Language in the Role of Culture

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Language is the most important aspect in the life of all humans. A language is the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, and a language is any specific example of such a system. (Wikipedia. org) language is a method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. We use language to express or inner thoughts and emotions, make sense of abstract thoughts, to learn to communicate with others, to fulfil our wants and needs, as well as to establish rules and maintain cultures.

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Language removes the necessity for each member of the human society to learn by trial and error. Solutions to problems are passed on from one generation to the next. When we define language we have to be careful not to exclude symbols, gestures or motions because if we exclude these from our definition we will be denying the language of the deaf community.

Behaviourists often define language as a learned behaviour involving a stimulus and a response. (Ormrod, 1995) they will often refer to language that includes gestures and body movements as well as spoken words. Non-human animals also have a wide variety of systems of communication.

Some communicate using scents, others use visual displays and others again use verbal sounds. But the unique ability of communicating through a native language clearly separates humans from all other species. Organic evolution has proven unable to trace the origin of language. Knowing how beneficial this ability is to humans one would wonder why this skill has not evolved in any other species.

Linguistic research along with neurological studies has determined that human speech is highly dependent on a neuronal network located in specific sites within the human brain.

As we start knowing more about language, we also start uncovering more about our human race and nature. As we uncover how languages and their speakers differ from one another, we discover that human natures too can differ dramatically, depending on the languages we speak. How do we come to be the way we are? Why do we think the way we do? An important part of the answer, it turns out, is in the languages we speak. Do the languages we speak shape the way we think? Do they merely express thoughts or do the structures in languages, without our knowing shape the very thoughts we wish to express?

Anthropological linguists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf suggested that language not only expresses ones thoughts and perceptions but also influences them. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis language shapes the view of reality of its speakers. (Whorf, 1956) One example of this theory can be seen with the Eskimos and Norwegians who have many different words for snow, describing it in ways that would probably be meaningless to us. People who live in a tropical rain forest on the other hand would not have one single word for snow as they never see it and would not know what it was if they were to come across snow.

But today because of the ubiquity of mass communications, snow is probably universally understood in most cases. Although we all live in the same world we do not describe it in the same way. Our language directs attention to some features while it permits us to ignore others. Margaret Mead pointed out that some of the South Pacific people whom she studied did not have a word for “War” in their vocabularies. Interestingly these people did not participate in war. Members of the Ashanti tribe of Africa refer to any dark colour as black.

In other word if the specific name of a colour or gradation of a colour does not exist in the language, the perception of colour gradation is sharply minimised. (Mead, 1933) Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, food, social habits, music and art. Culture represents our very expression of existence. Everything we eat, our clothing, our social interactions and even the pronounce of words mark our culture. Language plays an extremely important part in culture. Language unites a group of people.

Language is significant in identifying cultures in that it is not just a way of communication, but a tool that expresses a set of beliefs, interpretation of the surrounding world and our concepts of reality. A culture without language is said to not be a culture at all. Some people say that language is the mirror of culture, in the sense that people can see a culture through its language. A language is what is said to carry a group’s way of life form one generation to the next. Traditions, values and entire religions are preserved by language.

Language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties. Different ideas stem from differing language use within one’s culture and the whole intertwining of these relationships start at one’s birth. When an infant is born, it is not unlike any other infant born, in fact, quite similar. It is not until the child is exposed to their surroundings that they become individuals in and of their cultural group. From birth, the child’s life, opinions, and language are shaped by what it comes in contact with.

Cultural identities can be created by the language that is used, and entire societies may define themselves based on the language and dialect they speak. As one goes from north to south through the Americas, the Spanish language becomes more and more like Castilian Spanish, the Spanish spoken in Spain. Those who speak Castilian Spanish are frequently considered more sophisticated and intelligent than those who speak more informal dialects. Another example is the country of Belgium. Most of its citizens speak either Belgian or French.

The speakers of both languages feel that they are very different and better than those who speak the other language. Their identity is determined by the language they speak. One result of this is Belgium's recent inability to maintain a cohesive government. (Helium. com) Language simultaneously reflects culture, and is influenced and shaped by it. In the broadest sense, it is also the symbolic representation of a people, since it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.

Brown (1994: 165) describes the two as follows: ‘A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture. ’ In a word, culture and language are inseparable. Many linguists explore the relationship between language and culture. in specific Nida (1998: 29) holds the view that ‘Language and culture are two language items symbolic systems. Everything we say in language has meanings, designative or sociative, denotative or connotative.

Every language form we use has meanings, carries meanings that are not in the same sense because it is associated with culture and culture is more extensive than language. ’ People of different cultures can refer to different things while using the same language forms. For example, when one says lunch, an Englishman may be referring to hamburger or pizza, but a Chinese man will most probably be referring to steamed bread or rice. Many scholars have discussed the notion of whether language shapes our perceptions and experiences and the expression of those perceptions extensively.

Some scholars, for example, have concluded that learning a second language includes adopting a new way of thinking; a new worldview; a new culture. A bilingual by necessity becomes bicultural. When a bilingual switches from one language to another, he or she starts thinking differently. This shows that the languages we speak not only reflect or express our thoughts, but also shape the very way we wish to express reality Language and culture are intertwined. They go hand in hand.

Because a language develops according to the particular needs of the people who live in a certain location at a certain period of time, who share a way of life and culture, it is clear that language is strongly intertwined with culture and identity. We cannot imagine one without the other. Both are sensitive and adapt to prevailing circumstances. Language gives full expression to peoples values and norms, and since values and norms are dynamic by nature, language has to be in tandem with cultural transformations. The death of a culture will almost certainly be followed by the demise of the language associated with that particular culture.