the-relationship-between-language-and-culture

InterrelationshipbetweencultureandlanguageEachculturehasitsownpeculiaritiesandthrowsspecialinfluenceonthelanguagesystem.Forexample,referringtothesamecommondomesticanimal,Englishchoosestheword“dog”,whileChinesehasitsowncharacter“狗”;Chinesehasthephrase“走狗”whileEnglishhastheexpression“runningdog”,butthemeaningsattributedtothetwoexpressionsarecompletelydifferentaccordingtoChinesecultureandWesternculturerespectively.ToWesterners,“runningdog”hasapositivemeaningsincetheword“dog”,inmostcases,isassociatedwithanimageofananimalpet－thefavoritefriend,thustheyhavethephrases“luckydog”（幸运儿）,“topdog”（胜利者）,“olddog”（老手）,“gaydog”（快乐的人）,anditisusuallyusedtodescribeeverydaylifeandbehavior,asin“Loveme,lovemydog”（爱屋及乌），“Everydoghasitsday”（凡人皆有得意日）.ButinChinese“走狗”referstoalackey,anobsequiousperson.SinceChineseassociatesderogatorymeaningtothecharacter“狗”dependingontheculturaldifference,Chinesehassuchexpressionsas“狗东西”，“狗腿子”，“狗仗人势”，“狗胆包天”，“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”，“狼心狗肺”，“痛打落水狗”，“狗急跳墙”.Wecanobviouslyseethatthemeaningattributedtolanguageiscultural-specific.Agreatdealofcross-culturalmisunderstandingoccurswhenthe“meanings”ofwordsintwolanguagesareassumedtobethesame,butactuallyreflectdifferentculturalpatterns.SomearehumorousaswhenaTurkishvisitortotheU.S.refusedtoeatahotdogbecauseitwasagainsthisbeliefstoeatdogmeat.SomearemuchmoreseriousaswhenaFrenchcoupleonatriptoChinatooktheirpetpoodleintoarestaurantandrequestedsomedogfood.Thedogwascookedandreturnedtotheirtableonaplatter!Wecansummarizetherelationshipbetweencultureandlanguageasthefollowing:languageisakeycomponentofculture.Itistheprimarymediumfortransmittingmuchofculture.Withoutlanguage,culturewouldnotbepossible.Childrenlearningtheirnativelanguagearelearningtheirownculture;learningasecondlanguagealsoinvolveslearningasecondculturetovaryingdegrees.Ontheotherhand,languageisinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Itreflectsculture.Culturaldifferencesarethemostseriousareascausingmisunderstanding,unpleasantnessandevenconflictincross-culturalcommunication.ConclusionLanguageisamajorcomponentandsupporterofcultureaswellasaprimarytoolfortransferringmessage,whichisinextricablyboundwithculture.Learningasecondlanguagealsoinvolveslearningasecondculturetovaryingdegrees.Ontheotherhand,languageisinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Itreflectsculture.Culturaldifferencesarethemostseriousareascausingmisunderstanding,unpleasantnessandevenconflictincross-culturalcommunication.Sobothforeignlanguagelearnersandteachersshouldpaymoreattentiontoculturalcommunicationinformation.AnswerLanguageistheverbalexpressionofculture.Cultureistheidea,customandbeliefsofacommunitywithadistinctlanguagecontainingsemantics-everythingaspeakerscanthinkaboutandeverywaytheyhaveofthinkingaboutthingsasmediumofcommunication.Forexample,theLatinlanguagehasnowordforthefemalefriendofaman(thefeminineformofamicusisamica,whichmeansmistress,notfriend)becausetheRomanculturecouldnotimagineamaleandafemalebeingequals,whichtheyconsiderednecessaryforfriendship.AnotherexampleisthatEskimoshavemanydifferenttermsforsnow...therearenuancesthatmakeeachonedifferent.AnswerLanguageandcultureareNOTfundamentallyinseparable.Atthemostbasiclevel,languageisamethodofexpressingideas.Thatis,languageiscommunication;whileusuallyverbal,languagecanalsobevisual(viasignsandsymbols),orsemiotics(viahandorbodygestures).Culture,ontheotherhand,isaspecificsetofideas,practices,customsandbeliefswhichmakeupafunctioningsocietyasdistinct.Aculturemusthaveatleastonelanguage,whichitusesasadistinctmediumofcommunicationtoconveysitsdefiningideas,customs,beliefs,etal.,fromonememberoftheculturetoanothermember.Culturescandevelopmultiplelanguages,orborrowlanguagesfromotherculturestouse;notallsuchlanguagesareco-equalintheculture.Oneofthemajordefiningcharacteristicsofacultureiswhichlanguage(s)aretheprimarymeansofcommunicationinthatculture;sociologistsandanthropologistsdrawlinesbetweensimilarculturesheavilybasedontheprevalentlanguageusage.Languages,ontheotherhand,canbedeveloped(orevolve)apartfromitsoriginatingculture.Certainlanguagehavescopeforcross-culturaladaptationsandcommunication,andmaynotactuallybepartofanyculture.Additionally,manylanguagesareusedbydifferentcultures(thatis,thesamelanguagecanbeusedinseveralcultures).Languageisheavilyinfluencedbyculture-asculturescomeupwithnewideas,theydeveloplanguagecomponentstoexpressthoseideas.Thereverseisalsotrue:thelimitsofalanguagecandefinewhatisexpressibleinaculture(thatis,thelimitsofalanguagecanpreventcertainconceptsfrombeingpartofaculture).Finally,languagesarenotsolelydefinedbytheirdevelopingculture(s)-mostmodernlanguagesareamalgamationsofotherpriorandcurrentlanguages.Thatis,mostlanguagesborrowwordsandphrases(loanwords)fromotherexistinglanguagestodescribenewideasandconcept.Infact,inthemodernvery-connectedworld,onceonelanguagemanufacturesanewwordtodescribesomething,thereisaverystrongtendencyforotherlanguagestostealthatworddirectly,ratherthanmanufactureauniqueoneitself.TheEnglishlanguageisastellarexampleofathieflanguage-bysomeaccounts,over60%oftheEnglishlanguageisofforeignorigin(i.e.thoseword