Abby Lebo 1
The Interrelatedness of Language and Culture
Language is the verbal expression of culture. It wasn’t until I spent time in France, that I could see how strong the relationship between language and culture is. Language is used to convey culture by the expression of thoughts and ideas. Moreover, our thoughts and ideas are influenced by the language that we use. The values and norms in a country are directly linked to communication and language. In my experience in France I found that it was easier to understand the French culture because of my knowledge of the language. I saw others who had no knowledge of French who struggled to assimilate and understand the values and norms of French culture.
I saw evidence of the relationship between language and culture each day while I was in France. It was mostly in the way that I observed native speakers communicate with each other. I saw significant differences in the way people communicated to each other in France than I did in the U.S. The differences were related both to their culture and also the language that they were speaking. For example, it is polite and innately necessary to greet the owner when entering a store or shop. In French, there are multiple ways to greet people. There are formal and informal ways to speak.
The French people are very proud of their language and they believe that it is important to preserve it. They have made using their native language as often as possible as a cultural norm itself. Even though many people speak English in Europe, I found that the French people were glad and actually wanted to speak only in French when I interacted with them. There are even words that exist in English that don’t exist in French and vice-versa. This is because there is a difference in culture. I firmly believe that if I hadn’t known French at the time and been able to communicate with native speakers, I would have never seen this correlation between their language and their culture.
Where does the relationship between language and culture come from? I believe that it comes from the human need to unify. Language unifies people in their culture. It unifies people on a common basis. This is the same for culture. A unified group of people value certain things, and they do them in a certain way. These people use their language in ways that echo what they value and what they do. Language and culture shape national identities. One cannot live without the other. Without language and communication there can be no culture. And without a culture there would be no purpose for language and communication.
I believe that language determines to a certain extent to how we see the world around us and that language can determine thought. If we think about a child’s vocabulary and how they see the world compared to the vocabulary of a med-school graduate student and how they see the world, we can begin to see this crucial relationship. Language is a way that we express ourselves, whether it’s through speaking English, French, Chinese or sign language there is an underlying connection with one’s culture within communication.
Language is extremely influenced by culture. The examples of this are endless. Before 2004, the action of Facebooking was non-existent. As our culture has grown and changed, so has our language. With the growing popularity of social media, the culture of technology has developed its own internet language. As cultures come up with new ideas and norms, language flourishes and develops with it. It is also true of the opposite. If a culture’s norm is to reject the use of technology, the language will reflect this.
Through my knowledge of the French language, I was able to communicate with native speakers and be a part of their culture. I learned what I could about French culture directly through the use of their language. These two concepts are inseparable. I also found that language isn’t necessarily spoken words. Gestures and body movements are a key element in conversations and are not the same in every culture. Gestures in the conversation are a reflection of that culture as well.
There are many diverse cultures in this world with completely different norms and values as well as many different languages that are associated with these cultures. This is not a coincidence. As languages disappear, like Latin for example, so does a way of thinking. This shows how important a language is to its culture. Of course we can sit in a classroom with a completely knowledgeable teacher and learn about culture, but it cannot be truly understood without language.
It is evident that through communication, and the choices of the use of language, that there is a significant relationship between language and culture. It’s important for second language learners to feel that what they are learning is authentic. By putting as much emphasis on culture as there is on the language itself, helps reflect the close relationship of language and culture. This not only offers second language learners some insight to their own language and culture, but also insight on how to view other cultures and their languages.
The ultimate goal for me as a teacher is to have my students be able to speak the language with proficiency. I firmly believe that in order to be proficient in a language and even fluent in a language, having only linguistic competency isn’t enough. It is important that second language learners understand that understanding culture is just as important to understanding the language. Even beginning second language learners are aware that there is more to learning a language than just grammar. Communicating with people from other cultures, even within your native language, is the only way to fully understand another foreign culture.