Chapter 9 Language and Culture 1 What is

Chapter 9 Language and Culture 1 What is culture? 2 The relationship between language and culture

What is Culture? § In a broad sense, culture means the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that is both a result of and integral to the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. Culture reflects a total way of life of a people in a community. § In a narrow sense, culture may refer to local or specific practice, beliefs or customs, which can be mostly found in folk culture, enterprise culture or food culture, etc. § There are generally two types of culture: spiritual. material and

What is Culture? § § Ideas beliefs values institutions Products literature folklore art music Behaviors customs habits dress foods

Chinese paintings

Major differences between Chinese and Western culture § West Culture: § 1. Western culture is based on individualism rather than on emphasizes harmonious relationship between man and nature, obligation and responsibilities. For instance, mass (collectivism). In Western culture: Individualism emphasizes oppositions between man and nature, democracy, liberty and human rights. In Chinese culture: Collectivism in the US, you always talk about individual rights, instead of placing the whole society above your own self. This is clearly different in China where a country, society or family are placed above your own self.

Individual and Collectivist Culture Individual Culture (liberalism): individuals tend to define themselves by the extent to which they are different from, rather than similar to other. People are encouraged to display self-confidence and assertiveness, disclosure of personal thoughts and feelings. § Collectivist culture (Confucianism): places little value on individual identity and great value on group identity. Going § one's own way is § not valued; uniformity and conformity are stressed.

Individual and Collectivist Culture Individualism Collectivism I culture WE culture open discussion of disagreement are valued forms of talk openly speaking one’s mind appears distasteful seek the notice of others; affirm their uniqueness open expression risks face guarding privacy; valuing freedom to do and think whatever they choose the right to privacy in the sense of freedom is not recognized live life guided only by principles such one’s business is also the business of the as equality and noninterference group; friends should be concerned with each other’s personal matters

beliefs customs others objects institutions techniques

the relationship between language and culture are inseparate. They depend on each other and have evolved together through the history. 1. On the one hand, language is the carrier of culture. Without language , it’s impossible for us to understand culture.

the relationship between language and culture § a. language can not only express facts, ideas or events which represent similar world knowledge by its people, but also reflects the people’s attitudes, beliefs and points of views and ways of life etc. § § § Example: congratulation and praise Traditional Chinese response: 同喜，哪里哪里……(shy, humble, modest) English native speakers’ response: Thanks…(pleased)

the relationship between language and culture § b. Language embodies cultural reality. Language is the symbol of social identity. People are identified via their use of language. Example: § When a child acquires his mother tongue, he also acquires a language-specific culture. If he moves to another community or country, he may be recognized easily as a newcomer from the ways he uses his language.

the relationship between language and culture 2. On the other hand, culture can both emancipates and constrains people’s use of language socially, historically and metaphorically a. Socially, members of the same social groups use the similar language to meet their needs and acquire common ways of viewing the world. (language is intrinsically related to what the culture is. ) discourse communities 话语社区 discourse accents 话语口音

the relationship between language and culture § b. culture has its history and traditions. In different social groups, there are different ways to represent different culture such as the technological achievements, monuments and works of art, the historical identity of culture is recorded and passed down by language. ( language is intrinsically related to what the culture was. )

the relationship between language and culture § c. Culture can affect people’s imagination or common dreams which are expressed through the language and reflected in people’s behavior and life. . ( language is intrinsically related to the culture of imagination. ) § On the whole, the relation of language to culture is that of part to whole. Culture is a wider system that completely includes language as a subsystem.

Dialect in different culture

Dialect in different culture § 7 big dialects in china: Mandarin Language namely Northern dialect（官话即北方方言）, Cantonese（ 粤语）, Xiang（湘语）, Min（闽语）, Gan（赣语）, Wu（吴语）, Hakka （客家话）.

Dialect in different culture 1. Learning Putonghua: Different town has different dialect. If 2 persons coming from different place do not learn Putonghua , they will be confused by separate dialect.

Dialect in different culture 2. Protect the dialects: Dialects represent different cultures and our own roots where we are from. The biggest difference of cultures is dialect. We should protect them from dying away.

Different languages all over the world

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis § Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, proclaimed that the structure of the language people habitually use influences the ways they think and behave, i. e. different languages offer people different ways of expressing the world around, they think and speak differently, this is also known as linguistic relativity. § Sapir and Whorf believe that language filters people’s perception and the way they categorize experiences. This interdependence of language and thought is now known as Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.

Strong version & weak version § Strong version believes that the language patterns determine people’s thinking and behavior; § Weak version holds that the former influence the latter. ----The study of the linguistic relativity or SWH has shed two important insights: § There is nowadays a recognition that language, as code, reflects cultural preoccupations and constrains the way people think. § More than in Whorf’s days, however, we recognize how important context is in complementing the meanings encoded in the language.

Linguistic evidence of cultural differences § Denotative meaning ---- a meaning that can be found in a dictionary. § Connotative meaning ---- a meaning or idea suggested by a word or thing in addition to the formal meaning or nature of the word or thing. § Iconic meaning ---- the image or icon invoked in mind by a word. § For example, “rose”.

Some cultural differences in language use § § § § Greetings and terms of address Thanks and compliments Color words Privacy and taboos Rounding off numbers Words and cultural-specific connotations Cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphor

The significance of cultural teaching and learning § Learning a foreign language is inseparable from learning its culture. § We need to learn enough about the language’s culture so that we can communicate in the target language properly to achieve not only the linguistic competence but also the pragmatic or communicative competence as well.

Cultural overlap § Cultural overlap refers to the identical part of culture between two societies owing to some similarities in the natural environment and psychology of human beings. For example, the superior tends to refer to himself or herself by means of kinship terms, such as “Have daddy/mummy/teacher told you that? ”

Cultural diffusion § Through communication, some elements of culture A enter culture B and become part of culture B, this phenomenon is known as cultural diffusion. § One typical example of cultural diffusion is the appearance of loan words. § The practice of observing holidays of foreign origins and accepting concepts from other cultures.

Chinese + English = Chinglish § With further cultural exchanges, Chinglish(中国式英语) is more and more popular in Chinese lives. The appearance of Chinglish is also reflecting the relationship between language and culture, and the cultural diffusion. Certainly , it shows a special kind of relationship between English language and Chinese culture. § The wind of Chinglish sweeps across the country especially on the internet. Now almost all the people know it and will use it once in a while. Even the westerners start to accept it gradually

Chinese + English = Chinglish Day day up , good study. Long time no see. Let me see. Give you some color see.

§ The attitude towards cultural diffusion (esp. cultural imperialism owing to linguistic imperialism)

Intercultural communication § Intercultural or cross-cultural communication is communication between people from different cultures (their cultural perceptions and symbols systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event. ) § In cross-cultural communication, we need to pay special attention to the significant differences regarding social relations and concept of universe from different perspectives such as language, food, dress, attitude towards time, work habits, social behavior and religious belief that can cause frustrations in communications and contacts.

The End Thank you!