British English · C1 · Unit 10
Identity and belonging
Identity and belonging
By the end you can
- Discuss how language shapes identity
- Reflect on where you feel at home
- Understand a reflective essay
Words and phrases
| British English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a sense of identity | a feeling of who you are | Language gives me a sense of identity. |
| caught between two cultures | belonging to two cultures and fully to neither | I've always felt caught between two cultures. |
| my mother tongue | my first language | My mother tongue is Urdu, but I dream in English. |
| I identify as | I see myself as | I identify as both Welsh and Nigerian. |
| home is where | the place I belong is where | For me, home is where my children are. |
| an outsider | someone who is not accepted as part of a group | I'll always be a bit of an outsider here. |
| put down roots | settle somewhere for a long time | We've finally put down roots in Bristol. |
| second-generation | born in a country to parents who moved there | As a second-generation immigrant, I grew up with two languages. |
| code-switch | change between languages or styles of speaking | I code-switch without even thinking about it. |
| inextricably linked | so closely connected that they can't be separated | Language and identity are inextricably linked. |
| lost in translation | lost when said in another language | Some jokes get lost in translation. |
| at odds with | in conflict with | My accent is at odds with how I feel inside. |
Then talk it through
A conversation about whether you feel at home in the UK. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.