问答题 It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power. It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger public, or communal identity. There have been, and are, times, and places, when to speak a certain language could be dangerous, even fatal. Or, one may speak the same language, but in such a way that one's antecedents are revealed, or (one hopes) hidden. This is true in France, and is absolutely true in England. The range (and reign) of accents on that damp little island make England coherent for the English and totally incomprehensible for everyone else. To open your mouth in England is (if may use black English) to "put your business in the street" You have confessed your parents, your youth, your school, your salary, your self-esteem, and, alas, your future.