The relationship between language and culture (語言與文化的關系

The relationship between language and culture

Introduction

Language is the important means of communication, and it is the carrier of culture and a

part of culture, any language was born with formation of its culture, develops with the

development of culture, and in most cas, perishes with death of its culture.

1. Language, as a concrete system of signs, has its own significance in the

culture communication

It has long been recognized that language is an esntial and important part of a given culture

and that the importance of culture upon a given language is something indispensable.

1.1 Language is a system

The important of language to the study intercultural communication is clearly captured in

the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s simple ntence “Language is the archives of

history.” His declaration takes on added significance when we realize that one of the major

characteristics identifying us as human is our ability to u language –to make sounds and marks

rve as substitutes for things and feelings.

Over millions of years, we have evolved the anatomy necessary to produce and receive

sounds have taken on meaning by reprenting things, feelings, and ideas. This combination of

evolution and culture has led to the development of a four-part process that enables us share our

internal states with other human beings. In short, we can receive, store, manipulate, and generate

symbols to reprent our personalized realities.

1.2 The importance of language

Language is extremely important to human interaction becau it is how we reach out to

make contract with our surroundings. If we were to survey a normal day, we would soon e that

we u words for a wide variety of purpos we may u language when we first awake: “Good

morning!” We u words as a way to write with the outside world. Or we may u words to share

an unpleasant experience and to get support from other: “Let me tell you about the horrible

dream I had last night.” This example also demonstrates how we employ words to relate to the

past, that is, to talk about something that has already happened.

We u words so that we can experience some control over the prent: “plea pass me the

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salt and pepper.” We each ek to affect our environment, to influence many lf the daily

situations in which we find ourlves. Words, and how we manipulate them, permit us to make

tho alterations through symbolic transactions with others.

We also u words to form images of the future: “I have meet with Jane at work today, but I

dread eing her, becau I know she’s going to be upt about the changes I’m making in her

work schedule.” Our wording ability allows us to predict and describe the future .We u words

to persuade to exchange ideas, to exchange ideas, to express views, to ek information, and to

express feelings. When we study another language, we soon discover that the symbols, the

sounds for tho symbols, and the rules for using tho symbols and sounds are different.

2. Language, as a culture institution, is born with culture. It develops

and interacts with the culture

To prerve the language of a nation is to prerve its special culture and history. When

people can not understand the old language, they will be less tightly connected to or even

gradually lo their cultures and histories. Their enemies know much more clearly than

themlves as to this point.

We still remember that in the famous article The Last Lesson, the first thing Prussians did

when they intruded France, was to replace French with Prussian in the school education.

Japane also took the same strategy in order to cut off the connection between people and their

histories and cultures. This evil refud to only stay in people's memory and is still threatening

certain cultures and nations. Thus both Jews and Tibetans are still fighting to prerve their

languages for the sake of their cultures and histories at the edge of being extinguished.

2.1 Explain the meaning of the culture

When delivering daily speech, the word "culture" refers to pursuits such as literature and

music. More broadly, we can define "culture" as all the modes of thought, behavior, and

production that are handed down from one generation to the next by means of communicative

interaction── speech, gesture, epic, construction, and all other communication among

humans── rather than by genetic transmission or heredity. "Culture" is an esntial concept for

it is what makes humans unique in the animal kingdom. All familiar forms of social

organizations, ranging from the simplest family to the most sophisticated corporation depend

upon "culture" for their existence. Nevertheless, "society" and "culture" might be confusing for

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one to distinguish. "Society" is population that is organized to carry out the major function of life.

A society's "culture" consists of all the ways in which its members think about it among

themlves

Culture, in a broad n, means the total way of life of a people, including the patterns of

belief, customs, objects, institutions, techniques, and language that characterizes the life of the

human community. As culture is so inclusive, it permeates virtually every aspect of human life

and influences predominantly people’s behavior, including linguistic behavior. In a narrow n,

culture may refer to local or specific practice, belief or customs, which can be mostly found in

folk culture, enterpri culture or food culture etc.

