When the language one identifies with is far away, one does everything possible to keep it alive. Because words bring back everything: the place, the people, the life, the streets, the life, the sky, the flowers, the sounds. When you live without your own language you feel weightless and, at the same time, overloaded. Your breathe another type of air, at a different altitude. You are always aware of the difference.
In her book "In Other Words," Jhumpa Lahiri explores the deep connection between language and identity. The act of holding onto a native language becomes essential when one is distanced from it. Language evokes memories of places, people, and experiences, serving as a lifeline to one’s past. Words have the power to transport individuals back to their roots, enriching their understanding of who they are and where they come from.
Lahiri poignantly describes the emotional turmoil of living in a different linguistic environment. It creates a sense of being unmoored, as if one's identity is both elevated and weighed down by the absence of their native tongue. The contrast of breathing in a foreign atmosphere highlights the disconnection felt, while the continuous awareness of this difference shapes one’s experience profoundly. In her reflections, Lahiri captures the essence of cultural belonging and the struggle to maintain language as a vital part of one’s existence.
