ABSTRACT
This chapter situates the production of language within the dynamics of ego formation and the articulation of identity. It is demonstrated that speech is coarticulated by images of self, especially in the context of self vs. other, and that this coarticulation functions in the transition from the preconscious to consciousness. It offers adaptive explanations of the atrophying of L1 skills at puberty and singles out pronunciation as the chief indicator of group membership and group identity. It demonstrates the fundamental function of repression in the production and processing of language, as repression is fundamental to the maintenance of a coherent ego. It illuminates the function of language as the medium for the formation of consciousness and identity.