Generally speaking, there are two types of culture: material and spiritual. While material

culture, as the term itlf suggests, is concrete, substantial and obrvable, most of spiritual

culture, the products of mind, is abstract, ambiguous, and hidden. In contrast with nature in the

n of what is born and grows, culture refers to what has been grown and brought up with, in

other words, what can be nurtured. Culture, especially material culture, is reproduced and

prerved through the maintaining of beliefs, traditions, education and other institution

mechanisms, mean while, it changes slowly with the development of the society.

2.2 The relationship between language and culture

We begin our preview of language by noting that it is impossible to parate our u if

language from our culture. In its most basic n, language is a t of symbols and the rules for

combining tho symbols that are ud and understood by a large community of people. When

we study another language, we soon discover that not only are the symbol and sounds for tho

symbols different, but so are the rules (phonology, grammar, syntax, and intonation) for using

tho symbols and sounds.

Word different are obvious in various language. In English, we live in a hou. In Spanish,

we live on a ca. In Thai we live in a ban. Phonology also varies culturally. In English, we have

21 consonant sounds and 5 vowels that combine to from 38 various sounds. “Vietname has 34

gmental phonemes consisting of vowels, mivowels and consonants.” The Filipino language

has 16 consonants and 10 vowels forming 26 phonemes. Portugue has 21 consonants and 13

vowels that form 34 basic phonemes. Grammatical structures are unique to each language as well.

In English verb tens express contrast between past, prent, and future acts, but in Vietname,

the same verb reflects all three and the time of action is inferred from the context. Syntax, or the

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word order and structure of ntences, also varies depending on the language. The normal woes

order for simple ntences in Filipino is the rever of the word order in English. That is, the

predicate is followed by the subject. For example, the English ntence “The teacher died”

would be “Namatay ang guro” or “died the teacher” in Filipino. In English, the subject is

followed by a verb and then an object, but in Korean, the subject is followed by the object and

then the verb. So in English we might say, “The cat ate the mou,” but in Korean, “Cat mou

ate” would be correct.

The examples indicate that if we want to communicate in another language, it is important

for us to know not only the symbols of that language, but also the rules for using tho symbols.

As you know language is much more than a symbol and rule system that allows us to

communicate with another person-language also shapes the process by which people became

introduced to the order of the physical and social environment. As Nanda indicates, “language,

therefore, would em to have major impact on the way an individual perceives and

conceptualizes the world.”

2.2.1 Language not only express a person’s meaning but also express a nation’s culture

We can have different meanings for the same word. For instance, to one person, the woes

grass might mean something in front of then hou that is green, has to be watered, and must be

mowed once a week: to another person, grass may mean something that is rolled in paper and

smoked. All people, drawing on their backgrounds, decide what a word means. People have

similar meanings only to the experience includes baball, to us a rope is a line driver. If our

background lies in the world of jazz music, the word ax does not indicate something ud to

chop wood but any horn or woodwind instrument. And it is likely that we and a physician

respond differently to the woes cancer.

If we include culture as a variable on the process of abstracting meaning, the problems

became all the more acute, for culture teaches us both the symbol and what the symbol

reprents. When you are communicating with someone from your own culture, the process of

using words to reprent your experience is much easier becau within a culture people share

many similar experiences. But when communication is between people from distinct cultures,

different experiences are involved and the process is more troublesome. Objects, events,

experiences, and feelings have the labels or names they do becau a community id people

arbitrarily decided to so name them. If we extent this notion to the intercultural tting, we can

e that diver cultures can have both different symbols and different respons.

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There are even differences between British and American usage in word meanings.

Although some words are spelled and pronounced the same, they have different meanings. For

instance, the words boot, bonnet, lift, and biscuit in British English translate into American

English as car trunk, car hood, elevator, and cookie. In the area of business, there are also some

interesting differences. For example, the British term annual gunnel meeting translates in

American English as annual meeting of shareholders; scheme translates as pension plan. From

the examples, we e that culture exerts an enormous influence on language becau culture

teaches not rules for using tho symbols and rules for using tho symbols, but more important,

the meaning associate with the symbols. Further, culture influences the way people u language.

