Do you agree with Noah’s assessment of the importance of language? What do his claims suggest about the power of language and the values placed on certain languages over others?

Noah describes languages in South Africa as a hierarchy, where “English comprehension is equated with intelligence”. He explains: “I learned to use language like my mother did . . . It became a tool that served me my whole life”. He even asserts that “language, even more than color, defines who you are to people”. Do you agree with Noah’s assessment of the importance of language? What do his claims suggest about the power of language and the values placed on certain languages over others?