Language and Culture The Essential Partnership
May 06, 2015
Language and Culture The Essential Partnership
Social and Cultural Functions of Language
Communicative Exchange
Language as daily occurrence for everyone.
Language also serves important communicative functions.
Language and Identity
Ethnic IdentityOrganize people into groups
according to factors such as:
Age
GenderSocio-income level
Language and Unity
Common languageShared vocabulary=Unifying forceDivisive forceMaintains social relations
Language and Culture
WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
Language
Language is a set of symbols that a cultural group has agreed to use to create meaning. The symbols and their meanings are often arbitrary.
Language Variations
Accent - is variations in pronunciation that occur when people are speaking the same language.
Language Variations
Dialects - are separate languages, and are distinguished by differences in vocabulary, grammar, and even punctuation.
Argot -is a private vocabulary to a co-culture or group. Members of these groups ,ay employ a specialized vocabulary to obscure the real meaning and create a sense of identity.
Language Variations
Slang- is a private vocabulary to a co-culture or group. Members of these groups may employ a specialized vocabulary to obscure the real meaning, and create a sense of identity.
Language Variations
Branding - is the use of a corporate name or symbols (i.e., a logo) to prominently identify a product or create widely recognized image.
Language Variations
The Symbiosis of Language and Culture
In order to have a culture, language is needed.
Language reflects what is important in a culture and in turn culture shapes language.
Language as Reflection of Cultural Values
High and Low ContextHigh-context communication tends to be
more indirect and more formal. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical.
People in these cultures value logic, facts, and directness.
High and Low Power Distance
Power Distance- it is how culture accepts status differentials among the population, can also be exhibited.
Individualism and Collectivism
INDIVIDUALISM- World view that values individual freedom and self-expression.
COLLECTIVISM- World view that values the group over the individual.
Opinion
Way of life
Punctuality
Contacts
Emotion
Party
Queue When Waiting
Language in Cultural Communication Interactions
Interpersnal Interactions
Mindfulness Speech rate Vocabulary Monitor non-verbal feedback Checking
Interpretation and Translation Interpretation- indicates changing
or signed messages from one language to another.
Translation- refers to changing messages, either written, oral, or signed from one language to another.
Intercultural Marriage
Happens when two people from different cultures wed.
Potential Difficulties Advantages
•What type of food to eat•Where to live•Holidays to celebrate•Gender role expectations•Values, social behaviors
• Bring cross-cultural couple together, resulting in greater intimacy•Sharing other’s culture—becoming bicultural will likely broaden perspective and create richness
Communication Technology and
Language
Modern Technology
Enables people around
the world to easily connect
through both voice and text
messages.
Communication Technology
Internet- Allows people from different cultures to interact across vast distances, though they must find common language.
English
Two important reasons for predominance of English on the Internet:
- The system was conceived and implemented in the U.S and was designed for English speakers.
-English is the Lingua Franca of scientific and academic publishing.
Problems that can arises when a multi-culturalgroup is interacting through computer- mediatedcommunication:
-Trying to determine the context of a message,this can be a critical factor for people in high context cultures.
- Could break down traditional barriers to mixed-sex interaction.
- Problems in organization with a multicultural workface whose first varies.
Language Consideration in Intercultural
Competence
Geographical Features
- need for international economic commerce.
Other benefits in learning another language:
- Think about the world in different dimensions- Richer life- Better understanding- Provide greater insight
GET ½ SHEET OF YELLOW PAPER
2. Why is it stated that if we spoke a different language, we would perceive
somewhat different world?
1. If you’re a product of an intercultural marriage, how would you handle those
numerous problems that are thrown in the mix?
3. In what way communication technology can affect one’s
culture?