2.2.2 Language and its culture influence are exemplified in the theoretical formulations of

the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Language and its culture influence are exemplified in the theoretical formulations of the

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which in esnce states that language is a guide to “social reality.” This

hypothesis implies that language is not simply a means of reporting experience but, more

important, it is a way of defining experience. Sapir wrote:

Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social

activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language

which has become the medium of expression for their society …The real world is to a large

extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group. No two languages are ever

sufficiently similar to be considered as reprenting the same social reality. The worlds in which

different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels

attached. Nanda provides an excellent example if the Sapir-Whorf concept in practice:

If my language has only one term-brother-in-law- that is applied to my sister’s husband, my

husband’s brothers, and my husband’s sisters’ husbands, I am led by my language to perceive all

of the relatives in a similar way. Vocabulary, through what it groups together under one label

and what it differentiates with different labels, is one way in which language shapes our

perception of the world.

3. Linguistic evidence of cultural difference

Any linguistic may be simultaneously of a denotative, connotative, or iconic kind of

meanings. To begin with, any sign has a meaning that can be found in a dictionary, this is the

denotative meaning. For example, “ro” is a flower that has a pleasant smell and is usually red,

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pink, white, or yellow etc. On most occasions “ro” means more than a flower, it also triggers

many associations mostly good ones such as love, fragrance, passion and beauty etc. The are

its connotations or connotative meanings. Moreover, the word “ro” also invokes image to

people. The famous line “my love is a red ro” stirs up vividly the imagination if a beautiful

young lady. This is the iconic meanings.

All the types of meanings are bound with culture encodings from their associations. Each

language has its own metaphors that provide mantic cohesion within its boundaries. Motivated

by the need and desire to influence others, people choo to u words which emphasize

denotative meaning, connotative meaning or iconic meanings or all of them, during the same

process its cultural meanings are created.

The following are some illustrations of the cultural differences in language u which we

may often come across in our daily life.

3.1 A Comparison of Chine and British Hospitality in Treating Guests

In China, people’s hospitality is shown by the number of the dishes offered as well as by the

eagerness to impress the guest with the most expensive and nutritious food.

While in Britain, people value equality. Their hospitality is shown by treating the guest as

an equal with the host. Believing in simplicity regarding food, they may offer their guest the

same type of meal they usually eat. Part of the reason is their egalitarianism and other reason is

that the host wants to introduce the foreign guest to British food and eating customs, and make

the guest feed comfortable.

The foreign guest might think of the saying. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

3.2Different Topics between China and West Common topics in China

3.2.1Common topic in China

Since there is not much privacy that is found in China. People feel free to ask almost any

question without being offensive. The most common topics are age, income, property, family life,

especially children, politics and religion. Also, when a purcha, is made, Chine people will

often ask or voluntarily tell the item’s price in order to share the happiness of shopping. But most

Westerns feel it very inappropriate to talk about the price of products they have purchad. That

information is considered private, so question about price should not be asked.

Elderly people are highly respected in China, of “old” means wisdom and experience, the

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older the better. Males especially will often ask about each other’s age to show respect for the

elder one. And the elder one feels very happy to be addresd as “lao” plus surname.

Today, more and more Chine women, who have been influence by the Western cultures,

do not want to give their ages.

However, it is very rude for person to address the nior or the elder only by their family

names. Some topics concerning the death will always be avoided.

3.2.2 Common topics in the west

People in the West like to talk about the weather, sports, news, traveling, interests and

hobbies. Do not ask personal questions about age, weight, illness, income, property, religion and

politics. In general conversations asking about the political issues. Beware that politics is an

“emotionally changed” topic becau the people in the conversation may have differing

viewpoints within the group.

General question about family can be asked to start a conversation. You may ask if a person

is single or married. Depending on how the conversation is going, you can either ask directly by

saying, “Are you single?” or “Are you married?” or indirectly by saying, “Do you have a

family?”

