LANGUAGE: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Abstract

In this text, I present some reflections about language. After all, what is language? Why should people take language more seriously? How does language relate to culture, politics, history, the body, and identities? How does language relate to the world? What is the role of language in our lives? My conclusion is that language is a double-edged sword: it has the power to include and exclude, to accept and resist, to oppress and liberate. In other words, language does not only communicate or describe everyday situations: it acts in the social order.

Keywords

• língua
• cultura
• política
• história
• discurso
• identidades