Topic :

Language and Culture

Presented to :
Ma’am Noveen Javed
Section : B
 》 Group Members :

■ Hafiz Ali Khalid

■ Bilal Raza
■ Muhammad Shahid Aslam
■ Muhammad Faheem Aslam
■ Urooj Haider
■ Hafiz Muhammad Akram
》 Context :

1 ) . Introduction .
2 ) . Language and Culture relationship :
■ What is language ?
■ What exactly is culture ?
■ What is the relationship betweeen Culture and language?
3 ) . How language and culture are interlinked ?
4 ) . What came first language or culture ?
5 ) . Language and Culture evolution .
6 ) . What role do language and Culture play in our
personality ?
7 ) . Linguistic and cultural diversity .
8 ) . Sapir and Whorf hypothesis .
9 ) . Do you want to learn a new language ? First learn
about culture.
10 ) . Final thoughts / Conclusion .
》 Introduction :

• A learner’s understanding of the language and culture

relationship is essential. Culture and language are
INEXTRICABLY linked. You can’t understand a culture
without first learning a language. A specific language is
usually associated with a particular group of people. You
interact with the culture of the language’s speaker when
you communicate in their language.
• Learning a foreign language entails learning the alphabet,
word order, and grammar rules. Also, learning about the
culture and norms of the target community. When learning
or teaching a language, it’s vital to understand the culture in
which it’s spoken since language is deeply rooted in culture.
 》 Language and Culture Relationship :

To better understand their unique

relationship, let’s begin by explaining
language and culture.
■ What exactly is language :
Crystal (1971, 1992) as “the systematic, conventional use of
sounds, signs or written symbols in a human society for
communication and self expression”.
Language is a system of “speech, manual, or written symbols”
that humans use to communicate. It enables us to communicate,
interpret, and play. Language helps us to share with others and
identify ourselves. The roots of human language remain a
mystery. Linguists agree that the first humans, the Homosapians
used some spoken language . Yet there is no record of this early
language to show us how the speech started .
■ What exactly is Culture ?

• There are about two or three hundred and even more definitions
for culture. With respect to the definition of culture, Edward Sapir
(1956) says that culture is a system of behaviours and modes that
depend on unconsciousness. Rocher (1972, 2004), an
anthropologist, believes that “Culture is a connection of ideas and
feelings accepted by the majority of people in a society”.
• A group of people’s characteristics and patterns of behavior define
their culture. Language, arts, and customs are the basic categories
we use to characterize culture.
• Culture, on either side, is much more than that. Culture teaches us how
to think, communicate with others, and perceive our surroundings.
This is your cultural perspective.
• Culture comes from the Latin word “colere,” which means “to produce
something out of the earth.” In specific ways, our history is what
brings us closer together.
• Culture is often used to identify or separate people into groups.
Western culture, Eastern culture, and African culture, for example.
• However, much like language, everybody has their own distinct
culture. Even though two people living in similar situations will share
characteristics. However, they are unable to share the same cultural
experiences or ideas.
■ What is the relationship between
Culture and language ?

• Within a social community, culture and language share

human beliefs, realities, and actions. As a result, there is
a relationship between culture and language. Whether it’s
national folklore or everyday conversation, language and
culture go hand in hand. Paralanguage is the non-lexical
portion of any culture’s language. It’s a broad word that
encompasses things like body language and voice pitch or
sound.
• Depending on where you grew up, the paralanguage will be
different. We pick up on those behaviors, expressions, and
intonations from the people around us. Body language that
conveys conflict in one country sometimes views as supportive
in another. This is why, while talking, paralanguage can trigger
miscommunication between ethnic groups. Pitch, intonation,
speech rate, facial expressions, and hesitation noises are
examples of paralanguage. It has a significant influence on the
language you use. If you’re bilingual, you’ve noticed how your
voice “shifts” when you speak many languages. You can also
note that your gestures or even attitudes change as a result of
this.
 》 How language and culture are
interlinked:

• Language changes often represent a culture’s changing

values. Language and culture are inextricably related.
And you can’t learn one without first knowing the other.
Language is related to all features of human life in
society. And comprehension of the surrounding culture
is key to learning a language. The language also allows
for the development and evolution of cultural values.
• Ken Hale, a well-known linguist, discusses the relationship
between culture and language. He claims that when a language
loses. A piece of culture is also lost as culture has a strong
influence on the language. Our fundamental traditions, ideals, and
interpersonal interactions are all influenced by culture. Language,
on the other hand, makes these exchanges quick.
• Language promotes social connections. At the same time, culture
aids our learning of how to connect with others.
 》 What came first language or culture :