3.3 Friendship

3.3.1 Friendship in China

In China most people expert their friends to do for then when they are in need. There is an

obligation to a friendship. People feel obligated and a duty to do for their friends. We have a lot

for Chine sayings concerning friendship:“為朋友兩肋插刀”(people can take any risks, even

risk of their lives, especially among male friends, to do everything for their friends disregarding

whether it’s right or wrong);“有難同當，有福同享” (people can not only share

bitterness ,hardships but also happiness with their friends). Other proverb and sayings such as

“一個籬笆三個樁，一個好漢三個幫”(As one fence needs three stakes, a good guy needs three

fellows.)“在家靠父母，出門靠朋友”(It is your parents that you can rely on at home, but it is

your friends that you can count in when out in the society ), show that friendship really counts or

is very important to a person in the society.

Having friends reflects having a good personality you have and more sociable you are. Your

life will be better if you have more friends, and will be wor without friends. One needs a friend

to help him or her out when difficulties occur, and one needs a friend to offer financial support

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when there is a lack of money. So in other words, one cannot be without friends in his or her life.

Actually, there is a lot to say about Chine friendships, and I am sure you have more

explanations you can add to this list becau of a better understanding of your own personal

friendships

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3.3.2Friendship in the United States

In general, American has causal, friendly relationships with many people, but deeper,

clor friendships with only a few. Friendship requires time and commitment (The state of being

bound emotionally or intellectually to a cour of action or to another person or persons) and

depending on the American is commitment to family, which is a priority, and time require for

work or school, various types of friendships will be developed.

3.3.3 Different ways of Expressing Friendship

People in the west apologize to their friends over things like asking for help in some small

matter or telephoning late at night. They tend to u polite forms such as “could you”, and

“would you” even with their friends. They may sound cold and distant when they feel perfectly

friendly.

Chine people tend to make more direct requests to their friends. They address tho they

know quite well in a very direct way. They may sound rude and demanding when they intend to

sound friendly.

3.4 Greetings and term of address

It is estimated that in English there are at least a dozen different greetings, from “Hi” and

“Hello” to more specific and longer ones like “How are you getting on?” or “How is everything

with you?” People choo the proper one to greet different people they meet on different

occasions. For example, people greet a new acquaintance with “How do you do?” and expect the

same in answer, but they greet an old friend differently. When friends meet, you may find more

than once they are uttering” How are you?” at the same time to each other, and they both answer

“Fine, thank you.” Differently, a Chine speaker may greet his friends or new acquaintance with

“Nin hao” or “Nihao”, whether they meet for the first time or anytime in the day.

Another noticeable difference between the two greeting systems is that most Chine people

tend to greet acquaintances with “have you eaten?” or “Where are you heading for?” Obviously,

if we greet the native speakers of English in this way, it will certainly cau misunderstanding.

Sometimes different terms of address can be equally misleading for Chine learners of

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English or English learners of Chine. While in China “Tongzhi” was once ud for all people

irrespective of x, position or marital status, in English –speaking communities “Mr.” “Mrs.”

“Miss.” “Ms.” would be appropriate in similar situations. It is also interesting to note that in

recent years “Mr.” and “Miss.” Are picked up again to replace “Tongzhi” with the changes in

society. Meanwhile “shifu” is frequently ud to show respect for strangers. English speakers, on

similar occasions, would u “Sir” or “Madam”.

The extension of kinship term is another feature of Chine culture . Term such as “uncle,

aunt, grandpa, and granny” are ud as honorific titles for nior people or strangers, as in

“ Granny Li” and “Uncle “Zhang”. Native speakers of English would be puzzled if they are

addresd in this way by people outside the immediate family. Similarly, the u of respectful

titles-Chair-man Jiang, Premier Zhou, Director Ma-to indicate people’s influential status is

typical of Chine culture. Such practice, however, is less common in English –speaking

cultures.

