Scribd
Upload
7 views22 pages

Language and Culture

Uploaded by

Rhe ya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
7 views22 pages

Language and Culture

Uploaded by

Rhe ya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 22

LANGUAGE AND

CULTURE
How does your language reflect your culture?

What would be the impact on your identity if you


were to lose your native language?

How would you go about reclaiming your


language?
Language is inherently cultural, as it reflects these norms and factors in
both subtle and explicit ways. A language may develop sayings that
reflect cultural norms, slang terminology that reflects cultural
trends, or even syntax that reflects cultural beliefs.

Native language maintenance is also an important factor in the


retainment of personal identity. In regard to the social sphere, isolation
and a feeling of rejection can occur if native language is not
maintained.
CULTURE: integrated human knowledge, belief and
behaviour, which depends on the capacity of symbolic
thought and social learning (pan-human or shared by
different groups).

LANGUAGE is a system of (verbal) signs embedded in


social and cultural reality of language users.

The structures of language reflect (and shape?)


COGNITIVE STRUCTURES.
LANGUAGE DIVERSITY

more than 7,100 languages are spoken in the world today.

Languages by the number of speakers:

( As of 2022)
Mandarine Chines e 1,118 million speakers
Hindi 602+ million speakers
English 1,452 million speakers
Spanish 548+ million speakers
Bengali
Arabic
Portuguese
Russian
Japanese
German
….
Distribution/concentration of languages:

English – official language in 52 countries

900 languages on Papua New Guinea (5-10 million


people)
high density also in Caucasus, (Native) California…

½ of languages no longer used by children


1/3 of languages less than 1000 speakers

English: 615.000 non-technical words


(over 2,000.000, if slang and techical words added)
(imported from more than 240 languages)

average use in daily speech 800-1000 words


college graduates 10.000-20.000
Where does all this diversity come from?

Franz Boas (1858-1942), anthropologist

“Since the total range of personal experience which language


serves to express is infinitely varied, and its whole scope
must be expressed by a limited number of phonetic groups, it
is obvious that an extended classification of experience must
underline all articulate speech.”
Where does all this diversity come from?

Different languages – different implicit classification of experience:

Inuit:
aput ‘snow on the ground’
qana ‘falling snow’
piqsirpoq ‘drifting snow’
qimuqsuq ‘snow drift’

Linguistic classifications reflect, not dictate thought.


Culture and language are inextricably linked.
You can’t understand a culture without first
learning a language.

Within a social community,


culture and language share human beliefs, realities,
and actions. As a result, there is a relationship
between culture and language.

Within a social community, culture and language share


human beliefs, realities, and actions. As a result, there is a
relationship between culture and language.
What came first, language or culture?

 The establishment of culture entails the use of language.


Since the beginning, humans have been communicating
and engaging one another in various ways.

 As a result, the language came first, for obvious reasons.


Language is both the source and the essence of a culture.

 Many languages evolved. And there are still many


languages spoken around the world.

 Just 200 languages remain in both spoken and written


form out of over 7000 languages. And many of the
languages are now extinct.
Language and Culture Evolution

 Both are constantly developing!

 the English we use today is very different from the


English of the past.

 Similarly, there are many variations between old and


modern western cultures.

 There’s no language without culture.

 both language and culture undergo significant


changes. You can’t expect a 10-year-old Chilean and
a 70-year-old man to share the same culture or speak
the same language. Even though they live in the
same town.
What Role Do Language and Culture Play in
Our Personality?

The language and culture you experience in life


have a significant impact on your personality.

Culture shapes beliefs and ethics by telling you


how to deal with others.

keeps you in touch with like-minded people. Also,


it strengthens your sense of belonging to society.

The language uses to convey cultural ideas and


beliefs.

both culture and language allow us to look


backward in history. Also, it helps shape our
thoughts.

You might also like