• The establishment of culture entails the use of language. Isn’t

communication an essential human need? Since the
beginning, humans have been communicating and engaging
one another in various ways. As a result, the language came
first, for obvious reasons. Language is both the source and
the essence of a culture.
• Many languages evolved. And there are still many
languages spoken around the world. Just 200 languages
remain in both spoken and written form out of over 7000
languages. And many of the languages are now extinct. It is
fair to say that the complexity of languages and cultural
diversity has increased over time. Languages change over
time, owing to their cultural associations.
 》 Language and Culture evolution:

• Do you know what language and culture have in common? Both are
constantly developing!
• For example, the English we use today is very different from the English of
the past. Similarly, there are many variations between old and modern
western cultures.
• There’s no language without culture.
• Over time, both language and culture undergo significant changes. You
can’t expect a 10-year-old Chilean and a 70-year-old man to share the same
culture or speak the same language. Even though they live in the same
town.
》 What role do language and culture play
in our personality ?

• The language and culture you experience in life have a

significant impact on your personality. Culture shapes beliefs
and ethics by telling you how to deal with others.
Furthermore, it keeps you in touch with like-minded people.
Also, it strengthens your sense of belonging to society.
Language, on the other hand, is a resource that allows you to
communicate your culture. In reality, language uses to
convey cultural ideas and beliefs.
• Furthermore, both culture and language allow us to look backward
in history. Also, it helps shape our thoughts. Our cultural values
influence the way we perceive, talk, and communicate with others.
Language affects human thoughts as well. As previously mentioned,
language and culture, as well as our personalities, continue to
evolve. We learn and discover further when we encounter people
from various cultures. And our interactions with them can affect our
characters.
》 Linguistic and Cultural Diversity :

• While there is diversity inside that group, culture unites a

society. The language of the older generation, for
example, will vary from the current people. Furthermore,
different groups can speak the same language. But other
groups use different subsets. In online forums, people
could use a different version of the same language. Which
would be very different from the media’s language and
educated individuals.
• The language uses in several ways. There are three types of linguistic
varieties:
• – Geographical – only used in specific areas of the community)
• – Social – varieties used by societal groups based on occupation,
gender, and age)
• – Practical – languages used for specific purposes (used based on
function and situation).
• As a result of these factors, dialects emerge, adding to the language’s
richness.
》 Sapir and Whorf Hypothesis :

Sapir and Whorf Hypothesis is a Hypothesis built up and expanded by B.

L. Whorf (1897 – 1941) and derived from linguistic approach of his
teacher, E. Sapir (1884 – 1939). This hypothesis, in fact, suggests that a
language determines and resolves the thought and perception of its
speakers. In the sense that, no language can subsist except it is in the
context of culture and reciprocally, the culture which does not have at
its centre the structure of a standard and ordinary language cannot
survive.
Consequently, Sapir – Whorf hypothesis is, indeed, a theory of the
relationship between language and thought expounded in its most
explicit form by the American anthropological linguists Edward Sapir
(1884 – 1939) and Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897 – 1941). This hypothesis
is also known as the theory of the linguistic relativity. The main idea in
this hypothesis, as Whorf puts it, is that every human being views the
world by his own native language.
• In fact, Sapir and Whorf hypothesis comprises two consistent and unified ingredients
as follows:
• Linguistic Relativity: In accordance with linguistic relativity the languages which are
completely different in their vocabulary and structure, put across and convey different
cultural significances and meanings. This belief, indeed, maintains that the way people
view the world is determined wholly or partly by the structure of their native language.
• Linguistic Determinism: In proportion to linguistic determinism in its strong version,
models and samples of thought and observation and comprehending of reality are
settle on, agreed on and found out by one‟s native language.
• The first part which is linguistic relativity, indeed, has a more important role in
forming Sapir and Whorf hypothesis.
》 Do you want to learn a new language ?
First learn about culture.

• Understanding culture can be conducive when studying

a foreign language. If you want to learn foreign
languages, you must first learn about the cultures of that
region. You must be mindful of cultural differences to
communicate effectively. Suppose you want to improve
your language skills in a second language. Then it
would help if you addressed both the culture and the
language at the same time.
》 Final thoughts / Conclusion :

• The more you think about a language’s cultural context,

the faster you will learn it. If you aim to learn a foreign
language, keep in mind that cultural awareness will be an
essential part of your learning process. You must
understand socio-cultural factors. And learn how to
approach people in that foreign language to get language
skills. To summarize a long story, language and culture
are inextricably related.