3.5 Natural environment

In Chine, "the east wind" makes one feel warm genial, the grass long hawk flies, mixed

peanut tree, but "the west wind" then just right is opposite, some one kind the flavor which nds

the human to the bone to inter the body or bones of a monk. Yan Shu had written that “last

night the west wind withered the blue tree”, Ma Zhiyuan had written that “ancient road, the west

wind and thin hor.” All the are illustrations. However English situation is actually different

from Chine. We can read to Samuel Butler’s poem that” biting east winds”. Charles Dickens

had written that “How many winter days have I en him. Standing blue nod in the snow and

east wind! “About the west wind, then has John Milton’s line from his poem” And west winds

with musky wing”. John Mafield had written that “It is a want wind the west wind full of birds

' cries. “The meaning of the two kinds of wind association of summer is so difference in Chine

and English people’s mind. The reason is also the geographical position. China is located in the

Asian mainland. Becau of the continental climate in China, the four asons are distinct. In

summer the most obvious characteristic is a scorching sun and unendurable hot. But England is

located in the North temperate zone. Becau of the marine climate, the summer in England is so

beautiful, temperate and satisfied.

3.6 manners and customs

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In English there is only a word “cousin” but in Chine there male cousin, younger male

cousin, younger female cousin to express the same meaning. We can find that, Chine relates

unexpectedly the cousin obtains so strictly. It must say the x and branch out the size. That is

different from using only one word in English .The reason of this language phenomenon should

attribute to the Chine 23,000 years long time feudal rule. This kind of feudalism patriarchal

society takes the blood relationship relations highly. It emphasized specially rank difference, and

advocated the precedence and maintained between niors and juniors. Westerner’s ideal is

everybody pursues equality .They want to obtain the equal standing with the dialogue person. So

westerners always directly shout the name of their sisters, brothers even their father and mother.

3.7 Thanks and compliments

Culture differences are also evident in the ways gratitude and compliments are expresd. It

is noted that people in the West tend to verbalize their gratitude and compliments more than

Chine speakers and that the westerners tend to accept thanks and compliments more directly

and frankly than we Chine do.

When a native English speaker express to us his gratitude, a Chine speaker may feel

embarrasd and would sometimes say “no, no” to decline whatever expressions of gratitude.

However, English speakers, in a similar situation , would say something like “I am glad to hear it

“ or “I am glad to be of help “ to acknowledge and accept the thanks. To native speakers of

Chine, expressions like “Not at all” or “It is nothing” which are sometimes ud by

Englishmen to turn down thanks may sometime lead to misunderstanding.

Similarly, many native Chine speakers will feel embarrasd when they hear compliments

like “you speak excellence English” or “You have acquired a native English speaker accent.” To

show their modesty and that they do not derve a compliment, is sincere, they tend to u an

emphatic “no”. English speaking people, unlike Chine, will accept compliment. Therefore,

they think it is inappropriate to show fal humility, or pretended modesty.

3.8 Privacy and taboos

Although people of different culture have many common areas of privacy or taboos, there

are also areas where our culture differs from western culture. As the saying goes “A man’s home

is high value on privacy. It is not appropriate for us to ask questions about personal information

like age, family background, salary, or questions on personal activities. It is advisable we should

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not talk about such things, when conversing with English –speaking people unless they indicate

clearly that they do not mind or they talk about them first themlves. Some of the questions

are listed below:

How old are you?

What are your wages?

How much do you earn?

You make a lot of money, don’t you?

What’s you name?

How much did that pair of shoes cost you?

Moreover, we should be careful to avoid expressions related xual intercour, some organ

of human body, four-letter words and racism etc.

In China when two people first meet each other, they will ask many questions to each other.

After three minutes, they will know each other very well. They have got much privacy

information clearly from each other. Include family situation, individual condition. This also is

the different cultural context which both sides locates is having an effect. The English beautiful

women pay great attention to individual privacy specially. They thought individual matter

shouldn’t let others know. And they wouldn’t others to intervene. Since 1100 years Chinese

people live in a village near to each other and contact each other very often. So their privacy

affair was difficult to let other persons know. Therefore they very are willing to understand

others good and bad in life, others also want honestly to consider.

