The Importance Of Language And Culture

The other article which is the Please, Thank You, it talks mainly about how studying language can make one succeed but it can also affects their culture. The majority of people in the world know english as a foreign language, the writer proves it by giving us statistics (logos). Many students in foreign countries that speak english as a

Language is an object that is central to human lives as it is perhaps the most significant cultural tool that separates humans from any other species (Evans, 2014). As language is multimodal, it is often described as a combination of words, sounds, gestures and images created by the mind, used in context with the assistance of objects, actions and interactions (Gee & Hayes, p. 7, 2011). The topics discussed in this essay will demonstrate the importance of language as both an object and as a social process, as a teacher’s approach to diversity in the classroom can be either damaging to a student’s educational experience or uplifting and positive.

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.

Culture has its important in comprehending communication since culture is figurative communication, and the connotations of the symbols can be learned and continued through establishments of a specific society.

During the course entitled Diversity and Cultural Issues in TESOL Education, issues of diversity and culture, as well as methods, strategies, and approaches for engaging English language learners were examined. Students all over the world learn English for a variety of reasons. Some students must study English as a requirement. Other students may wish to travel, study abroad, or work in the global marketplace where knowledge of the English language is seen as a prerequisite for success. Still other students have migrated to communities where English is spoken as the primary language. A school’s curriculum may be taught exclusively in English. Whatever the reasons for studying English may be, the one thing students all over the globe learning English have in common is that they are all different. Diversity includes different races, religions, ethnic origins, primary languages, among other human traits and wide-ranging economic circumstances.

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.

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.

The majority of countries around the world, including the United States, contain different linguistic and cultural groups. Despite this, few educational systems truly embrace these diverse languages and cultures inside the classroom or through instruction (Pinnock, 2009). “Language is the channel through which people’s cultures are transmitted”, but promoting only one or two languages deemed important the school system is separating many children from their culture (Pinnock, 2009). The ways in which language and culture are utilized in the classroom can be a “vital barrier or enabler” in successfully achieving national education goals (Pinnock, 2009). By embracing cultural as well as linguistic backgrounds and implementing them into classroom instruction, educators can help reduce the barriers facing an increasing population of English language learners in America’s educational system.

Relationship between culture and language has become a debatable topic for decades. To discuss the relationship between any two entities effectively, we have to have an understanding of the elements in question and this come into force when the relationship between culture and language is discussed. Language has been defined as the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or written symbols in a human society for communication and self-expression. The purpose of language is to communicate with others, to think and to create the foundation for shaping one’s standpoint and outlook to life. Culture on the other hand has multifarious meanings but for the sake of this article, the definition outlined below will serve our purpose. Culture is the total of the inherited and innate

The “American Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century” considers language to be “the primary vehicle for expressing cultural perspectives” and affirms that “the study of a language provides opportunities for students to develop insights in a culture that are available in no other way” (the language educator, ACTFL, 32) It implies that teaching or learning a second language goes with teaching or learning a second culture. Language acquisition is then implied to be culture acquisition. According to the ACTFL standards, “the true content of the foreign language course is not the grammar and vocabulary of the language, but the cultures expressed through that language.” We are then tempted to raise questions on the cultural identity of fluent bilingual speakers or polyglots. If learning a second language is learning or acquiring a second culture, does proficiency in a second language rhyme with proficiency in a second culture? If this can be answered yes, how do learners manage their first culture in their process to second language and culture proficiency?

When we interact with someone for the first time, read our favorite novel, and even take a trip outside of our hometown our language was impacted at some point. Language is a tool that has shaped my own character and made me the young lady that I am today. Language allows us to negotiate. Without language, society would not be able to function because there is no communication. We cannot learn properly because it hinders our well-being that enables us to evoke feelings and thoughts. Even though language has made an impact in my life through interacting with individuals on an interpersonal level, it has improved my reading and writing abilities because of two major events in my life.

Language and culture are inextricably intertwined. Language is a cultural activity and is also embedded in cultural models and values. Every linguistic or discourse event is structured in a way by the culture that surrounds the speech event and speech community. This nexus of language and culture is referred to as linguaculture and languaculture by Paul Freidrich (1989) and Michael Agar (1994) respectively. According to the prominent figure Ronald Langacker (1999) language is an essential instrument and component of culture, whose reflection in linguistic

As Holiday (2005) argues that English is international and the local context is the norm, Chinese cultural and education system influences both English Teaching and learning to a great extent.

The most important thing which we should mention talking about the culture is the relationship between language and culture and we should also answer to the question of why the teaching of culture should be regarded as the most significant part of the English language curriculum. Firstly we should underline that , language is a social institution, which has a significant role in shaping the society at large or in particular ,which plays an important role. Thus, if we learn the language in details, it should be understood as cultural practice, then we must identify the notion of culture in relation to language. Language is not an ‘independent construct’ but social practice both creating and created by ‘the social institutions within which we live and function.