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Topic3.LanguageandCulture.New.pdf
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
TOPIC 3. LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Dr. Oksana Shkurska
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
O Linguistics and intercultural communication O Language and thought O Barriers to effective intercultural
communication O Moving between languages: multilingualism,
translation and interpretation O Students’ presentation O Activities and discussions
Language
is a set of shared symbols used to create meaning (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel,
2013, p. 264).
Symbolic Nature of Language
Language is • Arbitrary = Words are not
intrinsically connected to what they represent
• Ambiguous = meanings are not clear-cut and fixed
• Abstract = not concrete (stand for ideas, objects, etc., but they are not the things they represent)
Linguistics
O The study of the nature, structure, variation, and function of language.
O Is usually divided into branches
Linguistics
semantics
The study of meaning-‐how individual words are used to convey the meaning we intend
Pragmatics The study of how meaning is constructed in relation to a receiver and how it is influenced by context, taking into account the knowledge and beliefs of the speaker and the relationship and interaction between speaker and listener.
Syntax The study of the structure of the sentence, in other words, how to combine the words to convey the meaning we intend following grammar rules
Linguistics
Phonetics A study of the production, perception, and analysis of speech sounds
Morphology A study of forms and structure of words
Sociolinguistics The study of how language functions in society, how people with different social identities communicate in different situations as well as why misunderstanding between different groups of people occur.
Cognitive Linguistics A study of the language as a mental phenomenon through concepts. The linguistic knowledge is viewed as a part of general cognition.
Barriers to Effective Intercultural Communication
Different Languages = Different ways of thinking?
Language and Thought
• Linguistic Relativity/Determinism: Sapir-‐Whorf hypothesis
The way we think is shaped by the way we speak
v Specific for every culture vocabulary (the most important words are emphasized)
v No direct equivalents for some words in other languages
v Different grammatical structures of languages
Language and Thought
• Linguistic Nominalism
The way we think is not shaped by the language we speak
v Different languages ≠ different perceptions
v We have the same thoughts which we can express in any language
v There are always equivalents in other languages even though they may consist of several words
Language and Thought Cognitive Linguistics (Lakoff & Johnson) Different cultural groups have different
conceptual schemes/codes/scripts ê
Different meanings of the same concepts for people from different cultural groups
ê Misinterpretation of the concepts
ê Misunderstanding
Freedom?
Proverbs
1. No pain, no gain. (English).
Without an effort you won’t pull a fish. (Russian).
If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. (Both Arabic and Russian).
2. Every dog has its day. (English).
The sun will shine on our street too. (Russian).
Proverbs
3. The smarter you are, the less you speak. (Arabic).
Silence is golden. (English).
A word is silver, but silence is gold. (Russian).
Proverbs
4. Anger begins with madness, but ends in regret. (Arabic).
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. (Chinese).
An eye for an eye makes the world go blind. (English).
Proverbs
What values do the following sayings express?
• Every man for himself. (North-‐ American).
• He who lives a hurried life will soon die. (Mexican).
Proverbs
• It takes a whole village to raise a child. (Africa)
Compare: Seven baby-‐sitters have a child without an eye (blind). (Russian).
Proverbs
What sayings about love/friendship/money/time do you have in your language? Discuss them in your groups. Find the differences/similarities in perceptions of the world they represent.
Metaphors
Metaphor
From Latin “metaphora” (15-‐th century) which means “a transfer, carrying over; changing, altering; using a word in a strange sense”
Metaphor
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time lays many parts…
(W. Shakespeare)
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Moving Between Languages
1. Multilingualism
Multilingualism
Multilingualism
gives you multiple opportunities to
• better understand others
• better explain things and concepts
• show your interest in others and their cultures
• be aware of other people’s emotions and more easily infer the meaning of their speech
Multilingualism
Challenges
1. People rarely speak fluently in both languages
2. Most of the people tend to pick up one language (usually, different languages for different communicative situations)
3. different languages have different structures è semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and phonetics overlap è interlanguage (a third way of communication)
2. Translation and Interpretation
Translation and Interpretation
Challenges?
Challenges of Translation and Interpretation
1. emotions and “hidden” messages
2. historical and cultural realia
3. metaphors, idioms, and sayings/proverbs
4. slang and humor
5. different pragmatics and ways of self-‐expression
6. different communication styles
7. different meanings of the same concepts in different cultures
Bibliography
1. Samovar L. A., Porter R.E., McDaniel E.R. & Roy C.S. (2013). Communication between cultures. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
2. Whorf, B.L. Science and Linguistics. In M.J. Bennett (2013), Basic concepts of intercultural communication. Paradigms, principles, & practice: Selected readings (Second ed.) (pp. 191-‐204). Boston: Intercultural Press, A Nicholas Brealey Pub. Company.
3. Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
