Language And Culture: The Relationship Between Culture And Language

Since the inception of time, culture has been a very important aspect that has been tried to be preserved by many societies. Culture is the manifestation of human intellect as a whole and is shaped and reflected by many things. But, language shapes and reflects culture to an extent by directly correlating with changes in language influence the culture, but language rarely changes. When it does, it directly affects the culture. Many instances of changes in language that reflect in the culture can be seen as the characters begin breaking their usual cultural values and rules.

Culture is transmitted from one generation to another. Language is the main car of culture. Language in different form makes it easy for the present generation to understand the realization of earlier generations.

Language is used to communicate and convey meaning from one person to another. It is an arbitrary system of sounds and symbols in which it is contextualised and is used to express cultural identity and social relationships. Language can be seen by the way individuals communicate through gestures and facial and body expressions. Language can be heard through voice and attitude (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Language is diverse in the sense that different languages have different words for the same concept. However language allows communication of values and beliefs. Kilickaya (2009) highlights that, ‘English is the best option for people from different backgrounds’. Within Standard English different registers are used to assist communication,

Language is related to culture because I believe that a language influences people’s culture and it is also the way that people express themselves in their culture. We use language to demonstrate how we see, participate in, and how we learn from the world.

Language has different meanings and is used to describe something physically presented in the world. It is distinguished among terms such as oral language, written language, and language itself. Oral language is the primary form of language and written language comes second. An individual’s social class can influence the way language is written and spoken. Language is ideological, where an individual’s view of the world can be changed. Multi-literacies can influence the way texts are viewed and the child's access to it can shape their journey with language. Educators guidance on their students can affect the child's skills and learning of language. Language has its many purposes and forms in which are influenced by culture and religions.

Ken Wiwa presents several ideas pertaining to language and culture within his essay, Get Beyond Babel. Wiwa explains that every language has a chance of dying out over time. For any language to survive through years of societal changes, it must be adapted so it can be used to embrace other cultures, new technology and new perspectives. Wiwa presents the concept that language is the same as culture. I do not agree with this concept because I believe that culture is carried by the people, not by the language.

The paper “Language Ideology”, co- written by Kathryn Woolard and Bambi Schiefflin published in the year 1994 by 'Annual Reviews’ is a review on the link between language ideology and cultures.

Culture is defined as the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another (Staff, 2015). Culture effects the way a person perceives, communicates and behaves in the world, what is “socially” acceptable in one culture is not necessarily acceptable in another. Common language, gestures and signals are used to communicate within each culture and are therefore an extension of culture and how you speak is effected by what you were taught and how you view the world. Communicating is a give and take process and it is an experience that you share with someone.

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 a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing. It is considered as an art because when used it able to help a person develop or create a certain picture in the mind. Language being an artifact of culture means that it is an interesting thing that is created by the people. It is an aspect of their way of life of the people. It also helps in development of the people as writers and intellects. As a culture it is a people’s way of life and therefore the impact it has to human beings cannot be under looked.

In our textbook, Real Communications by O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin and Teven, culture is defined as, “a learned system of thought and behavior that belongs to and typifies a large group of people”. In short, culture is the way we do things that is the same as people where we came from. It can vary not only from country to country, but even different parts of the city. It is part of an identity through which we see the world and can affect how we interpret information, especially speeches and body language. Culture includes lots of things such as languages, fashion, music, art, customs, and slang.

Learning a second language necessarily involves comparison with the learners’ first language, but the latter is generally perceived as causing ‘interference’ in the learning of the target language. So, students are taught to imitate, practice drills, and create speaking habits without addressing the larger complexities of language learning. In the language classroom, learners do not only learn about a culture but they try to understand themselves in relation to that culture. This process entails the transformational engagement of the learner in the act of learning. Students bring with them their own conceptions, misconceptions, experiences, feelings and understanding to the classroom, and as they interact with another culture, their views will continue to change and shape their learning as well as their identity. The diverse cultural understandings and experiences of the students are highly influential and therefore need to be taken into account.

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 the universal connection that brings all humans together. We share this common ground to communicate. The three major points that I would like to focus on are: How does language influence our culture? Does it define us, or does it refine us? And lastly, the impact that language has on our societies.

Each culture is unique, as a result, its language is also unique, so when translating from one language into another we come across unique problems. It is commonly considered that understanding the culture of a country is only by understanding what people of that country are saying or writing. However, in practice, the fact that language is rooted in culture is often forgotten. The bigger the cultural difference, the more difficult is to translate the culture bound concepts.