Culture and Languages

Culture and Languages

TFL-41, Sabina Meliyeva

What is Culture?

•The word culture is derived from the Latin term colere which means to grow something from the earth so when people interact with each other, they grow together which forms their culture.

•Usually, the term culture is defined using external aspects such as language, traditions, religion, arts, and cuisine.

What is Language?

•Language is the medium of communication using which we express our thoughts and ideas and interact with others.

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•Tidbit: Over 700 languages are spoken across the globe

•“Language is the Roadmap of a Culture”

                  (Rita Mae Brown)

How Culture is Related to Language?

•“Changes in Language Often Reflect the Changing Values of a   Culture”                                                  

 (Ravi Zacharias)

•Language and culture are interlinked and you cannot learn one of these without having a clear understanding of the other. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, language is linked to all the human-life aspects in society and understanding of the surrounding culture plays an important role in learning a language. Moreover, language allows the organization and evolution of cultural values.

Language or Culture-Which Came First?

•Language is an integral part required for the establishment of culture.

•Communication is the basic human need, right? From the start, human beings are communicating and interacting with each other in different ways. Thus, for obvious reasons, the language came first.

•Language is the source as well as the essence of a culture.

• With time, many languages evolved and today, a large number of languages are spoken across the world. Do You Know?

• Out of over 7000 languages, only 200 languages currently exist in both spoken and written forms while many of the languages are extinct now.

Evolution of Language and Culture

•For instance, the English language that we use today is way different from the old English. Similarly, you can identify several differences between the old western culture and the new one.

•Without Culture, no language can exist.

•Both language and culture experience drastic changes over time. Therefore, you cannot expect a 10-year-old chile and a 70-year-old man to share an identical culture and exact the same language even if they leave in the same locality.

•How We think, speak and interact with others around us is determined by our cultural values.

•Likewise, language also impacts human thoughts.

•As mentioned earlier, the language and culture continue to evolve and so does our personality.

• As we meet people belonging to different cultures, we get to learn more and explore more and interaction with them can impact your personality as well.

Want to Learn a Foreign Language? Learn about Culture First!

•The understanding of a culture can greatly help in learning any foreign language. If you are interested in learning one or more foreign languages, you must study the culture of the respective regions.

•It is rightly said that ‘Action Speaks Louder than Words’. For effective communication with a foreign audience, you must be aware of their cultural nuances. Thus, the culture and language are intertwined and you cannot set them apart. If you want to improve your linguistic skills for a second language, you must tackle both the culture and language side by side.

The Last Word

If you aspire to learn any foreign language, remember that understanding of culture is going to be an integral part of your learning journey. For learning any language, it is essentially important to know about the culture of the people who speak that language. In addition to having expertise in the language, you also need to consider socio-cultural aspects and learn how to properly address people in that foreign language.

Thank you for attention!

Language is Needed for Effective Expression and Transmission of Culture.

•A renowned linguist Ken Hale shares his views on the culture-language relationship. He says that when a language is lost, a part of the culture gets lost as well as culture is significantly encoded in language.