and Identity.” Chapter 2. Retrieved online: http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/uploads/M02_HALL5068_02_SE_C02.pdf
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