The main objective of this paper is to find out the relationship between culture and language. There are different types of relationships between the both. According to (Kim, 2018) There are different types of communication within a culture or rather the society. One of the languages is the paralanguage. Paralanguage is a “non-lexical component of communication by speech. Examples are intonation, pitch and speed of speaking, hesitation noises, gestures and facial expressions. In each culture/ community, they have the basic gestures they make. All these gestures have a meaning”. This is according to Oxford dictionary.
You may find cases where different cultures have the same gesture but the meaning is different. We learn all these gestures, expressions and intonations from the people we grow up together. The language is a one unifying tool in all the cultures. As I said earlier, the paralanguage varies in different cultures. You may find gesture that in a particular community it welcomes people while in another community the same gesture language causes misunderstandings. This may even cause to rise of ethnic groups.
According to (Sharifan,2014) paralanguage includes the speed of speaking, intonations and so many other factors as I had discussed, if a person is bilingual, that is speaks more than one language, the person must have noticed the difference between the two languages. You will notice changes in the speed at which you are talking. Some language uses a high speed while others are just neutral. According to (Swiderski, 2013) There are those languages that even if you don’t understand, you feel the speed at which the people talk. Such language is not easier to learn if you are from a different culture. There is then the language whose speed is just neutral. These languages are easier to learn and understand Sharifan Explains.
There is a homologous connection between the language and culture. This has led to the phrase; “language is culture and culture is language”. This is according to Swiderski, Language and culture developed a very long time ago. They were developed even before people could learn how to write. The connection between language and culture is so strong in that if you don’t know one you can’t know the other. In a wide sense, to learn the customs of the other culture one must learn and understand the language of that particular culture. Without knowing the language, one cannot understand culture. The relationship is vice versa. Knowing the customs of a culture without learning their language is senseless. Both language and culture have a very strong bond between them.
According to (Jiang, 2020) Language and culture have different effects on how think. Taking a look at a person who was born in Germany and grew up there, this particular person has different perceptions of other languages. German person will not think the same as a Chinese person. The thinking process of these two persons is affected by the culture.
Contrary to what Jiang had said (Battiste,2020) believes that the views of a person towards other culture are not impacted by how we think. Most of the times, the differences are brought about by the various practices within the culture. Both are from different culture and view things differently. According to Jiang Just as the language affects the thinking process, the same way culture affects the way you perceive your surroundings.
Nowadays the intercultural religions are affected by the language of different people. This is according to (Hojjier, 2016). Unlike the olden days when transport was not so much developed, nowadays, people can leave their homes and travel to different cultures for vacation or even short term stay. People who go to visit other countries find people who are using different language from them. The concept behind language and culture reveals itself in this case.
This case shows how a foreigner may have difficulties trying to communicate with the people around them. According to (Kramsch, 2014) the two people will experience miscommunication as no one understands the other. Though they may use gestures, remember as I had said earlier, gestures have different meaning in different culture.
The transmission mode of both language and culture is the same. According to (Elmes, 2017) language is transmitted to a person on their birth. Although these kids are not able to talk, they can learn the gestures from the people near them. As they grow up, they learn their first language from their guardians and the people near them. They are then taken to classes where they are taught the deep language of their society.
Just the same way, culture is not taught to the people and also the people learn the basic customs from the people near them. In short, we would say, both culture and language are inherited. Born ids need not be taught the basic customs and practices of a society because they can see what the people are doing and copy.
Language sometimes may differ from people in the same area. This is impacted by social, geographical and functional factors. This is according to (Shanahan, 2017) Geographical differences may arise in the area. For example, people form the east may not have the same language from the people in the western who are in the same geographical area. Some of the social differences that impact languages are age, gender, and occupation. It is so common that youths have their language which differ from the aged people in the same areas.
The male gender may also have their language which the female gender will not understand. These are just but a few factors that affect language. Despite the differences that arise from the language used by the people, culture unifies all these people. The people are in the same area and therefore they share the same cultural practices and believes. Culture is a unifying subject amongst all the people of the same cultural area.
In conclusion, in a research conducted on Iran and USA, Hoffman said that Culture and language are the basic and common part of our living. There may be so many differences that exist amongst people due to their personalities and identities but culture unites us all. The Language we share amongst ourselves also unites us.
References
Battiste, M. (2020). Language and culture in modern society. Reclaiming Indigenous voice and vision, 192-208.
Elmes, D. (2017). The relationship between language and culture. Annals of Fitness and Sports Sciences, 46(3), 11-18.
Hoffman, D. M. (1989). Language and culture acquisition among Iranians in the United States. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 20(2), 118-132.
Hoijer, H. E. (2016). Language in culture; conference on the interrelations of language and other aspects of culture.
Jiang, W. (2020). The relationship between culture and language. ELT journal, 54(4), 328-334.
Kim, L. S. (2018). Exploring the relationship between language, culture and identity. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies, 3(2).
Kramsch, C. (2014). Language and culture. AILA review, 27(1), 30-55.
Shanahan, D. (2017). Articulating the relationship between language, literature, and culture: Toward a new agenda for foreign language teaching and research. The Modern Language Journal, 81(2), 164-174.
Sharifian, F. (Ed.). (2014). The Routledge handbook of language and culture. Routledge.
Swiderski, R. M. (1993). Teaching Language, Learning Culture.
Charan10
Midtermresearchtopic.docx
0
