The Concept of Language - Case Study Example

Introduction The two concepts; language and culture have been the subject of debate since time immemorial especially when it comes to how they relate. It is an undeniable fact that we all hail from a certain background and as a result, we hold different views with regards to how we understand the two concepts. Therefore, the two concepts have been defined differently by different people. The concept of language for example has been understood beyond the conventional definition of it being a “written or spoken method of communication consisting of words which have been used in an organized and formal way” (Stevenson, 2010). For instance, the New South Wales Aboriginal Languages Policy document terms language as the Australian culture and culture is Australian language (DECCW, 2009). The policy document further underscores the fact that language extends beyond the simple understanding of mere words and it links the Australian Aboriginals to their land (DECCW, 2009). The understanding of language being a crucial agent of people’s identity can at times be changed to imply that language is an indicator of people identity. The way language is understood in Australian context may be different from how it is understood in a different locality. According to Shohamy (2007), language is open, personal, always undergoing development and dynamic. As such, it proves to be a challenge to give a precise definition of language is. For the sake of this discussion, we shall adopt the conventional definition of it being a communication method made up of words used in an organized and formal way. Culture on the other hand as mentioned earlier is understood differently by many people. People normally understand culture to be what uniquely identifies a certain society or a specific way of life. However, this may not be the case mainly because it is a broad concept which encompasses all facets of human life including among others traditions, religion and values (Mahmoud, 2015). Culture has been highlighted to play a crucial role in our societies. The role of culture on a society, attitudes and behaviours is to shape the social, political and economic aspects of the society. Existing cultures and their power structures have over the past decades provided general rules from traditional research which tend to impact a person’s thinking capacity (Alan and Spencer, 1997). Sociological research proves that culture has a sense of power, whereby cultural factors have managed to influence the organizational structure of the society. According to Stanley (2002), the cultural system of a community interferes immensely on an individual’s decision making and reasoning capability. Additionally, social anthropology is devoted in the role of power in the society and its active involvement in the organization of the society. The powerful aspect of culture comes to play on the contemporary political issues. This is because; political anthropology examines the political mentality and behaviour of humans in a community. According to Seaton and Claessen (1991), political anthropology is therefore committed to providing evidence as to how and why power and authority has impacted human societies. Thus it is clear that culture is deeply embedded in the daily lives of individuals as it plays a significant role in the arrangement of different aspects of a society. The relationship between culture and language has been the subject of debate especially in the field of foreign language teaching (Mahmoud, 2015). To many, culture plays a critical role in any language teaching. According to Kramsch (1991), “Culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It is always in the background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the good language learners when they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard- won communicative competence, challenging their ability to make sense of the world around them.” It is therefore important to note that from this argument, that learning a foreign language does not imply that one is solely seeking knowledge on how to communicate in this language but how the culture from which this language originates has manipulated its use (Zhao, 2011). Therefore by gaining the power to communicate in foreign language speakers have a broad understanding of its culture and are able to accept individuals from different communities and their norms with an open mind. Consequently, the ability of an individual to convey a message in a foreign language is evidence that this person is developing an understanding of how culture and language are connected (Hinkel, 1999). Therefore learning a new language basically means that one has to learn a new culture altogether. Duranti (1997) asserts that the relationship between language and culture is closely intertwined. The way a person expresses his or her ideas is mainly dictated by the culture behind this language. Language and culture go hand in hand and are both responsible for shaping each other as well as shaping the society. Duranti (1997) further argues that the main aim of language is mainly to remind a person of the cultural ties linked with the language. This is due to the fact that with different languages, different ideas, beliefs and one’s cultural behaviors are exposed. Therefore language becomes the wheel of culture, that is, language is used as an expression to describe the beliefs and practices governing a society or community (Pulverness, 2003). It is through language that culture is breed and continues to grow in a society. Thus, language is deeply rooted in culture, whereas culture is dependent on language for it to thrive from one generation to the next. Valdes (1986) argues that language holds a rather critical role when it comes to developing, elaborating and transmitting culture and language. Salzmann (1998), the relationship between these two is also observed in teaching whereby, teachers will place more emphasis on the culture of the language one is teaching than the language itself. Samovar, Porter, & Jain (1981) further argue that culture and language as a tool for communication cannot be separated. This is because; culture is the foundation for communication. It not only determines who talks to who, the body of a message, the means of communication but also assists in settling on how a person encodes their message depending on their environment and meanings of that message. This can be described as cultural diversity. Cultural diversity enables a person to appreciate the different aspects of a community or society (Moore, 1997). These include; beliefs, norms and values of a person whose is not of their religion or society. This way one establishes a diverse cultural