3.9 Culture –relate idioms, proverbs and metaphors

Different languages may reflect different culture, different cultures entail different language

expressions. Idioms, proverbs and saying and metaphors in different languages, derived from

different origins, also demonstrate cultural differences. Different languages may have different

idioms owing to different living environments, social conventions and literature tradition etc. A

constellation of examples could be picked up from different levels of language analysis to

illustrate the interplay of language and culture.

When you get your hands dirty, it does not necessarily mean in the American culture that

you have done some manual work and need to wash your hand.

When you have enough dumbbells, it does not necessarily mean that you keep pair if this

instrument for regular physical practices.

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Another example that since English people view dog as human being’s best friend, we can

find more English people view dog as human being’s best friend, we can find more English

expressions with dog than in Chine.

Luck dog: a luck person

Clever dog: a clever boy or smart lad

Dumb dog: silent person or a person who keeps crets

Lead a dog’s life: to live an exhausted and unhappy life

Put on the dog: put in air

And some proverbs and saying with dogs are listed as fellows.

Every dog has his day.

Dog does not eat dog.

Give a dog an ill name and hang him.

Barking dogs ldom bite.

Beware of a silent dog and still water.

Love me, love my dog.

As to metaphor, we can easily find that in Chine anger id compared with “liquid” or “qiti”

as in “wo qi si le”(I am anger to death)while in English anger is more compared with “fire” as in

“he is outraged.” “His face turned red with anger.” “She lost her temper.”, to mention just a few.

3.10 Color word

There are many color words in our language, such as red, white, black, yellow, purple and

so forth, which are ud frequently. In the first place, I’d like to introduce the common usages of

the color words.

English abounds with phras containing color words. Colors may convey different

messages to people of different cultures. Due to the respective cultural background and tradition,

some phras containing color words have far surpasd their original meanings, forming

different connotations.

What does e red mean? If he is in a blue mood, what kind of mood is he in? Is he happy,

sad, or what? Obviously, red and blue do not mean just the color. Each has additional

meanings-certain cultural associations-that are hidden behind the word. The following part will

be devoted to the discussion of cultural differences of certain color words.

In both Chine and English, red is usually associated with happy occasions. On calendar,

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we can find that holidays such as Spring Festival are printed in red, which is called “red-letter

days”, while ordinary days are in black. Besides, “to paint the town red” is to celebrate wildly, to

enjoy onelf to one’s heart’s content. Another example is to “roll out the red carpet for

someone”, meaning to give a hospitable and formal reception. Similarly, Chine people

traditionally cut red couplets and applique to celebrate occasions like wedding and New Year.

Besides, We have a very famous trademark “double red happiness” (紅雙喜) which is symbolic

of good fortune.

I believe the above-mentioned examples amply illustrate the point. On many occasions, it is

not the basic meaning of the color that functions, but the profound cultural associations related to

the color that functions. That is to say, the differences in using color words between Chine and

English stand out when the color words themlves don’t play an important part. Two factors

may help to illustrate. First is the language itlf. There are many differences in the

characteristics of both languages. English words are characterized by flexibility. One word is

likely to have different meanings in different contexts. Comparatively speaking, the meaning of

Chine words remains fixed. Chine is featured by standard, rigor and preciness in choosing

the words. Let’s take the word green for example. Green gains certain new meaning when

associated with the phra green revolution and when it is ud alone, it still carries that meaning.

However, green in Chine will lo the meaning unless it is combined with revolution or other

words in similar. Second is the factor beyond the language, which includes the cultural factors

such as different customs, traditions and cultural background. Wherever the above-mentioned

differences exist, the using of the color words can not be the same. Therefore, special attention

should be paid in using the color words.

Conclusion

Language and culture, intrinsically dependent on each other, have evolved together through

the history. Their mutual interdependence can find proof in the ri of civilization, the

development of writing and human communication.

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