Unit 2 language and CultureLecture 1 Language, thought and culture

The story of Tower of Babel According to the biblical

account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where they resolved to build a tower of Babel with its top in the heavens.

To stop human’s attempt to reach the heavens. God separate them by making them speak different languages.

Language: Some Questions

What is language?Are we born knowing it?Are our brains wired for it?Does it make us unique among animals?

animals communicate through biologically inherited means

humans too, but also use symbols learned systems

the difference? animals: speech humans: language

any patterned verbal behavior

patterns governed, organized, generated by complex rules (grammar)

“Fun” Facts about languageLanguages with most native speakers?

Mandarin Chinese (874,000,000) Hindi (366,000,000) English (341,000,000)

Most widely distributed? official in 52 countries, common in 104 90% Internet traffic 60% radio programs

Majority of languages are ____ 90% of world’s languages dead/dying in 100 yrs

EnglishEnglish

unwrittenunwritten

How is language related to culture ?Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Language both: a) reflects cultural world view

and b) shape the world view

How language reflects cultureabundance or scarcity of certain concept

words reflects a culture’s reality.

1. Language reflects the environment most of Asia: rice and food are one word

Arabic: 3,000 words for camel

Most of Africa: dry season and rain season

2. Language reflects culture values

阿姨，姑姑，姨妈，舅母，婶婶

aunt

叔叔，伯伯，舅舅，姨父，姑父

uncle

表兄弟，堂兄弟，表姐妹，堂姐妹

cousin

婆婆，公公，岳母，岳父

Mom, dad

林黛玉的母亲是贾宝玉的姑母，贾宝玉的母亲是林黛玉的舅母，又是薛宝钗的姨母。

Watchdog

Love me, love my dog

Every dog has his day

Be as faithful as a dog

Give a dog a bad name

and hang him.

I am too old a dog to

learn new tricks.

He is top dog in the

office.

狗仗人势，狗头军师，

狗崽子， 放狗屁，

狗嘴里吐不出象牙，

狗胆包天，狗咬狗

痛打落水狗

Group work – Perceptions of colors

Black – e.g. (in Chinese) evil, death…BlueGreenPinkRedWhiteYellow

How Language shapes the world view? one’s language determines his/her categories of

thoughtColor categories in three cultures English

Shona of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia

Bassa of Liberia

purple blue green yellow orange red

cipsuka citema cicena cipsuka

hui ziza

The labels which the language provides tend to shape the person’s overall cognitive organization of color and to cause varying degrees of color discrimination.

Eskimo: seven different words for snow to distinguish different types of snow (falling snow, snow on the ground, fluffy snow, wet snow, etc.). Eskimos are more capable of noticing difference in snow than people from hot area.

As white as snow – 像白鹭毛一样白

Straight

zigzag

Wavy

curvycrooked

We perceive these lines as divisible and put them into different categories because our language has given us such choices.

Advertisements use language to shape, persuade and dissuade.

No small eggs

Euphemisms- “telling it like it isn’t”

Sanitary engineers

Restroom

Substandard dwellings

A video clip: Sapir – whorf Hypothesis

How do you react when others say “ how are you?” or “how are you doing?”

おはよう

안녕하세요

你好

Bonjour

Hello

Hola

Social questions Vs. information questions

All languages have social questions and information questions. A social question, even though it comes in question form, does not ask for information. It is simply a lubricant to move the conversation forward.

“ 吃了吗” in Chinese is a social question. The same question is information question in many languages which may make people feel too intrusive when asked.

Thank you