understanding and experiences of people from different communities. Additionally a person is in a position to understand the peculiar distinctions in both the social and cultural contexts, which include; vast experiences, motivations, aspirations and use all that is learned from these to appreciate the diversity of culture. Each language is unique in its own way and represents various social realities in the world. Language as a tool for communication among different people, has promoted the acceptance and appreciation of one’s own culture as well as that of others (Salzmann, 1998). Language has contributed to cultural diversity which in turn has influenced social change in the world promoting international relations among people from different countries and communities. Moreover social change and cultural diversity contributes towards the evaluation and application of communication as a tool for development. Brislin (1999) affirms that appreciation of cultural diversity has led to development of communication which is mostly achieved through the sharing of knowledge and ideas that are aimed at achieving a set objective. This way when it comes to any social setting that caters for the community as a whole, cultural diversity is used as a means to bring people together. This is achieved by collect data and information based on the interest, needs and capacities of every member of the community and airing their views regardless of their age, gender, race or ethnicity (Brislin, 1999). Language and cultural diversity has therefore led to the growth of a social process that uses communication as a medium of development and growth. In terms of policy, plan making and implementation, a country takes into play divergent perspectives of its citizens so as to reach a consensus that will satisfy all their needs. According to Brislin (1999), culture continues to be used as communication factor for social mobilization and change. It has contributed in the human understanding of complexity in behaviour, attitudes and other cultural factors to provide social counterproductive outcomes for a society. According to Robinson (1988), culture has become a dynamic system of interaction. Robinsons further describes intercultural diversity as ‘a system of symbols and meanings’ which is actively influenced by language. As a result these two elements tend to interfere with the way a person interprets the meanings of past and future occurrences. Thus, according to Reynolds and Skilbeck, (1976), a person must identify themselves with their surroundings first before engaging with the use of a foreign language. Consequently it is vital for an individual to understand the importance of participating in a given culture and the elements that make up this culture (Skilbeck, 1976). Social interactions identify the knowledge of a given culture or a number of cultures as a vital weapon that engineers effective communication among people. That is why it is critical for learners of foreign languages to have an in depth understanding of cultures. Therefore language assists in enabling a learner to gain a different perspective about themselves in relation to different cultures that one is able to identify themselves with (Rivers, 1981). The two elements of communication, that is language and culture, engage a person with linguistic and cultural diversity. According to Stevenson (2010), this way people are able to distinguish between cultural perspective and an intercultural perspective. As a result plays a significant role in the social life of many people especially in terms of communication, lifestyle and interpersonal relationships with others. Gaining subsequent knowledge about a culture positively transforms a person’s interaction skills and does not negatively impact the person’s existing identity, practices, values, beliefs, attitudes and their views about life (Savington, 1972). It is therefore important to note that language and culture are the main components of passing information and improving communicative competence. Fotitch (1961) affirms that communicative competence assists a person to avoid making mistakes in their speech as they effectively use appropriate language to engage with a specific group of people. To achieve communicative competence, one has to understand and pay close attention to culture diversity. This is because it is clear that different languages from diverse communities tend to speak volumes about the value system and attitudes of speakers surroundings. In understanding the cultural differences a speaker can easily evade from making careless communicative mistakes (Savington, 1972). Conclusion Language and culture play a critical role in shaping each other. It is evident that language is the key component and contributor of culture as well as a basic tool for communication. Therefore in learning a new language one is also gaining expansive knowledge on a different culture. Culture is learned behaviour which is interrelated in terms of values, behaviours, customs and attitudes. Consequently a person’s values, behaviours, customs and attitudes, are easily identified in their speech. Culture is multi dimensional since it brings together traditional and modern attributes of a society leading to the formation of a strong and more acceptable values, beliefs and norms among people. In addition to this, language is influenced and shaped by culture. Cross cultural communication has promoted understanding on cultural diversity as well as eliminates unpleasantness or conflict that is brought about by cultural differences. Thus foreign language learners and their tutors should critically evaluate cultural communication information before studying the subject at hand. It is without a doubt that language is indeed part of culture and influenced by culture as it processes the ideas of different people and brings them together through the common linguistics globally. Each characteristic of a culture or language is a representation of its people as well as its relevance for the people. References Alan, B and Spencer, J. (1997). Culture. In: A. Barnard & J. Spencer (eds.) Encyclopaedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology, pp.136‐142. London: Routledge Brislin, R. (1999). Understanding Culture’s Influence on Behaviour. New York: Cengage learning. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW (DECCW). (2009). DECCW Aboriginal Languages Policy: Language is our Culture-culture is our Language. Sydney: DECCW. Duranti, A. (1997). Linguistic anthropology. Cambridge: University Press. Fotitch, T. (1961). Teaching Foreign Languages in the Modern World. Washington: The Catholic University of America Press. Hinkel, E. (1999). 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