CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

Culture and language are indispensible for our life.*

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society.From Primitive Culture by Sir Edward Burnett Tylor(Englishanthropologist, 2 October 1832 2 January 1917)DEFINITION OF CULTURE

When you think about the word culture, what comes to your mind?

Culture is defined by anthropologists in a variety of ways. The definition usually includes some notion of shared values, beliefs, expectations, customs, jargon, and rituals*

COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

Society : Refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a cultureNeither society nor culture could exist without the otherSocieties may include a number of cultures and languagesSYMBOLS : It refers to an object, gesture, sound, color or design that represents something other that itself.Values are abstract concepts of what is important and worthwhile, they are general ideas that individuals share about what is good or bad.Beliefs refer to a person's conviction about a certain idea. Specific statements that people hold to be trueNorms : These are the guidelines people are supposed to follow in their relation with one another & they indicate the standard of propriety, morality, legality, and ethics of a society that are covered by sanctions when violation are made.*

Language is systematic communicationby vocal symbols.(Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, 1994: 479)DEFINITION OF LANGUAGE

Here the single English word Read is written in twelve of the hundreds of languages humans use to communicate with one another.Is there one definition for language? NOAccording to Wikipedia Languageis thehumancapacity for acquiring and using complex systems ofcommunication, anda languageis any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is calledlinguistics.There are many definitions of language, but the main point of all those definitions is that language is system of communication.Folklorist Crats Williams defines language as "culture expressing itself in sound" (quoted in Ovando 1990:341). It gives individuals and groups their identity.The language you learnt your first words in, the language your mother and father talked to you, the language which was used in your nearest surroundings and the language you use with your closest family and friends will always be a part of your identity as a person.Language is a powerful tool we have been using to understanding and develop our thinking. We have been learning about the thinking of others by reading, expressing our own thinking through writing and exchanging ideas with others by speaking and listening.Today, language plays important role in developing our culture & also making our culture known to the people of other cultures.*

RELATIONSHIP BETWEENCULTURE & LANGUAGE Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression in that society.Edward Sapir(18841939) Americananthropologist-linguist

It is generally agreed that language and culture are closely related.Language is an important part of culture. However, the relationship between language and culture is more complicated than the relationship of a part and the whole. Language is a carrier of culture. It conveys all the information about culture in verbal and written forms. On the other hand, culture influences and shapes language. Without culture, there is no language. The two interact. As a result, different nations have formed different cultural and language patternsHuman use language as a way of signaling identity with one cultural group and difference from others. Even among speakers of one language, several different ways of using the language exist.Linguistic differences may become salient markers of divisions between social groups, for example, speaking a language with a particular accent may imply membership of an ethnic minority or social class, ones area of origin, or status as a second language speaker.*

Surface CultureAbove the SurfaceEmotional Load: Relatively LowFood * Dress * Music * Visual Arts * Drama * Crafts * Dance * Literature * Language * Celebrations * GamesVISIBLE ASPECT OF CULTUREThe kind of VISUAL elements of culture that are easily identifiable, easily shared, and easily accessed.ICEBERG OF CULTURE

Unspoken RulesJust Below the SurfaceEmotional Load: HighElements of culture that are perhaps not as easily pointed out, more ingrained into society. Behavior-based.

Unconscious RulesFar Below SurfaceEmotional Load: INTENSEThe things that dont get talked about, and often times arent even realized. Value-Based.INVISIBLE ASPECT OF CULTUREICEBERG OF CULTURE

(Continued) INVISIBLE ASPECT OF CULTUREUnspoken RulesCourtesy * Contextual Conversational Patterns * Concept of Time * Personal Space * Rules of Conduct * Facial Expressions * Non-Verbal Communication * Body Language * Touching * Eye-Contact * Patterns of Handling EmotionsUnconscious RulesNotions of Modesty * Concept of Beauty * Courtship Practices * Relationships to Animals * Notions of Leadership * Tempo of Work * Concepts of Food * Ideals of Childrearing * Theory of Disease * Social Interaction Rate * Nature of Friendships * Tone of Voice * Attitudes Towards Elders * Concept of Cleanliness * Notions of Adolescence * Patterns of Group Decision-Making * Definition of Insanity * Preference for Competition or Cooperation * Tolerance of Physical Pain * Concept of self * Concept of Past and Future * Definition of Obscenity * Attitudes toward Dependents * Problem-Solving Roles in Relation to Age, Sex, Class, Occupation, Kinship, and so forth

Culture and language are indispensible for our life.*When you think about the word culture, what comes to your mind?

Culture is defined by anthropologists in a variety of ways. The definition usually includes some notion of shared values, beliefs, expectations, customs, jargon, and rituals*Society : Refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a cultureNeither society nor culture could exist without the otherSocieties may include a number of cultures and languagesSYMBOLS : It refers to an object, gesture, sound, color or design that represents something other that itself.Values are abstract concepts of what is important and worthwhile, they are general ideas that individuals share about what is good or bad.Beliefs refer to a person's conviction about a certain idea. Specific statements that people hold to be trueNorms : These are the guidelines people are supposed to follow in their relation with one another & they indicate the standard of propriety, morality, legality, and ethics of a society that are covered by sanctions when violation are made.*Here the single English word Read is written in twelve of the hundreds of languages humans use to communicate with one another.Is there one definition for language? NOAccording to Wikipedia Languageis thehumancapacity for acquiring and using complex systems ofcommunication, anda languageis any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is calledlinguistics.There are many definitions of language, but the main point of all those definitions is that language is system of communication.Folklorist Crats Williams defines language as "culture expressing itself in sound" (quoted in Ovando 1990:341). It gives individuals and groups their identity.The language you learnt your first words in, the language your mother and father talked to you, the language which was used in your nearest surroundings and the language you use with your closest family and friends will always be a part of your identity as a person.Language is a powerful tool we have been using to understanding and develop our thinking. We have been learning about the thinking of others by reading, expressing our own thinking through writing and exchanging ideas with others by speaking and listening.Today, language plays important role in developing our culture & also making our culture known to the people of other cultures.*It is generally agreed that language and culture are closely related.Language is an important part of culture. However, the relationship between language and culture is more complicated than the relationship of a part and the whole. Language is a carrier of culture. It conveys all the information about culture in verbal and written forms. On the other hand, culture influences and shapes language. Without culture, there is no language. The two interact. As a result, different nations have formed different cultural and language patternsHuman use language as a way of signaling identity with one cultural group and difference from others. Even among speakers of one language, several different ways of using the language exist.Linguistic differences may become salient markers of divisions between social groups, for example, speaking a language with a particular accent may imply membership of an ethnic minority or social class, ones area of origin, or status as a second language speaker.*