Does Language Shape Culture?

The language is defined as “human communication through the use of spoken or written words,” but that definition must include that language is also a cultural identity – “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”. In other words, the language provides information about your roots; it is one of the most valuable resources to communicate with your mother culture.

Language is one of the most recognizable tools but some tools are more subtle. For example, technology is a tool in western society that less industrialized societies aren’t exposed to. An individual that has grown up with complete access to all the latest technology is going to think differently than an individual that has never seen any form of technology. Overall, some behaviors and ways of thinking can only be caused by exposer to specific social and cultural contexts, as this perspective explains.

Language is a tool that may be used in thinking, but it isn’t the sole basis of

Languages have been developed by human beings in the beginning of time as a mean of communication and to this day no other way has proved to be as efficient, even people with deficient hearing or speaking have created a language for themselves. However, the diversity of languages around the globe seems to be representing a barrier between nations. People who speak one language tend to subconsciously cluster together, as if they are attracted to each other by an invisible force. While that may be beneficial in terms of the workings of the inner society, it actually makes it more difficult for populations speaking different languages to relate with each other. People should not be evaluated based on their imperfect use of a foreign language,

One universal aspect of the human condition is communication. Finding some way to convey the abstract concepts of our minds in such a way they can be understood by others is a fundamental necessity of being a human in culture as we understand it. It is with this understanding that the question has been asked; if language is the medium through which our perceptions are channeled, how much are our perceptions distorted by language? How much is our language distorted by our perceptions? Is this relationship something that could be manipulated, and how effective would it be? Thankfully, these are questions that

Language is a cognitive function that most of us take for granted. It starts from early on, some say at conception, and it develops in complexity as we get older. It is an essential part of communication and without it its development would be greatly hindered. This natural process requires complex structures and reasoning, the bringing together of sounds and words to develop concrete ideas and thoughts. In this paper we will discuss the components of language and how it relates to cognitive processes.

Thoughts May Distort our Language Our thoughts are part of the language we speak. When people have innovative thoughts, they will place the ideas or thoughts on paper to come alive. Many writers have given their input on how we as humans interpret thoughts about the native tongue of certain cultures throughout the world. Guy Deutscher wrote a passage with the title Does Your Language Shape How You Think(pp447-454).

Have you ever had the feeling that speaking another language changes how you think? Could speaking a new language take you to a different perceptual world? Or is language just a set of labels for universal thoughts or ideas? (Shaules, 2015) Many brilliant thinkers have spent their entire lives working on these kinds of topics for over a century. When it comes to linguistic relativity, “The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis”, first proposed by ‘Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf seventy years ago, states that the language we speak does shape the way we see the world and has an important role, it remains the dominant hypothesis in the field of language and thoughts. (Sapir, 1921)

How would you give someone directions to your house? Would you tell them you are on Cherry street, second house on the left? Or, are you more likely to say you are in the southwest corner of town, second house to the north? This line of thought is discussed in Lera Boroditsky’s “Lost in Translation” (469-473). Similarly, John O’C Hamilton praises Boroditsky’s research in “You Say Up, I say Yesterday” (463-468). However, Steven Pinker believes all of the focus on brain changes are a waste of time in “TITLETITLETITLE” (PAGE#). +Guy Deutscher discuses BLANK in “Does Your Language Shape How You Think?” (PAGE#) Regardless, Boroditsky’s is correct in her research that our spoken languages do shape our minds. Language

In this paper, I am going to write about how language and thought are closely related to each other. The reason I am highly interested on the topic “Thinking & Language” is because I speak 7 languages, and I realized that my personality, thinking, attitude and behavior change with the language I speak. I feel like there are many versions of “ME”.

Language is part of who a person is. Also like in spanish, by the way we speak we can tell where everyone is from. A big part of culture is language that's why it is used to distinguish.

Some scholars believe that language has a direct effect on how we perceive the world and some scholars don’t.

Culture and language have long been believed to be intimately interrelated. Defined by anthropologist Tylor (1871, p.1), culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." People learn culture through language. Language, one of the most distinctive characteristics of human, is unique to human with its productive and creative nature (Hockett, 1960). This essay aims to discuss how language is influenced by culture. CL7 and Gossophilia

Language is perhaps the most important key to understanding culture in general and the specific values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions of a particular individual or group.

Language is necessary and crucial in many different aspects. Many may argue that language is just a form of communication; a collection of letters and sounds trying to get a message across, whereas others may argue that language is beyond such simple explanation. In this paper I will argue that there is a strong connection between language and culture by taking a deeper look into what insight language provides and its connection to culture, as well as experience.