Language & Culture Present

8/3/2019 Language & Culture Present

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LANGUAGE & CULTURE

Prepared by :

Sabri

Azrul

Naem

Kamil


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LANGUAGE..

Language is the primary means of interactions

between people. Speakers use language to convey

their thoughts, feelings, intentions, and desires to

others. Language links interlocutors in a dynamic,reflexive process. We learn about people through

what they say and how they say it; we learn about

ourselves through the ways that other people react

to what we say; and we learn about our

relationships with others through the give-and-take of communicative interactions--Bonvillain


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LANGUAGE IS DISTINCTLY HUMAN; IT IS A FACULTY

THAT SEPARATES US FROM OTHER SPECIES OF

ANIMALS.

y the gift of language is the single human trait that makes

us unique, setting us apart from the rest of life. Language

is like nest building or hive making, the universal andbiologically specific activity of human beings. We engange

in it communally, compulsively, and automatically. We

cannot be human without it; if we were to be separated

from it our minds would die, as surely as bees lost from the

hive.


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LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT TO HUMAN ACTIVITY

BECAUSE IT IS THE MEANS BY WHICH WE REACH OUT

TO MAKE CONTACT WITH OTHERS.

Because of your ability to use language,you can reliably cause precise newcombinations of ideas to arise in eachothers minds

"In nature's talent show we are simply aspecies of primate with our own act, aknack for communicating information

about who did what to whom bymodulating the sounds we make whenwe exhale.


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LANGUAGE HAS 3 MAIN FUNCTIONS:

y From a cultural perspective, it is the primary means

ofpreserving culture and is the medium of

transmitting culture to new generations.

y It helps establish and preserve community by

"linking individuals into communities of sharedidentity."

y At the societal level, it is important to all aspects of

human interaction because it "often relates to

political goals."


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Words can have many different meanings depending on

your background and culture.

The word cool can mean something related to weather

for one person and something trendy, nice, and with it

for another person.


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CULTURE AND MEANING

If culture is included as a variable in the process

of deciding meaning, then the problem becomes

bigger.

Culture teaches us both the symbol (dog) and

what the symbol represents (a furry, four-legged,

domesticated animal).


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Intracultural communication tends to be very

easy, because you have the same background and

experiences.

Intercultural communication often becomesdifficult as speakers attempt to establish common

meanings for words.


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It becomes even more complicated when you

throw in words (in different languages) for

abstract ideas.

What does freedom mean? Love? Wealth?

Nature? Leadership? Democracy? Security? Not

only do cultures have different words, but also

varying ideas about what these things are.


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CULTURE AND RULES OF INTERACTION

Human languages frequently seem to be the only

communication system that combines apparently

meaningless elements (words) to create

meaningful structures (sentences and ideas).

Nothing more clearly distinguishes one culture

from another than its language.


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RULES OF INTERACTION

Directnessy American (directness) vs. Chinese (indirectness)

Maintaining social relationships

y Japanese, social status, gender difference

Expressions of affecty Word choice

Value of conversation.

y Throughout Africa, the spoken word rather than the

written word is generally the foremost means of

communication.


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DIRECTNESS AND INDIRECTNESS

Most Americans use direct language. They are

not reserved or shy. We try to avoid ambiguity

and vagueness and get to the point.

Asians prefer indirection language they try to

preserve dignity, feelings, and face.


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AMERICAN VS. CHINESE INSULTS

Americans prefer a direct assault they want an

immediate effect.

Chinese prefer indirect insults they want acorrosive effect. The most powerful insult would

mean that the person would not be able to fall

asleep later because he/she is still thinking about

the words.


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MAINTAINING SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Some languages have formal and informal

pronouns or verb structures (Spanish, German,

etc).

The structure of the Japanese languageemphasizes a focus on human relationships.

Western languages tend to focus on objects and

their logical relationships.


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GENDER AND LANGUAGE

Some languages have different forms for men and

women.

In Japanese, women use the joseino oronnakotoba style when they wish to emphasize

their femininity.


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Mexican culture has a lot of male authority, so

there are different forms in Spanish.

A group of men would be ellos; a group of women

would be ellas. If a group has many men and

women, it is still ellos, emphasizing that there are

men in the group.

If there were a bunch of girls (nias) and 1 boy(nio), the group would still be called nios.


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EXPRESSIONS OFAFFECT

In Korean, love is not expressed as openly, as

warmly, or as freely as in the United States.

British English uses many euphemisms whichallows the speakers to disagree without being

rude.


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One might say, I may be wrong here, but

There are differences between British and

American English:y U.S.: No dogs allowed.

y England: We regret that in the interest of hygiene,

dogs are not allowed on the premises.

y

U.S.: Please keep hands off door.y England: Obstructing the door causes delay and can be

dangerous.


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ANGER

When Americans get angry, they tend to raise

their voice in order to show their anger.

In Navajo, you use enclitics (special grammaticalstructures) to show anger.


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VALUE OF CONVERSATION

Many cultures derive a great deal of pleasure

from conversation.

In Africa (and other tribal cultures), oralcommunication is more important than writing


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Arabs believe that Arabic is Gods language and

treat it with great admiration and respect they

love it dearly.

Greeks have a long tradition of rhetoric and greatuse of language.

Mexicans enjoy wordplay and verbal jokes.


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